Troubleshooting

Marine Engine
Electrical Systems
Application Note

Troubleshooting tools
The marine environment can be
especially harsh on the components
of your boat’s electrical system.
When trouble occurs you will want
the capability to make accurate and Test
reliable measurements quickly. The
basic tool for this job is a Fluke
digital multimeter. Digital because
of the better resolution... Fluke Test Test
because it is more accurate, rugged
and reliable.
Test
This application note provides
guidelines for testing some basic
electrical components commonly
found on inboard marine engines Test Test
including batteries, starters, alter- Solenoid
nators, and ignition systems.
But the applications don’t end
here. Once you own a Fluke digital
multimeter, you will be able to
check the wiring on your boat Work safety
trailer, perform corrosion potential
testing on your zinc/bonding sys- The voltages and currents present in • Use only well maintained test equip-
tem, and even check the wiring in electrical power systems can cause ment. Inspect all test leads and probes
your house and car. When you serious injury or death by electrocution. and fuses before use. Repair or replace
think of the various electrical items Consequently, when testing or trouble- any test leads or probes with damaged
that you want to add to your boat, shooting, carefully adhere to all industry insulation.
you quickly realize that a good standard safety rules that apply to the
quality digital multimeter is an situation. Read and follow directions and • Be very cautious when working on
electrical systems when fuel vapors are
essential part of your boat’s tool kit. safety warnings provided by the equip- present. Remember that vapor from
A list of recommended Fluke ment manufacturer. gasoline and propane are heavier than
multimeters is included at the end Fluke cannot anticipate all possible air and will collect in the bottom of
of this application note. precautions that you must take when bilges and other closed compartments.
performing the test described in this ap- Sparks generated by making connec-
plication note. At a minimum, however, tions with live electrical components
you should: can start a fire or cause an explosion
• Be sure that all power has been turned when fuel vapors are present.
off, locked out, and tagged in any
situation where you will be in direct • Be aware that charging of unsealed,
lead-acid batteries generates hydrogen
physical contact with live circuit gas. This hydrogen can explode if
components - and be certain that exposed to a spark generated at the
the power can not be turned on by battery terminals when connecting or
anyone but you. disconnecting a battery charger.
Always verify that the battery charger
power is off before connecting or
disconnecting the charger leads at the
battery terminals.
Batteries
Often the first sign of a battery prob- Sulfated plates can be detected
lem will occur when the starter by measuring the output voltage
won’t turn the engine over. Use your under load (after the battery has
multimeter to get a rough idea of the been charged). Typical results for a
battery’s state of charge. To perform good battery are given in Figure 2
a no-load test, set the digital multi- below.
meter switch function to Volts DC
(V---) and measure across the termi- Load test @ 1/2 CCA Rating
nals. Compare your readings to the 8.5V @ 0 °F (-18 °C)
graph in Figure 1. 8.8V @ 30 °F (-1 °C) Figure 4: Checking field current
The voltage test tells only the 9.4V @ 50 °F (10 °C) Worn brushes limit field current, causing low alternator
state of charge, not the battery con- output. To test: load unit as in Figure 3 and measure field
9.6V @ 70 °F (21 °C) current with current clamp or use 10A jack on DMM.
dition. To gain additional information Readings range from 3 to 7 amps. On integral GM units:
about the battery’s condition, test Figure 2: Battery test voltages for a good
battery at 1/2 cold cranking ampere rating. with alternator not turning, jump terminals #1 & #2
the specific gravity of the electrolyte together and connect both to Batt + with DMM in series
in each cell using a hydrometer. If set to measure 10 amps. Field current should be between
2 & 5 amps, higher current with lower battery voltage.
the specific gravity is low but rela- Alternators Control battery voltage by turning on lights, radio, etc.
tively the same across all cells,
recharging may be able to bring the A Digital Multimeter’s accuracy and
battery back to good health, unless display make regulator/alternator
the plates are sulfated. If one cell diagnosing and adjusting easy. First
shows a specific gravity much lower determine if the system has an inte-
than the rest, the cell is probably gral (internal) regulator, then
dead and recharging will not help. whether it’s type A or B*. Type-A
In a lead-acid battery, each cell has one brush connected to battery
produces about 2.1 volts at full + and the other brush grounded
charge. Therefore, a 12V battery has through the regulator. Type-B has
6 cells in series. If the no-load test one brush directly grounded and the
reads 10V instead of 12V, a dead cell other connected to the regulator. Figure 5: Checking ripple voltage
Next, isolate the problem to alter- Ripple voltage (AC voltage) can be measured by
is likely and the battery should be switching your DMM to AC and connecting the black
replaced. nator or regulator by bypassing the lead to a good ground and the red lead to the “BAT”
regulator (full-fielding). Ground terminal on the back of the alternator, (not at the
Type-A field terminal. Connect battery). A good alternator should measure less than 0.5
Type-B field terminal to Battery +. VAC with the engine running. A higher reading indicates
damaged alternator diodes.
If the system now charges, the regu-
lator is faulty. Use a rheostat in se-
ries with the field connection if
possible. Otherwise, just idle the
engine (lights on) so the voltage
doesn’t exceed 15V.
*Type A is sometime referred to as P-Type and
Type B is sometimes referred to as N-Type

Figure 1: Measuring System Voltage

Measure the voltage across the battery Figure 6: Alternator leakage current
terminals (see chart). Voltage tests only tell the To check alternator diode leakage, connect the
state of charge, not the battery condition. multimeter in series with the alternator output terminal
when the engine is not running. Leakage current should
be a couple of milliamps at most; more often, it will be
on the order of 0.5 milliamps. Use care when discon-
necting the alternator output wire; make sure the battery
is disconnected first. A leaking diode can discharge the
battery when the engine is off.

Figure 3: Verifying a good alternator

The battery must be fully charged (see Figure 1). Run the
engine and verify that no-load voltage is 13.8 to 15.3V
(check as in Figure 1). Next load the alternator by turning
on dc loads such as lights, radio, etc. Run the engine
at 2000 RPM. Check the current with an i410 or
i1010 current clamp.
*Measured after battery has been at rest for at
least 24 hours.

2 Fluke Corporation Troubleshooting Marine Engine Electrical Systems

Starting systems Ignition systems
Starting system troubles are often Fluke digital multimeters will mea- The primary and secondary
confused with charging system sure from tenths of an ohm to sev- windings in the ignition coil can also
problems. Many dead batteries have eral million ohms, making ignition be measured as described in Figure
been replaced when the real cause tests easy to interpret. If your engine 9. Use the manual ranging feature
was a faulty charging system. Be has breaker points in the distributor, on the multimeter to avoid any oscil-
sure that the charging system is use your multimeter to measure the lations between ranges that can
functioning properly before you resistance across the contacts when sometimes be caused by the induc-
replace the battery. Make sure the the points are closed. The reading tance of the coil. Ballast resistors in
battery is charged and passes a load should be very low, typically 0.1 to series with the coil primary can also
test, then look for resistance in the 0.3 ohms. Subtract the test lead be measured. Look for low values in
starter circuit if the engine still resistance for best accuracy. the range of 0.5 ohm.
cranks slowly.
Investigate excessive current
draw; check for worn-through insu-
lation, a seized or tight engine, a
faulty starter, etc. If the starter turns
the engine slowly, the current draw
Test
is not high, and the battery is in
good condition, check the resistance
Test Test
in the starter circuit. Test

Test Test
Solenoid

Figure 8: Testing for excessive voltage drop

Determine if there is resistance in the circuit by
measuring the voltage drop across each connection and
component in the starter circuit while cranking the
engine. Measure the voltage drop between the battery
post and the connecting cable, the solenoid posts and the
wires that attach to them, and across the solenoid itself.
Also check the connection on the starter, alternator (feed
and ground side) and the ground strap connection to the
engine block. A logical test sequence would be to start by
Figure 7: Measuring starter current draw first measuring the battery voltage between + and -
Determine how much current the starter is terminals when the starter is cranking. Then measure the
drawing by using Fluke’s i1010 Inductive voltage between the starter terminal and engine block
Current Clamp on the starter cable. This when cranking. If the starter voltage is significantly less,
accessory will allow the multimeter to measure use the above procedure to isolate the voltage drop.
starter current up to 1000 amps. Check
manufacturer’s specs for exact figures.

Starter circuit voltage drop

Ohm’s law (E=IxR) tells us that even
very low resistance in the starter
circuit will cause the starter to turn
slowly, because of low voltage. For
example: in a system drawing 200
amps, 0.01 ohms resistance in the
starter cable will cause a 2 volt drop Figure 9: Measuring internal coil resistance
in voltage at the starter; 0.01 ohms If you suspect a malfunctioning ignition coil, check the
is too little for all but the most resistance of primary and secondary windings. Do this
when the coil is hot, and again when it is cold. Also
expensive and sophisticated ohm- measure from the case to each connector. The primary
meters to measure, but measure- windings should have a very low resistance, typically
ments of voltage drop will indicate from a few tenths of an ohm to a few ohms. The
where there is excessive resistance secondary windings have a higher resistance, typically in
the 10 kΩ to 13 kΩ range. To get the actual figures for a
(Figure 8). specific coil, check the manufacturer’s specs. But as a rule
of thumb, primary windings range from a few tenths of
an ohm to a few ohms, and secondary winding may be
10 kΩ or more.

Troubleshooting Marine Engine Electrical Systems Fluke Corporation 3

 Condensers plug boot may bond to the spark
23 SERIES II MULTIMETER

plug. Pulling a spark plug boot

Fluke analog/digital multimeters
straight off the spark plug can dam-
can also be used for checking auto-
10 20 30 40

OFF V

V
age the delicate conductor inside
300mV
motive capacitors (condensers). The
the insulated wire. Rotate the boot
movement of the bar graph will
to free it before pulling it off.
show that the DMM is charging the
A A
PRESS
RANGE
AUTORANGE

If you suspect bad wires, test the

1 SEC
TOUCH HOLD

10A V

condenser. You’ll see the resistance

300
mA
! 100V
750V COM
resistance of the wire while gently
FUSED

increase from 0 to infinity. Be sure

twisting and bending it. Resistance
to switch the leads and check both
values should be about 10 kΩ per
ways. Also make sure to check
foot (30 kΩ per meter), depending
condensers both hot and cold.
on the type of wire being tested;
some may be considerably less. You
Figure 10: Checking condenser leakage Spark plug wires should compare readings to other
Check for leaking condensers with the Ohms
function. As the condenser charges up, the Most modern gasoline engines have spark plug wires on the engine to
resistance should increase to infinity. Any resistance wire for the high voltage provide a relative reference for a
other reading indicates that you should
replace the condenser.
connections between the distributor typical good reading.
cap to the spark plugs. The resis-
tance reduces radio interference
and produces a cleaner spark.
Plug wires should be checked
for open circuits if they are more
than a couple years old. Not all
wires indicate the date they were
manufactured. Due to the heat of
the spark plug insulator, a spark

Fluke Multimeters for Marine Applications

The following Fluke Digital Multimeters are
recommended for use in marine applications.

26 TRUE RMS MULTIMETER

73 MULTIMETER
27 MULTIMETER
VAC
MIN

k
30
0 10 20 30
0 10 20 30
OFF V
RANGE HOLD CAT 600V
600A
V 40 CAL
1000A

V mV RANGE REL MIN/MAX HOLD H

300mV MAX
Hz 20kHz Hz
V 1kHz RESET
40 MIN MAX
OFF 200 A
V V V
600 A
1000 A
200

OFF A mV mV 200 V

600 V

A A PRESS mA/A mA/A OFF

MANUAL RANGE A ZERO DC / AC

AUTORANGE
TOUCH HOLD
A A

36 CLAMP METER
10A V OFF
!
40 V A 10A MAX V DC
600V CAT mA
!
600V CAT 1000V MAX
300 FUSED COM 1000V CAT TRUE RMS
mA mA !
10A FUSED COM A 320 mA MAX COM 600V
COM V

Fluke 12B Fluke 73 Series III Fluke 26 Series III Fluke 27 Fluke 36
Put basic tests • Touch Hold ®
Same features as • Fully sealed, ClampMeter
on automatic captures stable Fluke 73 Series III, waterproof case Fluke. Keeping your world
readings plus: • True-rms up and running.
• VCheck™ auto- • Touch Hold ® responding
matically
switches from
• Auto and manual • Rugged, overmolded captures stable
• AC current to 600A
ranging case readings
measuring ohms/
• Holster with Flex- • Tough, electrical test • Volts, ohms, amps, • DC current to 1000A Fluke Corporation
continuity to ac • AC and DC voltage PO Box 9090, Everett, WA USA 98206
or dc volts Stand™ included lead set with continuity, diode
silicone insulation test to 1000 Volts
• Capacitance, to • Volts ac and dc
and alligator clip • Max Hold
Fluke Europe B.V.
10k microfarads • Resistance • Current with ranges
from 320 µA to 10A
PO Box 1186, 5602 BD
• True-rms ac voltage • Continuity beeper Eindhoven, The Netherlands
• Continuity • Diode test/
• AC/DC current with
capture locates continuity beeper For more information call:
intermittent ranges from 4.0 mA
• AC/DC current with to 10A U.S.A. (800) 443-5853 or
opens and shorts ranges from 32 mA Fax (425) 356-5116
• Min/Max record- to 10A • Lo Ohms Europe/M-East (31 40) 2 678 200 or
ing with relative Fax (31 40) 2 678 222
time stamp Canada (905) 890-7600 or
Fax (905) 890-6866
Other countries (425) 356-5500 or
Fax (425) 356-5116
Other marine application notes available from Fluke: Web access: http://www.fluke.com
• Testing Corrosion Protection Systems ©1998 Fluke Corporation. All rights reserved.
• Troubleshooting Outboard Motor Magneto Ignitions Printed in U.S.A. 11/98 B0270UEN Rev B
Printed on recycled paper.