Went to start my outboard yesterday (electric start); no juice. I took the battery home and hooked it up to my charger. The needle on the gauge on the charger jumped around a bit, then settled down somewhere between one and zero. I don't know much, but to me that indicates that the battery isn't taking the charge. Am I doing something wrong or is this battery kaput? I should say that this is the third season for this battery. It is used mainly to start the outboard, but I also sometimes leave my VHF on during a day sail. I never use my running or inboard lights. The outboard also supposedly charges the battery while running. The outboard runs for something like a half hour total while getting in and out of the marina. Any thoughts?
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
Common charging response.
Mike: I think that this is a common thing when hooking up the charger. Once it is fully charged you should take it to a garage that can load test your battery. Also think about getting a small solar panel to keep your battery topped off.
Mike: I think that this is a common thing when hooking up the charger. Once it is fully charged you should take it to a garage that can load test your battery. Also think about getting a small solar panel to keep your battery topped off.
B
Bruce Hill
Battery charger
If the battery is discharged and in good shape the meter on the charger should indicate a high charge reading that will decline as the battery recharges (assuming you are using a typical garage type charger, not a step charger). If the battery is discharged and will not take a charge (like yours) it is probably dead, especially if it is 3 years old and possibly never fully charged after a day of sailing. I doubt that you will be able to get the battery charged, the charger will probably just sit there between 0-1 and nothing will happen.
If the battery is discharged and in good shape the meter on the charger should indicate a high charge reading that will decline as the battery recharges (assuming you are using a typical garage type charger, not a step charger). If the battery is discharged and will not take a charge (like yours) it is probably dead, especially if it is 3 years old and possibly never fully charged after a day of sailing. I doubt that you will be able to get the battery charged, the charger will probably just sit there between 0-1 and nothing will happen.
after reading
Mike: after re-reading your post and Bruce's response I'd have to agree. The battery is probably shot. I know that when I put a battery on my charger at home it sometimes does not register that it is low for several minutes. Then it will jump over to 5-6 amps and will take several hours to bring it down to zero. It would be a good time for you to evaluate your battery choice and a solar charger. With as little as you use your electrical system, I would look at the Optima battery line. These batteries are VERY durable and are also small. Check them out.
Mike: after re-reading your post and Bruce's response I'd have to agree. The battery is probably shot. I know that when I put a battery on my charger at home it sometimes does not register that it is low for several minutes. Then it will jump over to 5-6 amps and will take several hours to bring it down to zero. It would be a good time for you to evaluate your battery choice and a solar charger. With as little as you use your electrical system, I would look at the Optima battery line. These batteries are VERY durable and are also small. Check them out.
G
Garry
Charging
The simplest test is to put the battery on the charger until the meter shows little or no charging current. Then take the charger off and use a volt meter to check the voltage using the DC voltage setting and the 0 to 20 volts scale. If the voltage is 10 volts or less it is dead. If your battery shows around 12 or 13 volts it is charged but it may not be able to deliver the necessary starting current. For this take it in as suggested to a battery shop for a load test. You can also test for a weak battery (low current) by measuring the voltage as above. If it is 12 or 13 volts put it back in the engine and trying to start it. There is a starting relay (solenoid) somewhere in your starting circuit and it may not be closing. Listen for a distinct click when you push the start switch. If the starting relay clicks several times, then the battery is not capable of delivering enough current. When connected to the starter the current drawn by the starter pulls the voltage down and the relay opens, disconnecting the battery from the starter motor. Then the voltage goes back up and the relay closes again. The result is a click-click-click series with no starter motor sounds. This is almost as good as the load test and cheaper. If it is really bad you will hear one click then nothing. Pull the battery and check the voltage. If it is well below the 12-13 volt level replace the battery. It may be that the battery is charged and can deliver the necessary current. In this case you may not hear any click at all. In that case your starting circuit may be faulty. Check the cables for corrosion and make sure that the connectors are tight. To do an easy test connect the volt meter to the battery then push the starter switch. If the voltage drops but nothing happens, you have a weak battery. If the voltage stays up around 12 you have a bad starting circuit which is failing to connect the battery to the starter. Over the years I have paid out a ton of money for starters, solenoids and batteries only to find that they didn't solve the problem. The problem was bad cables or connections. Start there before you start buying expensive pieces. PS I assume you have checked the water level in the battery. Even more common than bad cables.
The simplest test is to put the battery on the charger until the meter shows little or no charging current. Then take the charger off and use a volt meter to check the voltage using the DC voltage setting and the 0 to 20 volts scale. If the voltage is 10 volts or less it is dead. If your battery shows around 12 or 13 volts it is charged but it may not be able to deliver the necessary starting current. For this take it in as suggested to a battery shop for a load test. You can also test for a weak battery (low current) by measuring the voltage as above. If it is 12 or 13 volts put it back in the engine and trying to start it. There is a starting relay (solenoid) somewhere in your starting circuit and it may not be closing. Listen for a distinct click when you push the start switch. If the starting relay clicks several times, then the battery is not capable of delivering enough current. When connected to the starter the current drawn by the starter pulls the voltage down and the relay opens, disconnecting the battery from the starter motor. Then the voltage goes back up and the relay closes again. The result is a click-click-click series with no starter motor sounds. This is almost as good as the load test and cheaper. If it is really bad you will hear one click then nothing. Pull the battery and check the voltage. If it is well below the 12-13 volt level replace the battery. It may be that the battery is charged and can deliver the necessary current. In this case you may not hear any click at all. In that case your starting circuit may be faulty. Check the cables for corrosion and make sure that the connectors are tight. To do an easy test connect the volt meter to the battery then push the starter switch. If the voltage drops but nothing happens, you have a weak battery. If the voltage stays up around 12 you have a bad starting circuit which is failing to connect the battery to the starter. Over the years I have paid out a ton of money for starters, solenoids and batteries only to find that they didn't solve the problem. The problem was bad cables or connections. Start there before you start buying expensive pieces. PS I assume you have checked the water level in the battery. Even more common than bad cables.
M
Michael Hughes
Get a solar panel charger
This sounds exactly like what happened to me at the start of this year. I charged the battery and it started the engine only the first week. Then the next week it was dead – no response. So I tried to charge it again, thinking I had a slow electrical drain, while I was gone for two weeks. The battery was two or three years old and the charger would bounce around from 2 amp to 0 amp to 2 again. I don’t know much about battery chargers, so I can’t help you there, but when I put it back in the boat the second time I also attached one of those solar panel chargers. Now, the battery has been working great all season. I leave it in the window all of the time. When I go onboard, every other weekend, to start the engine, the battery is fresh, and starts the engine with gusto. The solar panel charger worked for me.
This sounds exactly like what happened to me at the start of this year. I charged the battery and it started the engine only the first week. Then the next week it was dead – no response. So I tried to charge it again, thinking I had a slow electrical drain, while I was gone for two weeks. The battery was two or three years old and the charger would bounce around from 2 amp to 0 amp to 2 again. I don’t know much about battery chargers, so I can’t help you there, but when I put it back in the boat the second time I also attached one of those solar panel chargers. Now, the battery has been working great all season. I leave it in the window all of the time. When I go onboard, every other weekend, to start the engine, the battery is fresh, and starts the engine with gusto. The solar panel charger worked for me.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.