Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Battery Help.


Recommended Posts

I replaced my batteries with two group 24 AGM Deep Cycle Batteries (1500 Pulse crank amps, 1010 marine crank amps, 76 amp hours, 160 minute reserve capacity).  I hooked everything up two nights ago and everything fired up fine.  I took everything apart to do a cleaner install and put it all back together and nothing worked.  I plugged the batteries in my two bank noco charger before bed and this morning I turned the key over and it fired but the display wouldn't come on.  I swapped the batteries around and the display now works but the boat will not turnover.  Is it possible to run everything off one battery for testing purposes?  I just checked them with multimeter and 1 is at 12.6v the other is at 5v.  Weird for a new battery to be that low.

 

Edited by riot138
Link to comment

5v = toast.  Take back to wherever you bought it for a warranty replacement. (edit: that would be true with a lead acid battery anyhow.  Not sure whether AGM might be able to withstand such a complete discharge?)

Without a diagram of how everything is hooked up it's hard to say what (if anything) is wrong.

Edited by shawndoggy
Link to comment

That is very low, might be a defective battery.  Being that low, charger probably didn't recognize that a battery was connected so it didn't charge it.  You can sometimes fool a charger into charging by connecting both batteries together, plugging in the charger, then disconnecting the batteries from each other.

I had an AGM go down to 5v 5 years ago, recharged and still working.

Link to comment

I replaced the battery, now to see if it was a dead battery or something is draining it while the boat is sitting.

Edited by riot138
Link to comment
1 hour ago, riot138 said:

I replaced the battery, now to see if it was a dead battery or something is draining it while the boat is sitting.

Do you have a battery switch, and if so is the switch off when the boat is sitting?  I feel like there is something weird about your wiring, like the + lead to the dash bus is on one battery and the + lead to the starter is on the other. 

Link to comment
32 minutes ago, shawndoggy said:

Do you have a battery switch, and if so is the switch off when the boat is sitting?  I feel like there is something weird about your wiring, like the + lead to the dash bus is on one battery and the + lead to the starter is on the other. 

I don't have  a switch.  It's on my to buy list.  When I get time I will try to chase the wires and see what is what but I think you may be correct because dash worked when on the good battery and the starter didn't work and then when swapped the starter worked and not the dash.

Link to comment

In two hours battery 2 went from 12.56volts to 12.52volts and battery 1 went from 12.54volts to 12.26volts.  Seems like something is draining the battery.  I wrote about this in another post but the boat had water sitting in it over the winter while stored in heated storage.  The water was above the starter.  I'm wondering if one of those components is failing/failed and is pulling electricity.

Edited by riot138
Link to comment

I don't think .28 volts is not that much to loose in 2 hours. Many things like temperature, humidity, etc. could account for that change. You could measure the amperage by putting your multi meter in the circuit. In theory if there is no draw you should have 0 amps.

Link to comment
10 hours ago, riot138 said:

  I swapped the batteries around and the display now works but the boat will not turnover. 

Is there a dual bank switch installed? If so, was it off when the boat was stored?

Ok, I read that you do ot have a switch. In this case, how are you using 2 batteries? Does not sound like they are wired in parallel, is one just there as a back up and you move cables over to it? 

Edited by MLA
Link to comment
17 hours ago, MLA said:

Is there a dual bank switch installed? If so, was it off when the boat was stored?

Ok, I read that you do ot have a switch. In this case, how are you using 2 batteries? Does not sound like they are wired in parallel, is one just there as a back up and you move cables over to it? 

To be honest I don't know.  I have to figure it all out. I am almost positive the starter (looks like one is labelled starter) is on one battery and the other I believe is wired to the dash and stereo.  I don't have a switch.

battCompartment.jpg

Link to comment

This is the draw when I connect complete

19 hours ago, dcarl said:

I don't think .28 volts is not that much to loose in 2 hours. Many things like temperature, humidity, etc. could account for that change. You could measure the amperage by putting your multi meter in the circuit. In theory if there is no draw you should have 0 amps.

This is the draw I get when putting the multi meter in the circuit.  Is this a lot?

 

batteryDraw.jpg

Edited by riot138
Link to comment
8 minutes ago, riot138 said:

This is the draw when I connect complete

This is the draw I get when putting the multi meter in the circuit.  Is this a lot?

 

<4mA is not a lot, probably typical.

  • Like 2
Link to comment

30 mA would be a lot. Is your alternator working?  Do you have the draw on both batteries or just the one? Is it the one for the instruments or the starter?  

On my boat I have a switch with off, 1, 1+2, 2. I normally use 1 all the time unless we float with the radio on. Then I change to 2 to make sure I can save battery 1 for start. 

Link to comment
15 minutes ago, riot138 said:

This is the draw when I connect complete

This is the draw I get one putting the multi meter in the circuit.  Is this a lot?

 

batteryDraw.jpg

I don't think you have your meter connected correctly. You have the positive on V-ohm-Hz it should be on the left side for amps.

Link to comment
1 minute ago, Ballay said:

30 mA would be a lot. Is your alternator working?  Do you have the draw on both batteries or just the one? Is it the one for the instruments or the starter?  

On my boat I have a switch with off, 1, 1+2, 2. I normally use 1 all the time unless we float with the radio on. Then I change to 2 to make sure I can save battery 1 for start. 

This is I believe the starter battery.  I did not measure the other battery as the voltage is not dropping while the boat is in my driveway.   I don't have a switch. This is with the boat completely off and the key out.

Link to comment
8 minutes ago, dcarl said:

I don't think you have your meter connected correctly. You have the positive on V-ohm-Hz it should be on the left side for amps.

I tried with the red wire plugged into the left side w/ amps and the meter remained at 0.0000.  Maybe there isn't a draw then.  I left the neutral wires off last night from 9pm to 6:30am and the battery went from 12.47 to 12.38 and I reconnected the neutral at 6:30am until now 11:00 and the battery went from 12.38 to 11.87.

 

Edited by riot138
Link to comment
56 minutes ago, riot138 said:

I tried with the red wire plugged into the left side w/ amps and the meter remained at 0.0000.  Maybe there isn't a draw then.  I left the neutral wires off last night from 9pm to 6:30am and the battery went from 12.47 to 12.38 and I reconnected the neutral at 6:30am until now 11:00 and the battery went from 12.38 to 11.87.

 

I would assume there would be a little draw even with nothing on. Did you try turning something on to test if its hooked up correctly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2NLYydxbo4

Good howto here

Edited by dcarl
added the youtube link
Link to comment

I think I may have found what is draining my battery.  I was looking around the boat to see what was under water when it was stored improperly and basically filled up with water, long story.. but I put my hand on the alternator and it was warm.  I grabbed my thermo pen and it was 125 degrees is that normal for alternator to be that hot when the boat hasn't been run for days?  Also the battery is now at 11.5 volts from around 12.4.  The other battery has remained at 12.57 all day so there has to be something draining it the other battery.

Edited by riot138
Link to comment

In addition to resolving the unwanted draw of a failed alternator, I would install a dual circuit plus OFF/ON/COMBINE switch. Id go this route, because it looks like there is already a VSR installed, to go along with the proper switch. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
12 minutes ago, MLA said:

In addition to resolving the unwanted draw of a failed alternator, I would install a dual circuit plus OFF/ON/COMBINE switch. Id go this route, because it looks like there is already a VSR installed, to go along with the proper switch. 

Any recommendations on a switch?

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...