New D2-40 Alternator wiring

[Glassman]

Hello everyone! I am almost finished installing my new engine and the provided instructions are quite vague to say the least. I am now trying to figure out how to wire the alternator.
My preferred hook up is to have the alternator charge my House batteries only. I have an echo charger to manage the starter battery.
Can I run a charging wire from the alternator directly to the House Bank? If so does anyone know which terminal on the alternator I would attach it to?

Any help would be appreciated.





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[GordMay]

See ➥ http://www.plaisance-pratique.com/IMG/pdf/MID.pdf

And ➥ http://mantaowners.org/wp-content/up...ELECTRICAL.pdf

[Glassman]

Thanks for the info, another question. Is there any reason why I can run my charging wire from the alternator directly to the battery instead of going through the house battery switch? The reason I ask is so there would be no chance of have the switch off prior to or when the engine is running and damaging the alternator.




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[DougR]

The Mitsubishi 115 amp alternator which you have is normally set up with four wires on the D2-40 engine. They are:

Red wire- Connected to the B+ terminal on the alternator and connected to the #30 terminal on the starter motor. This is your main charging wire and is connected to the start battery via the starter motor connection.

Black wire- Connected to the B- terminal on the alternator and also to the block ground lug. There may also be a smaller black ground wire connected to the B- terminal which is the ground lead for the engine wiring harness. Its possible that this smaller black ground wire is connected directly to the block ground lug.

Yellow wire- Connected to the "S " (sense) terminal on the alternator and also connected to the #30 terminal on the starter motor. This wire allows the voltage regulator to feel the voltage level of the battery more directly and maintain closer control of the alternator output level. If the alternator output is hooked up thru a diode isolator the yellow wire should be hooked to the house battery terminal on the output side of the isolator to allow the regulator to feel the voltage level of the house bank.

Brown wire- Connected to the 61 terminal of the alternator. This is the energizer wire coming from the MDI box to allow the alternator to energize and begin charging.

You can connect the alternator directly to the house bank by removing the red B+ wire from the alternator/ starter motor and running from the B+ terminal of the alternator to the house bank. You need to be aware that the wire gauge will have to be increased to accommodate the additional distance which this will most likely entail. You should also move the yellow sense lead from the starter and lengthen it so that it connects to the house bank, thus allowing the regulator to sense the voltage level at the house bank.

It goes without saying that both battery banks need a common ground to each other and the engine block.

If you run the B+ charging lead directly to the battery instead of thru a switch, ( or even if you run it thru a switch) you need to be aware that the B+ and the yellow lead need to be fused at the battery end for safety reasons.

A comment regarding the "Echo Charger"........I have no experience with this unit, but from a quick look at the installation instructions it seems that the charger will cut on and off as the voltage at the start battery fluctuates. This is almost guaranteed to cause the charge alarm in the VP alarm system to activate, and this can be a nuisance.

Hope this makes some sense.
DougR

[Glassman]

Thanks very much for the help. This is an excellent explanation.




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[Stu Jackson]

Yes, it was a good explanation.

Here's more details

Basic Battery Wiring Diagrams This is a very good basic primer for boat system wiring: Basic Battery Wiring Diagrams

This is another very good basic primer for boat system wiring: The 1-2-B Switch by Maine Sail (brings together a lot of what this subject is all about)
1/BOTH/2/OFF Switches Thoughts & Musings | SailboatOwners.com Forums

The Short Version of the 1-2-B Switch Stuff: Electrical Systems 101 This is a link to the Electrical Systems 101 Topic, reply #2

What are ACRs, Combiners & Echo Chargers? (by Maine Sail)
Battery Switch Question ? | SailboatOwners.com Forums

[Stu Jackson]

Echo Charger Use Warning from Maine Sail: Xantrex Echo Charger Rant - SailNet Community

[CarinaPDX]

Did you get the Installation Manual? I have found it very useful. If you need it PM me.

Greg

[Glassman]

Thanks to those of you for the assistance you provided. I managed to get everything hooked up properly and the engine and drive are now fully installed. So far I am very happy that I converted my boat to a Saildrive. It is very smooth and quiet and eliminates the unwanted water in my bilge.
This forum is a great source of info!






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