Let’s say you have a pleasure boat or personal watercraft you love using, and let’s say it’s starting to give you trouble. You don’t want to be bobbing about like a cork on the ocean with a craft that won’t run, and at Millikan Battery and Electric Inc., we don’t want that either.
We are very familiar with electrical and charging systems, including alternators in Apopka, FL, and our experience tells us you may be looking at a problem with your system, of which the alternator is a big part. We’ll give you tips on identifying problems, in that way, if yours starts to fail, you will be ready to get the service it needs.
Your watercraft electrical system should be putting out about 12 volts with the ignition on, but without the engine running. This will drop to 8 or 9 during cranking and then should rebound up to 14 volts when the engine starts. If it doesn’t happen, there’s a good chance you have a problem with your alternator.
You can also assess the health of your alternator by checking the voltage at the battery with the engine at 2,000 RPM. A reading over 14.4 means yours is not working correctly. A further test has you check performance at the alternator itself with a voltmeter clipped to the wires. A measurement of less than 14 volts means you need to have your unit serviced by a professional right away.
