Starter amperage draw

[nwwakesurf]

There was an old thread discussing starter current draw that suggested putting a clamp meter on the wire. I did that over the weekend and set the meter to record high and low. I got a high of 66 and low of -300. Figure that 66 is charging rate at idle and 300 was max draw for starter. Sound about right?  If yes I am a bit surprised at how high that draw is. The wire is 2 awg. Blue Sea wire size chart shows 2 awg only good for up to 120 amps. Even 2/0 awg is only good up to 200 amps. Chart stops at 2/0 awg. Still I’ve never had a problem. Boat is 2007 LSV with Hammerhead engine. 

[nwwakesurf]

Nothing?

[MadMan]

I'm no expert on starter current draw, but that number really doesn't surprise me.  Batteries are rated at twice that number for a reason.  Also, wire gauge/amp charts are typically for continuous current draw, measured in hours, not seconds.  Those cables probably get a little warm while starting.

All sounds normal to me.

[justgary]

That sounds fine to me also, but the starting current may actually be higher if your meter pegged at 300.  How high will your meter go? 

[csleaver]

If you are concerned about high amperage draw on your starter, you may want to do a voltage drop test to ensure all of your connections are trouble free.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.m2omarine.com/fckimages/pdf/ENGINE/11.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjEpPr2tN_iAhUCnZ4KHbSBADYQFjAAegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw12qqx3lEvOIi8d5pt-eCeO

 

[nwwakesurf]

Thanks everyone.  I will check the meter and look at the voltage drop test.  Glad to hear that it sounds about normal.

[formulaben]

On 6/5/2019 at 4:28 PM, nwwakesurf said:

There was an old thread discussing starter current draw that suggested putting a clamp meter on the wire. I did that over the weekend and set the meter to record high and low. I got a high of 66 and low of -300. Figure that 66 is charging rate at idle and 300 was max draw for starter. Sound about right?  If yes I am a bit surprised at how high that draw is. The wire is 2 awg. Blue Sea wire size chart shows 2 awg only good for up to 120 amps. Even 2/0 awg is only good up to 200 amps. Chart stops at 2/0 awg. Still I’ve never had a problem. Boat is 2007 LSV with Hammerhead engine. 

Pretty sure that is a rating for continuous load and not an intermittent one.