460 DA Owners Thread

I have a dometic turbo 16k. I replaced it last year and it’s fairly simple.

Josh
 
Did you replace the control keypad and if so, do you have to apply trim to the wall?
Looking at future replacement of the salon unit because it gets most of the work. Other two units are fine.
Thanks.
 
No, you can continue to use the SMX II control panel. You will need an adapter If I remember correctly it was 7.00.

Josh
 
If I remember correctly it lets the new unit plug into the older control. I remember it looking like a phone cord adapter and about 6 inches long. The SMX II control panels are readily available so I didn’t see a need to switch to a newer style.
 
Question, my unit still works but it clunks when the compressor kicks in, if I recharge it, it's not as bad, also does not seem to cool the boat that well. I was thinking of increasing the BTU's or is 16000 with new unit working well for you.
 
All, The harder I run the boat my volt meter drops below 12V. The gauges are higher ( above 12V when I look in the salon while running) Also, when I turn on Gen, they jump up to almost 13V. At dock charger charges about 13.5 volts. Where do I start? Is this a gage issue, or an alternator issue since dock seems fine. Also worse on STB engine. I was going to pull Alternators and take them to have tested or put a meter on them as see what it is doing. TIA for thoughts before I start.
 
Cummins alternators are known to be prone to early failures. The usual failure is low output.

If you have a good voltmeter, you can check the alternators yourself without removing them from the boat: turn off your convertor, let the boat sit overnight, then check the voltage at the battery terminals to be sure the batteries are holding a charge.....you should see 12.6V or higher....... now start the engines, one at a time. Quickly move the throttle to about 1300 rpm then back to idle, and then check the voltage at the battery terminals. With the engines idling, you should see 13.0-14.5 volts.

The good news is Cummins re-manned alternators are about $250.
 
Cummins alternators are known to be prone to early failures. The usual failure is low output.

If you have a good voltmeter, you can check the alternators yourself without removing them from the boat: turn off your convertor, let the boat sit overnight, then check the voltage at the battery terminals to be sure the batteries are holding a charge.....you should see 12.6V or higher....... now start the engines, one at a time. Quickly move the throttle to about 1300 rpm then back to idle, and then check the voltage at the battery terminals. With the engines idling, you should see 13.0-14.5 volts.

The good news is Cummins re-manned alternators are about $250.


Thanks will do but sounds like it is the alternators. I have new batteries and new charger. Could be a bad battery but betting on the alternator. I am getting no where near 13-14.5 on engines. Will do the test to confirm first. Thanks for the help again. Also on the note for the re manned. I was looking to take to a shop and have rebuilt but will look into that option as well!
 
Maybe you have better resources in the ATL area than we do in Florida or Tennessee, but I have had poor luck with local rebuilds on alternators, starters etc. The reason is that most use only the cheapest components they can get and most don't last in a marine or dirty environment. I use factory remanned components from Caterpillar or Cummins......I have several pieces of construction equipment that have Cummins engines.......or I replace the unit with a new piece from Leece-Neville who is an OEM suppler for most engine builders. A new Leece-Neville or Prestolite alternator is probably cheaper than having one rebuilt locally.
 
Frank,
Why not a new style 22SI from an auto parts store?. Much better design than the older style from Cummins and far fewer dollars.
 
Frank,
Why not a new style 22SI from an auto parts store?. Much better design than the older style from Cummins and far fewer dollars.
I am interested in everyone’s thoughts as well on the auto parts style. I typically use OEM but while taking to Cummins, the guy actually gave me a cross reference part number and said he Would look at using it. You can find it for about $100. Seems like it maybe worth trying but I am a little gun shy. Thoughts and opinions?
 
I just replaced the alternators on my 460 Cummins and they are Delco Remy truck alternators. I used a well known rebuilder in this area. I tested the output from the alternators on the boat it was reading 12.6. The rebuilder bench tested the alternators and there was no output. The engines have 900 hours and I am very pleased the rebuilds work fine.
 
Absolutely, place three zip ties around the vanes and gently compress. Apply soap and insert the impeller while snipping one tie after the other. The impeller will slip in with minimal effort and you don't have to worry about orientation if it is splined. I've used the soup can trick a couple of times and to preload the can you must remove all burs from the edge plus have a hole cut in the other end. You still might have to compress the vanes with zip ties to initially get it into the can. The soup can fits perfectly inside the SMX and give the impeller a push with a ratchet handle into place. I didn't use that trick this time because I find just compressing with zip ties works just as well for me.
I came across this interesting tool. http://www.impellertool.com/ , similar idea to the soup can, not sure if it still available?
The tool is wonderful. My friend bought one this winter and we used it on my boat. Even the outboard pump was easy.
 
Cummins alternators are known to be prone to early failures. The usual failure is low output.

If you have a good voltmeter, you can check the alternators yourself without removing them from the boat: turn off your convertor, let the boat sit overnight, then check the voltage at the battery terminals to be sure the batteries are holding a charge.....you should see 12.6V or higher....... now start the engines, one at a time. Quickly move the throttle to about 1300 rpm then back to idle, and then check the voltage at the battery terminals. With the engines idling, you should see 13.0-14.5 volts.

The good news is Cummins re-manned alternators are about $250.
I had both my alternators rebuilt for $130 each. Find a good alt/starter shop.
 
I have rebuilt multiple of these alternators. The big difference is our local rebuilder has a source for American parts
 
Frank,
Why not a new style 22SI from an auto parts store?. Much better design than the older style from Cummins and far fewer dollars.

If you have a good old American parts store that sells American made parts, then by all means give then a try. In both places I need parts....for equipment in Tennessee and for the boat in Florida, our only local parts stores are now Advance, AutoZone, O'Rileys, etc. They all are selling price, not quality. When I needed alternators for the boat, I looked at new and remanned from all the parts stores within a reasonable distance and all were Chinese, so I ordered 2 Leece Neville/Prestolite OEM alternators.

Correspondingly, my backhoe needs an alternator right now. The Cummins remanned is $259 and I just ordered a new aftermarket one from Amazon.com for $58.

The biggest difference for me is if the Chinese one from Amazon fails, I can get off the backhoe, walk to my truck and drive home.......if the ones on my boat fail, it is a long swim home from 50 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico.

You have to appraise your risk tolerance and make your own decision.
 
I agree about American made parts. I always try to buy American made. I have always had great luck with Delco Remy products so I went to a website called "made-in-china" and searched for Delco Remy. I found many alternators, starters, and solenoids made in China for them. I also found alternators made for Cummins as oem products, made in China. So I think it would be reasonable to buy the new designs from Delco Remy and save the dollars for other projects.
 
Went out for a ride today. Port temp gauge is not working at helm.the one on the cummins engine is working fine. Are the gauges off the same sensor or does it have it's own sensor? Any one have this issue
Thanks for any help John
 
Very typical. Yes they are off the same sensor. New one can be had at flounder pounder.
 

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