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power wedge - drained batteries


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OK -

has anyone else seen this yet? My boat has been up on her lift for about 3 weeks since I brought her home... nothing was left on. Went to fire her up - and DEAD... called the dealer, and before I could get the sentence out he says 'batteries are dead, right? we'll be right there'

Apparently - and it's not consistent - some of the power wedges are drawing power even when everything is turned off. Not sure the details on this (current fix is to just install a Perko switch to kill everything when not in use) but they've seen a bunch at the dealer.

Has anyone else experienced this yet?

oh - and the dealer had a guy at my dock in an HOUR to fix it.. now that's service!!

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I believe I may be having the same issue. When I tried to start our boat up for the first time(several weeks after delivery) it was totally dead. I'll have to talk to my dealer about it.

Thanks,

-Philip

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OK -

has anyone else seen this yet? My boat has been up on her lift for about 3 weeks since I brought her home... nothing was left on. Went to fire her up - and DEAD... called the dealer, and before I could get the sentence out he says 'batteries are dead, right? we'll be right there'

Apparently - and it's not consistent - some of the power wedges are drawing power even when everything is turned off. Not sure the details on this (current fix is to just install a Perko switch to kill everything when not in use) but they've seen a bunch at the dealer.

Has anyone else experienced this yet?

oh - and the dealer had a guy at my dock in an HOUR to fix it.. now that's service!!

Get one of these...then you don't have to wait for anyone...

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/store...roductId=132120

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Well - yeah, I could've jumpstarted it (neighborhood harbormaster has one of those gadgets) - but I wanted to make sure it wasn't something else.

Once they give me 2 fresh batteries and the 4-way perko switch, I won't worry about it ... at least until i forget to shut off the batteries.

"-)

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There is an issue with the power wedge putting a small drain on the batteries. Malibu is aware of it and should have a fix out for it in the near future. The company who makes the module is working on the fix now.

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OK -

has anyone else seen this yet? My boat has been up on her lift for about 3 weeks since I brought her home... nothing was left on. Went to fire her up - and DEAD... called the dealer, and before I could get the sentence out he says 'batteries are dead, right? we'll be right there'

Apparently - and it's not consistent - some of the power wedges are drawing power even when everything is turned off. Not sure the details on this (current fix is to just install a Perko switch to kill everything when not in use) but they've seen a bunch at the dealer.

Has anyone else experienced this yet?

oh - and the dealer had a guy at my dock in an HOUR to fix it.. now that's service!!

Get one of these...then you don't have to wait for anyone...

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/store...roductId=132120

Need to problem fix the problem first. Otherwise he / she will be starting the day continually jumping the battery.

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Thanks for this thread! We picked up our new bu yesterday and i asked the dealer about it and he said it had been happening and they were putting in a switch to cut off the battery (cant remember what he called it), but they had not put one in mine...but he had the service guy do it right then & there. I like that feature, now i dont have to disconnect the battery in the winter! Biggrin.gif

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Thanks for this thread! We picked up our new bu yesterday and i asked the dealer about it and he said it had been happening and they were putting in a switch to cut off the battery (cant remember what he called it), but they had not put one in mine...but he had the service guy do it right then & there. I like that feature, now i dont have to disconnect the battery in the winter! Biggrin.gif

Hey WC, I picked up a part from CTWS on friday and saw that fine ride of yours sitting there waiting for you. I really like your color combo. Enjoy, and we hope to see you out and about on LA or the Perd (when there is water).

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Problem with shutting off at the Perko switch is you can lose your settings in your head unit and such. Be sure to wire the head unit to avoid that.

I use an onboard 2 bank battery charger and just plug it in when we pull in to the slip. Keeps 'em fresh and I never worry about dead battery surprise in the middle of the lake.

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That solar trickle charger is a neat idea... but I've got a covered dock..

Otherwise, that'd be a great thing to have around.

Oh - and you won't go dead in the middle of the lake! If you can start the boat, the alternator takes over and runs the electrical system and charges the battery.

Edited by BigGator
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I'm sorry, but if this is a real problem from the factory, that's just plain poor design and poor quality control.

How hard is it to measure that a "stock" system is draining the battery with a meter, get to the bottom of it and fix the issue in pre-production.

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Oh - and you won't go dead in the middle of the lake! If you can start the boat, the alternator takes over and runs the electrical system and charges the battery.

1) Anchor for a lunch with the stereo running and such

2) Stop and start and stop and start and stop and start - all with the stereo running

3) Most of us have really BIG stereos that draw more than the alternator can replace.

But alas since I've been using the onboard charger, I've only managed to run 1 of the batteries down once. And that leaves one whole battery left to get home

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Depending on the problem Bu's fix will probably be (IMHO) a relay activated from the dash switch or engaging with ign switch. That will effectively cut off the PW from the electrical system when not being raised/lowered.

Pretty simple fix.

P

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Everyone,

Spoke to my dealer and he said that there is a malibu fix and It will be taken care of. Just contact your dealer, they should be aware of it. Yahoo.gifYahoo.gifYahoo.gif

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  • 3 weeks later...
Everyone,

Spoke to my dealer and he said that there is a malibu fix and It will be taken care of. Just contact your dealer, they should be aware of it. Yahoo.gifYahoo.gifYahoo.gif

So I'm not sure but I might be having the same issue, Cry.gif will know more in acouple days. So what was the fix that Malibu came up with. My dealer hasn't ran into this problem yet and I am trying to gather as much info before I go down and talk to them.

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That solar trickle charger is a neat idea... but I've got a covered dock..

Otherwise, that'd be a great thing to have around.

Oh - and you won't go dead in the middle of the lake! If you can start the boat, the alternator takes over and runs the electrical system and charges the battery.

Could you mount the solar charger to the roof and run the wiring in side so it drops down in the boat?

Alt are not a true charger they are more like a maintainer. Alt can not fully charge a batt. They will only charge up to 95% or so. ;)

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  • 2 weeks later...
Any updates on this issues. I'm about to pick my 06 up and I want to get this resolved before it leaves the dealer.

Just picked up my new BU and asked the dealer about the situtation. He had called Malibu at my request and said that it is a real problem that they are aware of. Said that the perko switch is the best option at this time. I am running 2 batteries and they installed a switch. His recommendation: When running switch both batteries on, when sitting switch to 1 battery, and out of the water, switch off. Said that without a perko switch the wedge would run the battery down in about a 3 weeks of sitting on dry land.

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Another solution, if you store your boat where there is power available, is to install a 6-amp trickle charger permanently in the boat. I installed one made by Guest that I got at West Marine. It's a simple installation. I put mine on the upper right wall where in the battery compartment. A pos and neg wire connect from there to the battery. I ran the 120v power cord around to the port side cup holder area where it is hidden away in the side wall until you pull it out when needed. I have found that with the charger connected, you can leave the battery in the boat all winter and it will be charged and ready to go in the spring.

Edited by ricko
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