ENGINE WORRIES 40 32.9N: 43 06.2W

Ellatrout3
Thu 5 Jun 2014 00:31
A beautiful sailing day with blue sky and light winds, what a difference good weather makes, of course we are not sailing in the direction we would like because that lovely light warm wind is coming straight from where I want to go, but you can't have everything. Yesterday finished with a beautiful evening and today is the same except the wind is now very light just enough to keep her going at 2 to 3 knots.  I think it will die all together tomorrow as the grib file shows a long finger of high pressure reaching up towards New foundland. This ridge rotates clockwise and has good northerlies up its western side and southerlies down its eastern side, both excellent for sailing west, but in the middle, between the two where I am light westerlies or nothing where the the wind turns and goes back the other way.  This dead patch in the middle is 100 miles across.
 
I have a worry with the engine as I have to use it to charge the batteries in light conditions. Last night I noticed two warning lights on, the glow plug and the battery.Checking in the book suggested that the fan belt may need tightening, I did this and nothing changed so I fitted a new fan belt; warning lights still came on.  So I started the engie, no problem, and watched carefully what happened:-
 
  • when I switch on battery and oil lights come on.
  • swittch on glow plug, panal light does not come on.
  • fire up engine it starts immediately
  • all lights go out
  • after one minute glow plug warning light comes on
  • after about 5 minutes battery warning light comes on
  • I checked voltage to batteries 13.5 volts being pumped in
  • I continued to watch control panal and all lights go off
  • a while later glow plug comes on followed shortly by battery warning light.
  • I think they go on and off all the while the engine is running
  • I ran the engine for two hours batteries up to 12.7volts from 11.8
Does anybody no what the problem is and can I do anything about it out here?
The engine is a volvo 2010 deisel
 
Love Poppa/Dad/Roger