On Sun, 6 Feb 2005 12:55:49 -0500, Mike G
wrote:

In article ,
says...
It is such a nice day, I decided to open up the Ranger and check
things out - you know - just look around the boat, make sure things
are ok - you know, get ready for March 1st when the cover comes off
and the bottom is painted and stuff? :)

Good damn thing I did - the starting battery had a bulge in the side
and looked like it was about to fail. Pulled that sucker out in a
hurry. I've got the trolling motor batteries on slow charge right
now.

Can't figure out what happened to the starting battery - it was
disconnected and was fully charged before I put it away for the
winter. Never seen that happen before.

Oh well, another 45 days until launch day.

I hope.

IF it is an older battery and one of the cells shorted out from the crud
that drops to the bottom of a battery you'll get a dead cell which will,
if you live where it gets below freezing, freeze and bulge a case.

It's a possibility

I just got back in from the garage - two of the cells were dry and I
figured out why the battery was dead - somehow the ignition was turned
on.

Whoopsie! :)

~~ oh well ~~

Later,

Tom