Ciao y'all.... Davi here on SM#56, Wake. So I've been trying to have my Perkins Prima M80T rebuilt for some months now with disappointing results. Constant gray/white smoke and spitting oil or diesel on the water, eating a liter of oil every 50 hours or so. Even after twice having engine removed, pistons checked, head checked, FI pump rebuilt, injectors tested, new turbo installed.... stumped. Two different mechanics. The first I can now say botched the job, but the second is pretty brilliant and he is at the point where he wants to pull the whole thing to recheck the other work done starting at the pistons again. 

But I am getting fed up. I cannot afford any more high-season-in-the-Med marina layup for weeks. I will be able to limp through the summer here in Italy/Greece with it as is before wintering back here in Palermo, where there is a Beta dealer. I've looked at these engines before, and know they are strong, simple, naturally aspirated, cheaper parts, etc. Price is pretty good too.

So I'm asking if any of you have Betas or can tell me some things about them I might be missing vis a vis a SM repower. They make a 75 horse model, looks pretty sweet, I've only heard good things about them. Any real life insight from ye salty souls??? 

Hi, I’ve owned a 55 for 3 years now.  I disagree with just about everything that Davi says about the 55. I wont put up a post trashing the Sm.  Let me say just one thing.  The 55 is a terrific further development of the 54 and you get what you pay for, and then some.  

Greetings all,

Whilst trouble-shooting an unserviceable ONAN (failure to crank), I checked out the health of the 105Ah 800CCA AGM start battery (good), and house-bank (12x105Ah AGMs).  Start and house batteries were all AGM, same model and date-of-install (Sep'16).

All tested OK, with the exception of one battery in the house bank, which failed the State-of-Charge test with an Open-Circuit-Voltage (OCV) of 11.00V (as measured, so no surprises here), unstable; and failed State-of-Health of CCA of 35.0A).
The other battery in the pair containing the failed battery surprisingly tested OK, with SoC 12.72V [92%] and SoH CCA of 642A [91%].

As an interim step, whilst considering broader options ...
... I replaced the good start-battery with a 100Ah/700CCA flooded lead-acid battery; removed the failed AGM battery from the house bank, and replaced it with the 'good' AGM start battery.  The performance of the house battery bank immediately improved, I guess due to the absence of the parasitic load of the failed battery.

However, concerned about the remaining battery in the new pair contained the failed battery, I have been keeping a close eye on the charge volts, current, and temps of all batteries.  24 hours after the swap-out/in, during the second charge cycle, I noted high charging current to the new battery-pair containing the old-start battery.

The smart-charger was ordering ~150Amps from the 175A/24V Leece-Neville (normal for the start-of-charge-cycle) - 5 battery-pairs were accepting about 20Amps each (OK and as expected, at ~20% of the '20-hour rate' of 105Ah), but the 'at risk' pair was accepting 40 to 50Amps.  Temps for the 5 'good' pairs were about 1ºC above ambient and stable; but the temp of the questionable pair was ambient +2ºC and rising.  I stopped the charge cycle after 30 minutes; and isolated the questionable pair from the house-bank by removing the bridging strap between the batteries in the pair.  Shortly after the cessation of the interrupted charge cycle, the temperature of the high-current pair peaked at 36.5ºC (ambient other batteries +2.5ºC).

I am seeking clarification regarding: Is is likely that the remaining battery from the 'old pair' had already suffered irreversible damage (such as an internal short), thereby reducing internal resistance, thereby accepting a higher charge (than the other 'good' battery pairs).

On the basis of temperature alone , I do not think I have suffered temperature-related damage to the old start battery.  However:

Question - is it likely that 30-minutes of charge at twice the maximum recommend bulk/absorption current charge-rate has resulted in permanent damage to the previously 'good' start-battery?

This discussion shared for the learning, and also for the benefit of trouble-shooting by other unfortunates who may in future find themselves in a similar predicament.

Thanks in anticipation ...

David
SM#396/Perigee
On anchor, Brisas, Pacific side of Panama
  Departure for the Marquesas pending the
    return of the ONAN to service

Diagnostic tools: Magneti Marelli BT002 Battery Tester; FLIR TG165 Spot Thermal Camera; Voltcraft VC-595OLED Digital Clamp Multimeter.
Note: the OLED display on the Voltcraft multimeter is impossible to read in direct sunlight, so next time I would choose a model with a different type of display.  Otherwise, this is a great tool, although I do not use the BlueTooth functionality.

[Edited Message Follows]

On my Amel 50 with the Volvo D3-110 engine, the second alternator (Mastervolt 24V 110A, part number 48224110) is on a separate belt as the seawater pump. This is the way the engine came in a crate.



Theo
s/v Paloma, Amel 50 #18

Turns out I have a bad motor, a bad switch, and a bad connection between wire from switch to wire from motor.  No wonder it doesn’t work! ;-)>

Kent Robertson

S/V Kristy

karkauai@...

USA cell: 828-234-6819

On May 26, 2019, at 9:11 AM, CW Bill Rouse <brouse@...> wrote:

Kent,

Your issue is most probably the switch. There is only one feed wire to the switch.

Best,

Bill Rouse

720 Winnie St.

Galveston, Texas 77550

832-380-4970

My Calendar 

Yacht School

On Sat, May 25, 2019 at 7:36 PM karkauai via Groups.Io <karkauai=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:

Hi Mark,

I just went back to take a pic and pulled the wires out where I could see markings on them. I realized there is only one feed (marked “alim”), the other wires marked “pompe wc” and “Motor wc” go to the pumps.  So I guess it’s a problem between the switch and the macerator pump.  That’ll be a lot easier to figure out.

Thanks for your thoughts.

Kent Robertson

S/V Kristy

karkauai@...

USA cell: 828-234-6819

On May 25, 2019, at 7:18 PM, Mark Erdos <mcerdos@...> wrote:

Kent,

 

Just a guess: What about at the fill pump? The + wire could be connected in series.

 

 

With best regards,

 

Mark

 

Skipper

Sailing Vessel - Cream Puff - SM2K - #275

Currently cruising - Panama

www.creampuff.us

 

From: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io [mailto:main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io] On Behalf Of karkauai via Groups.Io
Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2019 7:31 PM
To: main@AmelYachtOwners.groups.io
Subject: [AmelYachtOwners] Wiring to aft head SM243

 

Ahoy Amelians,
I’m hoping someone can help me figure out where to look for a break in the connection from the aft head circuit breaker to the aft head switch.  The fill pump has power but the macerator Pump doesn’t.  There’s only one + wire at the breaker which controls both pumps, so somewhere between the breaker and the switches, there’s a connection that splits the + into two legs to the two pumps.  I assume that’s the likely place for there to be a disconnect???
unfortunately the single wire from the breaker disappears a large bundle of wires that goes up the forward engine room bulkhead and into that huge spaghetti bowl of wires above the galley sink.  At the head switch, all wires disappear into a chase going forward. Tracing it’s going to be a challenge, so I was hoping someone might know where it divides into feeds to both pumps.
any help greatly appreciated.
Kent & Iris
SM243 Kristy

Thank you for all the responses about the engine room.  I tried the plastic paint suggestion. Plasti Dip is available in the UK. It comes as a spray or brush on and there are the appropriate thinners and a primer for use on non-porous surfaces. It adheres well to the raw foam and 2-3 coats brushed on has given a tough surface. It is too early to say how well it will last. It certainly improves the appearance of the engine room, even just patching in.