The charge rate drops because of the voltage drop when the genset bogs.
Is there positive head pressure from the FO daytank?(FO level above the genset)
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Dude - @injunear is giving you great advice. Start with the cheap shit. Fuel lines can collapse internally. I saw it 2 weeks ago.
Dude?
please just go away
This really does sound exactly like aerated fuel. I absolutely defer to the resident DD specialists, and I’m sure there are other causes that may be even more likely to produce these symptoms. However, given how cheap and easy it is to exclude fueling issues, I’d do that first.
you do the easiest thing first, check the fuel pressure
Where is our resident battery charger expert when we need her? That aside, like the others, I would start with the droop setting on the governor first. When I first read this that was my initial inclination. Nothing I can add. . . .
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Since you have 2 generators I suppose one approach would be to swap components, i.e. governor from one engine to the other until the problem appears on the other engine. The last part moved should be the problem.
Problem / probability - first round estimate:
Fuel delivery issue (filter, hose etc) / 85%
Fuel pressure/delivery control (rack, governor) / 10 %
Electrical control (???) / 4 %
something you’ve not thought of yet / 1%
deckie so fwiw
Can I second fuel pressure and vacuum gauges? They are cheap and at the worst you can rule that out. I have fixed some pretty oddball issues by putting gauges on.
I have been shipmates with a lot of 2-71, 3-71, 4-71, and 6-71 generators, and 71series main engines over the years. I have no doubt encountered and tinkered with similar problems. However, I was never an expert, and I have not done enough of it recently enough to have a reliable memory of it. There are plenty of guys around Seattle who could solve this problem quickly.
Also, I do recall frying electrical equipment than was being run by faulty generators with unstable rpms/frequency. A lot of electrical equipment is very frequency sensitive. So be careful or you may fry your constavolt and other things as you as you try to diagnose this problem.
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ok, I am onboard with the fuel supply as the likely cause and will check output pressure from the engine driven pump next time I am aboard before fiddling with any droop adjustments on the governor. I will switch from the battery charger as the load source to the galley range which I can control effectively by how much I turn on. One burner alone should bury the generator if it is a fuel supply issue plus I do not want to bugger up my battery charger either which would be an expensive fix I am sure.
thanks to all here for the advice and suggestions…
Frequency variation is not a problem for a straight resistive load like a stove burner, but unless it’s a very old stove, the stove controls may not tolerate frequency variation very well.
A couple of cheap portable electric heaters would be a low risk load source.
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Can I suggest changing the fuel filter first?
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Screenshots - From the operators manual.
originally I asked my fellow “mariners” to help and advise me and since I seriously doubt you are a bona fide “mariner” I consider you to be nothing more than a meddlesome bother who I have no desire to pay the slightest attention to other than to ask again that you might simply go away.
the filter installed has not even 100 hours of use but I will check it just to make you happy
Don’t try to make me happy. This was just a suggestion as it is the easiest and likely cheapest possible cause. You are more than welcome to ignore me.
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Dude!..I just assumed that’s the first thing you checked…
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and with 100 hours on the filter, why should I suspect it as being a possible cause? the DAUNTLESS has clean tanks and cleaner fuel…even when I changed the filters not long after acquiring the vessel I saw that the old ones were spotless. I do not believe the filter to be the issue here.
I am not sure when I will have time to go back to Ballard to go and do the diagnostics to see what is causing this…right now Saturday appears to be the soonest I can. More here after I get back to the issue then.
Listen Dude - Let us know what you have done already?