Hell I just got the boat in the water last week. I haven't run the engine
(3126 Cat) for more than a couple minutes so far. One battery is a month
old, the other was bought in November but connected at both terminals all
winter.
I've never charged either of them so too early to tell if I've got a short
or something.

Is it common knowledge that this engine requries a walloping amount of juice
to turn it over?
I've come from the gas V-8 world where a single car type battery worked
fine.

"Denny" wrote in message
ps.com...

Jim and Becky wrote:
I have two big 8D batteries (1550cca) each for a CAT 3126.
Is there a reccommeded battery charger for them?
My trusty Sears jobby doesn't seem to get them charged.

Either the batteries are bad, there is a constant drain on the
batteries, or the charger is bad.. Look, I keep 980 CCA batteries on
our bulldozers topped off with a 1 amp trickle charger... Your Sears
cheapie should boil th electrolyte right out of those batteries... Time
to get out a VOM and do some sleuthing... Get someone to help if you
are not familiar wiht electricity...

cheers ... denny

On Thu, 20 Jul 2006 21:45:05 -0400, "Jim and Becky"
wrote:

Is it common knowledge that this engine requries a walloping amount of juice
to turn it over?

Starting currents on any big diesel are very high for a number of
reasons. A single 8D is a bare minimum and two is certainly better.

Jim and Becky wrote:
Hell I just got the boat in the water last week. I haven't run the engine
(3126 Cat) for more than a couple minutes so far. One battery is a month
old, the other was bought in November but connected at both terminals all
winter.
I've never charged either of them so too early to tell if I've got a short
or something.

Is it common knowledge that this engine requries a walloping amount of juice
to turn it over?
I've come from the gas V-8 world where a single car type battery worked
fine.

"Denny" wrote in message
ps.com...

Jim and Becky wrote:
I have two big 8D batteries (1550cca) each for a CAT 3126.
Is there a reccommeded battery charger for them?
My trusty Sears jobby doesn't seem to get them charged.

Either the batteries are bad, there is a constant drain on the
batteries, or the charger is bad.. Look, I keep 980 CCA batteries on
our bulldozers topped off with a 1 amp trickle charger... Your Sears
cheapie should boil th electrolyte right out of those batteries... Time
to get out a VOM and do some sleuthing... Get someone to help if you
are not familiar wiht electricity...

cheers ... denny


Jim,

I've got two Cat 3208's (375 hp) and two 8D's (one per engine, with
switches), they turn the engines over just fine, takes no more than
about a three second push of the start buttons. I suspect two 8D's are
more than enought for your engines. My buddy has 8V92's (735 hp) in one
of his boats, he has four 8D's, plenty of power. For you, that would be
overkill.

John