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I seem to have an irregular starting problem with my boat. I will start it up to go fish and every thing is fine. When I go to start it again to fish another spot it drags like the battery is low. When I turn the key off and turn it back on it turned right over. This went on all day. Then after making a fif**** minute run to the last spot there wasn't enough juice to crank the motor. Could this be a bad battery or what should I be checking for? I charged the battery before the last two trips and have had the similar if not the same problem on both trips. All cable terminals have been checked and are clean and secure.
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have the battery load tested and checked with a hydrometer.
then carefully do a voltage drop test on the negative and positive cables. -
Load Test
Do I have to do the load test on the battery with it still connected to the charging system? Or can I take it out to do the test?Comment
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if you have a tester you can do it still in boat.
If not pull it and take to any battery buying place to have them test it.
Bad connections or cables can cause this sometimes works properly also
and check to make sure your charging system on motor is functioningComment
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Check ALL battery cable connections. The cable connections on the motor need checking/cleaning also.
Do you have a battery switch? the connections on it need checking. The switch over time can cause issues like you have. The contacts corrode inside the switch. Perko brand switches are the ones i see the most with problems, i use Blue Seas with good results.
Intermittant issues are usually a bad switch or weak connections, corroded wires. They will also effect the charging system operation.
Get rid of any wing nuts on the batteries, use SS nuts and lockwashers for a better connection.Comment
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Switches
I have a BEP switch cluster that is brand new. All batteries have SS nuts already, and all terminals are clean. I thought it might be the factory cable. I will start testing tomorrow.Comment
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and its all very simple to test with a 15 dollar digital multimeter from radio shack and a bit of knowledge about voltage and current.
do a forum search on voltage drop test.
most technicians don't understand it but it actually works well and rapidly.Comment
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Somebody should write a book on the practical uses of the basic DVM.
The DVM is the first tool to use on any thing electrical to find the problem.
Then you know what to hit with the hammer!!!
The first trick to finding a batt./wire issue is to check voltage while under a load.Last edited by Bilge Rat; 11-04-2013, 02:47 PM.Comment
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Testing
After some testing I found out that I have 13 volts at the terminals on the motor when it cranks right over. However, when it struggled to crank I was only getting 8 volts at the terminals.Comment
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the terminals on the motor could mean different things to different people, so you may want to describe a little better.
move the meter leads on up the connections toward the battery to find out where the problem is locatedLast edited by 99yam40; 11-04-2013, 07:58 PM.Comment
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Description
I tested at the point where the battery cables mount to the motor. I will test again where the cables mount to the battery.Comment
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here again.
someone has NO clue about voltage, voltage drop and CURRENT.
voltage is simply pressure.
current is what makes the device work.
imagine a water hose.
turn the hose on, open the spray nozzle.
lets assume 50 PSI and 50 gallons per hour out of the spray nozzle.
shut off the nozzle.
now go close the water spigot.
now we still have 50 PSI(12V) in the hose.
squeeze the nozzle.
we still have a few moments of 50 PSI but the gallons per hour just dumped.
please please do a bit of googling about voltage drop tests.Comment
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and still no word about an actual voltage drop test on the cables/connections.
voltage is simply a measure of electrical pressure.
voltage does NOT mean the cable is capeable of flowing electrons(current).
current is measured in amps and is what makes devices work.Comment
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replace the battery with new acid free gel type ones and no dramasComment
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Drop Test
CaptSolo: What is a YDS?
Rodbolt: I watched the drop voltage video on you tube. I had already bypassed the battery switch and still had the same problem. Due to the fact that I have a bay boat and the cables are 15' long I am not able to due the resistance. My multimeter cables are not. Is there another way to check resistance? I keep coming back to the cables, but i want to make sure they are the problem before I invest the money to have 15' cables made.Comment
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