Ewan123

Ah grand, should probably be alright then. We've got two 70A alternators and I do just that, only going down as far as idle when the amps into the leisure drop below about 25A (which is about what idle gives us). We've only had short river stretches in the last year or so but we're aiming for Limehouse to Brentford in a few months so that should do the trick! Thanks to you and all for the advice.

Righto, mineral 15W/40, then CC, CD, CE or CG in order of preference. It is well run in at 15 years old. I did read on another thread that API CC is particularly recommended to help prevent glazing (over winter we are charging batteries with the engine but do cruise most weekends) - does that ring true?

Hi folks, it's time for an oil change and I'm hoping for some reassurance/advice please. Engine: Isuzu IM4LC38 Gearbox: Newage PRM 150 The gearbox has Granville Hypalube Plus 15W/40 in it (because that's what the previous owner used). I'm not certain what exactly we have in the engine (the other empty bottle sat in the engine bay is Cooper TransFlow SD 15W-40, could be that or we may have disposed of the old oil with the bottle that came from the new oil - I don't recall. Bad me, lesson learned). As per the manuals the gearbox wants mineral API CD 15W/40 and the engine wants API CC 15W/40 (or CD if CC is not available, mineral/synthetic not mentioned). 1) The oils used so far appear to be... wrong? The Hypalube is CG and the Transflow is CI if I'm reading correctly. 2) That being the case, I want to replace with the Proper Stuff as specified. How thorough do I need to be in draining and flushing the old oils (and what's the best way to flush it out)? 3) Any recommendations for affordable (or otherwise) API CC and CD? Thanks in advance.

Pretty sure I've found the problem - there should be a little nubbin on the bottom of the blade that extends down below hole which it slots into. Said nubbin then rides along and up the little ramp to push the bade upwards at the end of the movement. This nubbin has snapped off, so new blade ordered. Who knew a cassette could be so exciting!?

Hmm I think I see what you mean. Well, when the cassette's empty tomorrow I'll have a play around and see what I find.

Ah I understand, thanks. I'll have another feel around... Thanks! Link in case someone else stumbles on this in future: https://www.thetford-europe.com/gb/products/toilets/cassette-toilets/c200-cs-no-longer-available

I did take the seal off and have a feel/look around but I couldn't tell what should/shouldn't be as it was... So is it something on the underside of the knob that you turn to open/close that does the pushing up?

We've got a Thetford C200 and one of our cassettes has become problematic. The blade doesn't get pushed up to meet the seal when closing it (no problem with the seal itself). It just stays down, all loose and useless. I can't figure out why - has anyone experienced this/ can anyone offer advice please?

I take it I probably need to get the alternator to someone that can properly rebuild it then for a long term solution (as far as can be judged from my pics)? Ok, will have a go a charging the other once the connected one is definitely charged.

Noted thanks - won't do that then!

Ah yes, of course it's not as simple as I hoped 😅. It was hard to clearly see the state of it, I don't suppose this pic is very informative? Best view I could get.

Well, I think that was definitely more than a bit breezy over here on the River Stort/top of the Lea - plenty of trees have come down along the towpath. I was working from home yesterday and it felt pretty hairy when the gusts turned and hit us side-on! Happily our spring lines fore and aft did a great job we remained secure throughout. I did retreat to the pub we're moored next to in the evening when things had calmed down a bit. After wobbling around all day it was nice to have unmoving ground under the feet for once! The rum helped too.

Right, I think we're there! 1) In first trying to disconnect it, I thought I needed to take the regulator off (didn't notice the spade connection just along the wire). That obviously showed me it wasn't the way to disconnect it, but in the process I learned what alternator brushes look like (and ones that are part of a well-behaved alternator at that...). I reinstalled the regulator and disconnected at the spade connection to actually test. Did this, no effect on anything - took that to mean the controller wasn't responsible as suggested. 2) Having found out what brushes look like (not like this🪥) and that they're easy to access look at (well, the naughty alternator is much more cramped but still possible) I figured I'd check the others. They did look a bit wonky/uneven as below. Refitted it anyway, tried testing... the alternator now didn't do any charging at all, which got me excited/worried at the same time. 3) Took it apart again, tried to be more careful with reinstalling the regulator this time and WOOHOO! Everything back to normal! Starter battery charging at about 14.5V, not that slowly creeping 13+, no bouncing up and down, revs normal. I'm inclined to say that's it. Thank you very much everyone for your contributions - aside from now knowing the problem, I've learnt more about what systems I have in the process. Which leads me to two(ish) more questions now: a) Is it easy for a largely clueless amateur to replace brushes (with only a socket wrench and screwdriver as tools)? I'm assuming my waggling-fix won't last that long. b) I now have two starter batteries, one of which has been undercharged for a while and ended up flat, but is currently sitting at 12.5V after being disconnected from everything for a few days. Is it worth me trying to charge it up to see whether it has life left/can I do that by just attaching it to the new connected battery with jump leads or switch leads from new to old while the engine is running?

Just to check, that's the Starboard alternator which appears to be behaving normally when the Port is disconnected - still worth trying?

(Voltage readings from controller added above)

Great, that's OK then 👌 (the pic might be deceptive). I see, glad I understand its job now! Thanks. Not that the lights will be much use to me most days, down in the depths of the engine bay. Unless it's likely the root of my problems today, I'll add that to the "When I've got spare money" list 😀. Appreciated tip nonetheless.

I think we're getting somewhere, but I think I'm still ignorant of what job the various devices perform. I double checked a set of fuses and had originally missed a tiny break in a 3A fuse (either labeled as 'REMOTE 3A' or 'AUX CHARGE' depending which way one reattached the bust cover - REMOTE 3A matches though). With that replaced, the inverter/charger control panel works again 👍 so presumably something has indeed gone wrong with the remote sense. I also found another blown fuse in the Sterling box (is this a controller?) as below which was displaying Red for 'High battery voltage trip.' With that replaced, the lights now display thus (the bottom is yellow for 'open lead acid' in real life). Not sure what the Timer is about. EDIT: I couldn't find anywhere to get my multimeter probes on the cable going to the controller. I did measure across that fuse inside the controller... is that helpful??... * Engine off: Battery 12.8V/ Controller 12.8V * Engine idling: Battery 14.7V/ Controller variable 2.5-5V * Engine revved up: Battery variable 15-16+V/ Controller variable 15-16V (Variable readings are jumping up and down, when revved up the variation is audible in the revs) The main problem of the alternator/battery voltage is still occurring. ... which also leads me to wonder whether it's the right setting for my battery, I'm struggling to work out exactly which battery type it is. Finally, here's a selection of other electrical things including our inverter/charger (which I think shouldn't be involved in this really..?) and a Vetus Split Diode.

The diagram came with the boat - I realise I'm taking a leap of faith in hoping that a c. 20 year old boat's electrics still resemble an apparently original diagram, but aside from the addition of solar, everything does appear to be of a fairly similar vintage to the boat...

On the plus side, after having another go at the multi plug (one point to @Tracy D'arth) the Stop button is now working perfectly, better than it has for a while! I did give the contacts on the switch a good scrub first though which I'm sure helped as they were mostly blackened. No progress on the alternator/battery situation though, or the inverter control panel (I think I need to hunt again for a fuse I might have missed).

That makes sense, thank you. Yep it's a short wire coming straight from the main earth point. Will do.

Thanks all so far. Can anyone advise whether the starboard alternator (last pic) is missing an earth cable? I'll report back after further investigations into connections etc. tomorrow.

I'll measure that tomorrow too 👍

I'm trying to think back to the order things happened in... and I remember other things. The first issue was the starter battery going flat and failing to start the engine (I jumped from the domestics twice before replacing starter battery). The Stop button then failed to stop the engine but that's been intermittent for a while. I also created a brief sparkly short between the Port alternator and engine starter motor when trying to reconnect the big red cable to the +. Is that any more illuminating??

Yes, multimeter direct on the battery (which confirmed what the instrument panel was showing) 😀 I learnt that lesson the last time things went wrong! Also our normal battery monitor panel died in the middle of this mess.

That was my initial understanding. Disconnected the big red cable which I'm sure always was attached to the +ve. Only disconnected while the engine is off, did accidentally short between the alternator and starter motor when trying to connect the alternator +ve (forgot to isolate domestic batteries...) I've updated with more photos and an earth cable that should maybe be attached to stbd alternator?? Isuzu engine, all multiplugs etc. seemed alright (recently cleaned out etc.) but I will check that tomorrow, thanks.