Bavaria Cruiser 42 engine not charging house battery

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by SpinDreams

I have little experience with boat electronics but wired my own house and like to put my hand to circuit design and board repair so I am certainly familiare with electronics, just not this type of system. However I feel I should be quite capable of learning and understanding the concepts once I can get the information I need. I will however check the charging diode fuses (once I find them) and trace the problem but while at home thought I would check here in case others had suggestions and advice.

OK, first look for a mechanical problem. Loose or broken wire. Follow the charging wire from the battery back to the diode block. If, as the previous owner claims there is a diode block and it is charging the starter battery then the problem is between the diode block and the house bank. Next get out your multimeter and measure the voltage at the diode block without the engine running. Is there voltage? If not then the wiring is bad. Then start the engine. Did the voltage increase? If no then your diode block (charge splitter) is bad.