TheCrowsNest

Got it I think it was a loose connection to the battery terminal. I tightened it all up and its now running fine. Thank you to everyone who replied!

So I left the charger on all night and tested the voltage (~13.6V). When I tried to start the engine turns over but doesn't start. Anything else I should try?

I'm just concerned that the boat is being surveyed on Friday and I need to move it to be lifted. I need to know the engine is working or I'll have to get someone in tomorrow.

The spring usually "heats" up to glow orange when I turn the key to heat but its not doing that when I heat at the moment.

You were completely right. I pulled the charger from the leisures and put it directly onto the starter. It has been charging for about 3 hours and the voltmeter now reads 12.5V. I tried heating the spring but still nothing. The starter spins for much longer now though. Can someone please enlighten me as to what the spring on the top right does: Also, what does the HL and EL switches mean and should they be on or off? Many thanks!

I'm not good and want to learn the terminology so this is helpful, thank you! The campervan battery is 680CC and I guess from the markings I mentioned earlier that the one on the boat is a 700CC?

Hi, I put the voltmeter across the terminals of the 3 leisure batteries and it read ~13.6V but the starter reads 11.5V. I assume the battery is at fault here and its not just because it is a starter rather than leisure? I have a 2.5L diesel campervan, I was thinking about removing the battery from it and hooking it up to the narrowboat to see if it starts? From looking at the campers battery, it is a little smaller and I couldn't see any CC markings. Do you think this is a good plan?

Boat is getting lifted out this Friday for a survey. I thought I would run the engine tonight to test everything is working and I am glad I did because its not! When I turned the key to heat and held for 30 seconds the spring didn't heat/redden up. I tried starting the engine and the alternator spun for about half a second and then cut out. I replaced a few of the electric cables and terminals so I am pretty sure its not a loose connection/cable. I thought it might be the battery so I put a ammeter on to test and it gave a reading of 11.5V - As the battery charger is always on charging the 3 leisures and 1 starter in parallel I am guessing this battery is dead? If so, how do I find a cheap replacement? The marking on the current starter battery says: Schnapp Energy Gold - UK 644 - 95 AH - SAE 700 - 2010 Thanks for any advice you can give me

When I had mine done last Jan it was a scrape and measure job. Wasn't aware of other methods..

Thanks guys, good advice. I'll buy 1 x 5L and do what I can

Jan 2013 and they look fine although they might need a wire brush taken to them to clean. Yeah I know, fingers crossed its dry!

I am selling my boat and moving out in July . I have taken a deposit from a buyer and he is planning on getting a survey done over a weekend in a few weeks time. After the survey (on the Saturday) which I assume will involve scrapping sections of the blacking off, I want to put a layer of blacking on it before it goes back in on the Monday morning. The buyer hopes to lift it out again soon after the sale to do work on it but I want to make sure its protected encase he decides to pull out from buying it. A few questions from me are: 1. I assume from reading here, all I need to do it power hose it down a few times and slap a few coats of bitumen paint on with a paintbrush? 2. What bitumen based paint is inexpensive and decent? Would this stuff do the job?.. http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p88792 3. How much paint would be required for 1-2 coats on a 45' narrowboat? Many thanks for any help or advice you can give!!

Great advice, thank you. I will try that tomorrow morning.

Oh! hmmmmm.. Yes I did rev the engine but maybe not enough. Guess I need to check the wiring and try again then. Another job for the weekend Thank you both for the heads up!

Thanks all! I checked the wiring and found a loose connection in the D+ connection. The spring glowed under heat and the engine started and ran fine. The charge light stayed on so the alternator is also working I let it run for 30mins the the belt didn't make a noise at all. Glad it is all sorted!

Hi everyone, As discussed in http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?s=5dc518cf8a09055355d099b8c954c3c2&showtopic=62621 I bought a replacement alternator and fitted it. Its exactly the same and fitted with a new belt. My problem now is the engine won't start! Initially when I turned the key nothing happened at all but after checking all the wiring is seated properly the engine tried to start. I did the usual heat for 30 seconds and then turned the key. The belt just spins and there is no sound of the engine attempting to start properly. I have checked and the diesel line is open, the battery is hooked up and the charger has been on so it is charged. The only thing I think is different is that the spring in the hole at the top right of here.. ..doesn't glow red when I turn the key to "heat". I am pretty sure it did before (although I may be mistaken). Could this be it or is there something else I should be looking for? I am still learning about engines and electrics so sorry if this is a stupid question

New alternator fitted in place with a new belt. Belt has about cm of give in it which is tighter than it was before. Now to the electrics. I really don't want to hook this up wrong again but I have to admit the wiring is a mess at the minute. The alternator looks like this: With the connections: Previously my wiring goes in like this: I guess the non blade terminal is a grounding point? (haven't had chance to follow the cable) The B+ connections go to the batteries which I assume is right. Now where I am confused is the D+ terminal which I read should go to the "warming light" and must be connected via a warning bulb and ignition switch to the Battery +. Without D+ connected the alternator will not charge. I have a control unit which looks like this: The wires behind it are a mess and it is difficult to make head or tails of it. Does anyone have a good wiring diagram for one of these control units being used with the D+ connection of the alternator? I want to make sure it is all right before I start the engine and hopefully see the charging light turn off after a few seconds (indicating that the batteries are being charged?). Many thanks again for any help or advice!

I tried to but the place said it was more expensive without a trade in unit so I just let it go. It should be covered in warranty for a year at least anyway

Thanks again guys. I went to Bristol Auto Electrical. They had my alternator in stock and so I just bought a new one for £58. They changed over the belt pulley so it is exactly the same. I also went to a local place and bought a new belt. Thought I might as well replace it at the same time! So ~£60 upgrade. Now to assess the wiring. Don't want to make the same mistake twice!!

Can anyone recommend a place in or near Bristol? I should probably replace the belt as well, any idea where is best to get one? Thanks

Thank you all for your advice and discussion. Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you all. As I haven't needed to take the boat out over the winter months other things (like fitting a new bathroom) moved up the todo list. This has now reached the top again I got round to taking pics of the alternator attached to the mounts. Here is the top: Bottom: Electric Cables: I am torn between upgrading the unit or getting it fixed. I intend to the sell the boat this year so the lowest cost option would probably be best.. From looking at the mounts, can anyone suggest a replacement? Thank you for any advice

We just lifted the hatch at the rear of our cabin and found about an inch of water, I suspect its from the constant rain we have been having. I did check the hatch about 3 weeks ago and it was bone dry. I'm really hoping the cause is not from the new bathroom I have been fitting. I checked all the pipes and they seem dry but there are two pipes running under a newly tiled floor which I can't get at. I haven't heard the pump cycle though unless I open a tap so I assume that it is rain getting in through the window fittings. Anyway, I lifted the bilge pump from the engine room and pumped out the majority of it and I have ordered http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/200684824119 to put a seal around a suspect leaky window. I guess monitoring it is the only way?

Well guys, thanks for the advice/help. We got the floorboards replaced over the weekend. We removed 4' x 4' and replaced with 2 x 2' x' 4' sections of ply. We didn't remove the bulkhead in the end, instead we removed 1cm from the bottom of it to fit the new planks in and I will slide a section of wood in there to fill sometime this week. We did it solely with a multi-tool and jigsaw in the end. We even got some rust up and Factan down on the bilge under the section we lifted, unfortunately we only had time to slap a bit of paint on as living on a boat with a 4'x4' hole isn't easy lol. Next job.. fit floor tiles, new taps on the bath and then tile the walls..

Thank you for the quick replies! Yeah I reckon the ply is 18mm from looking at it. From having a brief look at the saws, I think this one would be handy: http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=110&storeId=10151&partNumber=124721 I could also use it for cutting tiles which would be much better than the hand saw I have for cutting tiles. Do you think this would be better or worse than a multi-tool? It looks like I overlooked how difficult it will be to remove the floor from under the bulkhead / walls. I guess I'll just have to work this out tomorrow. Julynian, you mentioned I could tag the new board to the old, do you have a method for doing this? Many thanks again!

Hey everyone, When I bought my boat the surveyor found one section of floorboard that was rotten. After recently ripping up some more of the clickfit flooring I can see the rest of the floor is fine and obviously has been replaced at some point with ~1ft wide planks. However this rotten section is part of a 8x4' sheet of ply which runs under a plywood bulkhead between the bedroom and bath. I assume this is one of the original floorboards and hasn't been replaced due to the annoying location of it. We decided recently that we would re-tile the bathroom and so this is an ideal time to lift the bath out and replace a section of the flooring before we re-tile. However I have a few questions.. 1. How are plywood bulkheads/cabin walls usually fixed into place? Ideally I want to remove this bulkhead and refit but if it is too difficult to remove, could I cut a few inches off of the bottom of the wall and replace with another slightly wider piece of wood? 2. The 8x4' plywood sheet is only damaged/rotten in one section (the section under the bulkhead between the bathroom and bedroom) but also runs under the next bulkhead between the bath and the kitchen. So could I simply cut out 4' x 4' section and replace with another 4'x4' section of ply? I guess this depends on the distance between the metal framework in the bilge? (its a Liverpool boats co. boat) If so, what tool would you recommend for me to cut the floorboard in half whilst in place? Thank you for any advice, answers or recommendations!