My "perky\cat/volvo" DC bat charger

[Lloyd]

Check the very first topic. I set it as a sticky so you can see what we have. We have parts manual but no service manual. Parts manual might help you see what your up against if you need to take things apart.

Thanks Henry,

I have all of those documents, and did have a Volvo workshop manual, as well as a Perkins Workshop manual, but I can't find them, they are pdf's, so I will continue to look.

Did you crack the fuel inlet bleeder nut on the injector pump?

This may just be what I'm looking for, I looked at the injector pump, but don't see anything that resembles a leader. There are 4 holding bolts each corner , high pressure pipe keeper one for each cylinder, and a supply stack w/return  piping of both injectors.

Do you have a picture?

If the shut off solenoid is fine when you check it check the fuel line routing.

Fuel lines are just installed, along with a new pre filter, and primary filter, The pre filter has a built in pump, I can pump air free fuel through both filters, and to the tank return piping...I just can't get any fuel past the injector pump to the injectors...not a drop.

Last resort, Clean outside of injector pump and pull it off  and put it in a container completly submerged with kerosine sitting up right and let it soak for a while. Than while wearing safety glasses and keeping hands away from the delivery valves and try moving the lifters on the bottom of the pump. If they move keep working them while pump is submerged. This might help prime the pump and get kerosine flowing in the delivery valves.

Henry

I hope it doesn't come to that but, if all else fails, I guess I go on vacation without the DcGen running and just deal with it when I get back. I was hoping to have the power on board.

Thanks again,

Lloyd

[Lloyd]

Well, I pulled the injector pump, and one of the plungers is stuck, which won't allow the rack to move.

I took it to Seattle Injector, they're going to do a hero job, said if they can free up the plunger everything should be good, in 2 hrs. If the plunger is damaged then it'll be Monday.

Lloyd

[Henry W]

Let us know the outcome.

Henry

[Lloyd]

Hi All,

Seattle injector did the Hero job, had it done in an hour. Here's their report one of the plungers, was varnished badly, and also the rollers that crank the rack. He said, that with the new low/ultra low sulfur diesel, anything that's going to sit and dry out should have some Standyne run through it prior to shut down. The low sulfur diesel has a very bad reputation for developing gums and varnish...not like the old dino we all use to love.

Back to the boat installed the pump, bleed it, and she pops in the 1st revolution..yippeeee

I ran it tell it started to come up to temp, turned the regulator on, the bat monitor shows 45 amps at 14.4 volts going into the bank. Next I turn on a 1kw  heater running from the inverter, no change in charge amps or voltage to the battery, the perky changes tone slighty.

I then turn on an additional 1kw heater running from the inverter, another change in tone, the bats are still getting 45 amps, and voltage is stable at 14.4, by my estimates that's at or just over 3 kw load, on the Perky... DC Gen.

The Balmar controller shows about about 76% on field, and the alt temp at 45c. I set the governor run speed to 2400 rpm under this load. I ran it for about 1/2 hour everything is stable the bat charge voltage never dropped below 14.4 volts, charge amps into the bank dropped to 36 amps.

Well now I need a day and a half to put the boat back together, then it North to Desolation Sound for 3 weeks...I should come home with some good stats.

Lloyd

Henry, thanks for your help.

[Apogee]

Lloyd,

Glad you got it fixed.  Thanks to you, now I have a gotcha to watch out for on my baby Cats and where to get it repaired if necessary.

Very nice job on the setup!  I love that flywheel pulley...  Did you design and build the engine mounting brackets and the alternator bracket or did you find them already made someplace?  Is the raw water pump gear driven?  

Would you be willing to share part numbers on what it takes to put a setup like this together?  I realize it took a fair amount of time for you to do, so if you don't want to, I'd understand.  It's just a neat little setup.

Looks like the weather will be cooperating as it's stunning today.

Again, very nice job!

Have a great trip!

Steve

PS - Can't wait to hear how everything performs and if it's fairly quiet while running...

[Henry W]

Your welcome Lloyd,

I am looking forward to hear how the tests go.

Henry

[Lloyd]

Lloyd,

Glad you got it fixed.  Thanks to you, now I have a gotcha to watch out for on my baby Cats and where to get it repaired if necessary.

Very nice job on the setup!  I love that flywheel pulley...  Did you design and build the engine mounting brackets and the alternator bracket or did you find them already made someplace?  Is the raw water pump gear driven?  

Would you be willing to share part numbers on what it takes to put a setup like this together?  I realize it took a fair amount of time for you to do, so if you don't want to, I'd understand.  It's just a neat little setup.

Looks like the weather will be cooperating as it's stunning today.

Again, very nice job!

Have a great trip!

Steve

PS - Can't wait to hear how everything performs and if it's fairly quiet while running...

Thanks Steve,

Yes I designed the engine mount/alternator mount, but not completely by myself.

I did the basic layout and the belt geometry, and my metal guy then added his thoughts and welded it up. His name is Jens Hjorth, from Hjorth Consulting in Free-Balard. He's a fantastic metal worker/engineer, his shop is full of laths cnc's, and has one of the most capable sets of bending presses, and shears.

Jen's would be happy to build you a set up, we have all the drawings in auto-cad, so all the front end work is done. He said about 350-400.00 for each engine set from her on out.

The raw water pump, is gear driven, both the raw water pump, and the Mani-Cooler/HeatX are Volvo for the D1-13 sail drive. Perkins also makes a raw water pump, Mani-Cooler, they don't marinize our engines(400 series) any more, but they did do the 102.05c, which is the same engine, just with Tier 1-2.

Were hoping for good weather, but this year hasn't been so great already. But we won't let that spoil our trip. I'm really looking forward to getting my batteries charged, I've really earned it this year.

I'll report back in 3.5 weeks.

Thanks,

Lloyd

[hal]

Llo  have a GREAT safe trip!!   Get all the data you can for us that want to know.

[Lloyd]

28 days out, unplugged.

Crossed a sea or 2.

Charged a bat or 2.

Sat in the sun.

Had fun.

Crossed a sound.

Made no sound.

Made some sound.



28 days out, I don't wish, I were back


now that I am.

i

have
 
a

tale

or

two...

lloyd

[Lloyd]

Here's the report from the month long test of my Diesel DC Bat Charger.

Recap of the system. The unit was installed on my old boat.

Onboard power is as follows:

a. 12 volt house system 6 Trojan T-125's series/parallel to make a 720 amphr bank. Loads are 30 pressure water system, and lighting.

b. 120 volt house system is 30 amp shore side, and an older Trace 2512 Turbo.
Loads are refrigeration, and Ice maker/Freezer, 13 gal. HW heater, additional lights, toaster, Movie machine, computer, and sometimes a vacuum.

Our average 24 hr amphr draw is between 100 and 120 amphrs. When disconnected from shore power, during this time HW is provided by either the main engines, or the DC bat  charger.

Charge Source:

Main engines are spinning a pair of 150 amp alts through Balmar MC612 Controllers.

Kyrocera 85 what Solar panel, controlled by a Morningstar PWM controller.

And finally the newly installed Perky\Cat/Volvo, which is spinning a 275 amp Leece Neville large frame Bus Alternator, controlled by a Balmar MC614 Controller.

Out of the 28 day voyage we were only plugged into shore power for 4 days the rest of the time were dependant on the bat bank/charge source.

I can say the new DC bat charger performed as intended. I ran the Perky for an hour and a half every other morning, which would charge the bank through absorption, and make enough HW for dishes, and my wife and my showers daily.

At the end of the run time, the alternator temp. was between 80c/176f and 90c/194f this is the measure of the external temperature of the negative. rectifier case. I am only guessing but I would assume the internal stator temp to be much lower. The bat bank is at 22c/71f.

The engine runs at 2400 rpm, spinning the alternator at 6000 rpm. The alt is rated at 113c/235f, and 10,000 rpm continuous. The Alternator was able to maintain 14.5 volts bulk charge at 160 amps, while supplying the inverter with up to 48 amps. The highest charge to the bats was 250 amps. For the 1.5 hrs runtime  the generator produced on average 3.5 kw electricity and 7-8,000 btu/hr of HW. I say not to bad for about a liter of DINO.

[EBI-WPO]

Lloyd,
Nice work, on everything! Great looking boat too!

Terry

[Henry W]

Lloyd,

WoW!!! That is one fine vessel.

Glad everything worked out on the DC charger.

Henry

[Lloyd]

Thanks,

Terry & Henry,

That Picture show the results of nearly nine years of a ground up restoration. When we purchased her, she hadn't been under her own power in 25 years, and she was completely gutted and stripped.

The previous owner decided to do a ground up restoration, so he got as far as gutting and stripping, most of any of the restoration work he had done had to be removed and redone. One thing he did right is put all of the parts and hardware in boxes ashore and didn't lose them.

I have majored both engines, trannies, and the v-drives, installed new fuel and water tanks, re-wired re-plumbed, and installed every system new on-board. We have stripped every surface back to bare wood, and re-finished, including the interior hull sides, and bilges. I had to build all new furniture and cabinets, as well as build all new cabin doors. Every structural bulkhead, had to be rebuilt, and every floorboard removed and rebuilt.

She's a pedigree boat, and the hull is made of Port Orford cedar, she will turn 75 years old this next April, and should live another 100 years.

She's a very good sea boat, takes heavy seas and weather well. She's been as far north as Dutch Harbor Alaska, and as far South as San Francisco, that was before my time. She was commandeered by the US Navy during WWII, and manned as a sub chaser, with a 50 Cal Standing gun on her bow, and 2 racks of depth charges, on her stern, and a full sonar in the wheelhouse.

We have made annual trips north to Desolation Sound every year since 2004, some of the early years we were just camping onboard, because the galley and furniture wasn't done yet. Our annual trip is 632 nautical miles round trip, which is equal 732 statute miles on land.

She cruises at 11 knots, which is equal to 12.6 miles an hr, and burns only 3-4 gal. per hr.

Here's a link http://imageevent.com/studio413/intheyard09 to some of the work pictures. There's 153 images up, but I have hundreds more to scan and upload. So if your bored have a look.

Lloyd

[Apogee]

Lloyd,

Very, very nice boat!!!!

Is she a Monk?

What has she got for power, a couple of Chrysler flatheads?

As I looked at your pics, I felt mixed emotions because I've been there and done that; although not on something as big as she is.  I restored a 1949 33' Chris Craft sedan from the bottom up.  It was LOTS of work.  All Honduran Mahogany double planked hull.  The restoration involved redoing all of the mechanical and electrical systems just like you did.  We even redid the shrunken canvass coverings on the superstructure and used lactose glue just like when it was original.  However, I didn't have to rebuild the interior - I'm sure that was loads of fun...ugh!  I'm not sure most folks understand that EVERYTHING on a boat is custom, and it takes hours and hours and hours... LOL!

She's WONDERFUL!  I commend you for taking on a project like her and having the staying power to finish her and keep her in such nice shape.

I wish we still had Ruby but economics forced us to sell her awhile back.  I hope she too is being used and loved.

Again, outstanding work!

Thanks for sharing,

Steve

[Lloyd]

Well I am at it again.

A fellow forum member needed some help developing an on-board power power system for a bus. We spent a half a day scoping the project, one of the things we determined, is he needed an efficient way to charge a large 24 volt bat bank.

This bank has to be large enough to power 2 trace 4024 inverters, and 2 air-conditioners, as well as the 24 volt house loads.

So my plan is to build  version 3 of my dc diesel bat charger. This unit will be the big brother to the 402D, known as the 403D. The 403D develops 28 hp, and has the similar torque curve of it's little brother.

The big difference will be this version will be spinning 2  24 volt / 200 amp Leece Neville alternators, controlled by a single Balmar MC624 Controller.

Below is a picture of the new version, it's really just a photo shopped mock up of the version 2 unit.

Lloyd