Tach stopped balmar 614

[NYSail]

Hello….. so yesterday was traveling little motor sailing but mostly a windless day so get down the road and motor. All good, alt putting out perfect voltage. Then about 5 hours into trip tach / hour meter stop working. All else good with output from alt. Then when pulling into anchorage the thing starts back up.

Any ideas or just 16 year old tach that may need to be replaced?

yanmar engine, balmar 150 alt with mc 614 regulator. Alt appeared to be performing perfect with no error codes showing.

thanks
Greg

 

[NYSail]

I’ll be checking for loose wires today…..

 

[kappykaplan]

With the long motoring session, is it possible the batteries reached float and no longer accepted alternator output? That's happened to me with my Balmar in the past.

 

[NYSail]

Interesting thought. I do have 400 watts of solar as well and the sun was pretty good……

greg

 

[dlochner]

Many Yanmars do not use the alternator output for input. Instead they use a magnetic sensor on the fly wheel that counts the teeth as they go by. These do fail. On the 3JH2E the sensor is located just behind the starter in a barely accessible space. When I removed mine I used a large metric open end wrench, I think it was a 24. These seem prone to failure.

If you have this type of sensor, it can be tested with out removing it. See the attached pages from the shop manual.

The problem can may also be corrosion or other issues in the wiring harness. After a new sensor and a new tach head, my tach remains asleep, although in the process I did get the idiot lights working and the light for the tach to light up. Just haven't had time to dive into the wiring harness.

 

[JoeWhite]

I had noticed that when I first started the engine while at dock and shore power plugged in, that tach would not work until I reved up the engine. The cause, as mentioned above, is that if the alternator is not charging the batteries then tach will not work.

 

[Maine Sail]

If your tach gets its pulse from the alternators stator, then it's your solar causing the reg to shut down......

 

[jssailem]

Are you sure you wired the unit correctly.
Install WHITE Stator-In And Tach-Out Wires
When an electric tachometer is used, the alternator’s stator output will provide the electrical pulse needed to drive the
tachometer. The MC-614 has been designed to provide regulated tach output when the WHITE stator wire is connected to theregulator’s Stator In (#12) terminal and the out feed wire to the electric tachometer is connected to the Tach Out t1e6rminal (#13)terminal. *Not required for magnetic pick-up Tachs.
Stator output can also be used to detect alternator failure. See Page 10 for details.
When the tachometer is connected via the MC-614, the regulator will ensure that the tachometer will not discontinue supplying field current when the batteries are fully charged. When connecting the tachometer to the alternator stator output, it will be necessary to determine the number of poles in the alternator in order to properly adjust
your tachometer. Most Balmar alternators feature 12-pole rotors and stators, though, in
some cases, the pole count may be 14. See alternator manual for specifics. See your
tachometer manual for adjustment instructions.

 

[jssailem]

Have you explored the signaling possible should "alternator failure" occur? Your 614 regulator cna give you a sign....from page 13 of the manual

Programming For Alternator Failure Advisory Mode (BDL)
The regulator provides a ground signal on the dash lamp terminal when the following conditions occur: low battery voltage (<12.7V), high battery voltage (>15.5V), high battery temperature (<52°C), or high alternator temperature (105°C). In
addition, the user has the option to send the dash lamp ground in the event that the stator output drops to zero volts. The Regulator’s Default bdL setting is ON. Monitoring stator output is an optional function which can be turned on or off in the basic programming mode. The regulator’s default setting for the bdL mode is ON, meaning that the stator output is being monitored. This function can be used in conjunction with a relay to control a charge indicator lamp.

1. To enable or disable the stator monitoring function, activate and hold when the bdL mode is indicated.
2. Release when the desired setting is shown. NOTE: Stator wire must be connected to the regulator’s Stator-In terminal to use this function.
   bdL INDICATES ENTRY INTO OFF STATOR OUTPUT ON STATOR OUTPUT ALTERNATOR FAILURE MONITORING OFF MONITORING ON

 

[NYSail]

If your tach gets its pulse from the alternators stator, then it's your solar causing the reg to shut down......

Yes it does and this is the first time its ever happened........ Sun was burning bright in the later part of the trip so the solar output would have been at its strongest.

Thanks all..... interesting stuff to consider.

Thanks!
Greg

 

[Maine Sail]

Yes it does and this is the first time its ever happened........ Sun was burning bright in the later part of the trip so the solar output would have been at its strongest.

Thanks all..... interesting stuff to consider.

Thanks!
Greg

If you don't want to lose tach just program solar 0.1V lower than than the alt regulator or kick on a decent DC load when this happens.. The regulator cannot regulate voltage if it goes above the set point. It has no option but to shut down the field until the voltage falls back into range. Killing the field kills the stators AC pulse. Same thing happens with internal regulators too.