Ny Kohler 7E generator started...

[Cliff]

Ny Kohler 7E generator started a couple of times and then just clicked. I charged the battery overnight and it started right up several times. With the genny off, the battery shows 12.8V and with it on it shows 12.6V. The battery is brand new.

So my questions are:

Shouldn't the voltage be ~13.5 or so with the genny running?

If I disconnect the battery while the genny is runny (to see if it is drawing power/draining from the battery) will that hurt the genny?

What is the best way to test to see if it is recharging the battery (Note: this battery is not shared with the deep cell batteries for the engines)?

Some forums have suggested that it is the voltage regulator. Does this sound right? It is a cheap (in boat dollars, ~$150) to replace it. Is this where I should start?

Any thoughts/2 bit opinions are welcome!

Thx

Dave

[wingless]

It is never a good idea to disconnect the battery from a running engine.

That battery should quickly charge from an idle full charge of around +12.5VDC to a float charge of around +13.8VDC.

The boat should have a three bank charger, powered when using shore power or generator power, that will also top off that isolated battery bank. Then generator also has a small voltage regulator charger that will slowly top off that battery.

Yes, the battery should be maintained at fully charged and it sounds like the generator charger isn't working and like the on board three bank charger is turned off.