Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
Hi all. I have an '87 sea ray seville. Yesterday put it in the water for
the second time this year. Cruised around for hours, lots of time also just sitting around with the boat still running. When I went back to the boat ramp as I was waiting for others to finish putting their boats up I turned it off. When I did this my electronics should have still stayed on (radio, depth finder) but all went off. I could not even raise my propeller. I hooked in a second batter with some jump cables and was able to raise my propeller just fine. My guess is that my battery is dead and that I was running on alternator? I took the battery to advanced auto (only thing open at 9pm) and they said the battery was fully charged and working! Obviously they must be wrong or their machine doesnt work correctly on boat batteries, even though they do sell some in there. What type of place can test my boat battery and sells good boat batteries? I hope thats what the problem is. Also, would it be possible for them to test the battery as good but for some reason it not work in the boat? Cause it starts right up when I jumped it. Thanks! --C |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
Do this quick test...
1. Start up your boat. 2. Remove the negative lead off your battery. 3. If the motor shuts off, it's your alternator for sure. 4. Check all connections before removing the alternator. Advanced Auto can test your alternator. Jim Rojas "Ree-Yees" wrote in message ... Hi all. I have an '87 sea ray seville. Yesterday put it in the water for the second time this year. Cruised around for hours, lots of time also just sitting around with the boat still running. When I went back to the boat ramp as I was waiting for others to finish putting their boats up I turned it off. When I did this my electronics should have still stayed on (radio, depth finder) but all went off. I could not even raise my propeller. I hooked in a second batter with some jump cables and was able to raise my propeller just fine. My guess is that my battery is dead and that I was running on alternator? I took the battery to advanced auto (only thing open at 9pm) and they said the battery was fully charged and working! Obviously they must be wrong or their machine doesnt work correctly on boat batteries, even though they do sell some in there. What type of place can test my boat battery and sells good boat batteries? I hope thats what the problem is. Also, would it be possible for them to test the battery as good but for some reason it not work in the boat? Cause it starts right up when I jumped it. Thanks! --C |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
What did the terminals look like (dirty?)
That sounds like the classic bad terminal problem. It could be a connection inside the battery tho. How old is the battery? Another way to test it is to put it in your car and run it there for a few days. Keep the "good" battery in the trunk so you don't get stranded somewhere. Be sure to secure it so it won't be rolling around. |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
I think it would be pretty unlikely that the Auto shop would get
a good and charged reading on your battery if it was actually bad and discharged. One scenario is that the cables to your battery or their connection at the terminals (on either side) were not working. When you shut off the engine the battery gave no juice to raise your motor. When you connected the jumper battery you got a connection from it and got your juice back. I'll bet it's connections. Get a cheap meter at Radio Shack or the autoparts store. See if the Altenator is putting out any voltage. Check your batter at various point in the day. You'll learn some things. If your cables are really bad replace them. More likely it't just that the ends need to be cleaned up. Get one of those little brushes that are made both the clean the post on the battery and the connectors that go on them. I also keep a little tube of dielectric greese. It seems kind of expensive when you buy it, but that little tube goes a looong way. Put a little grease on all your terminals and if there is any exposed parts of wires (which there shouldn't be, but sometimes there is). Good Luck. |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
I will definitly check the connections to see if they are dirty and try the
alternator trick to see if the alternator is bad. I just got the boat a month or so ago and the guy said the battery was a couple years old. I took it out and it is a deep cycle battery with 575CCA. I was reading online and I guess this isnt even the right kind of battery to be starting my boat with. Im going to try charging this battery back up and purchasing the correct type of battery for starting the boat up. Hopefully its just the battery or even better woudl be bad connection. Will I be able to put a starter battery and this deepcycle battery in there with some kind of a switch and then switch to the deep cycle when the boat is off? --C |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
For less than the price of gas to run to the auto store, you can own an
inexpensive little test light that will help you determine if your battery and/or alternator is goofed up. They're small, and fit easily in a basic tool box. The test you can run with a cheapie light is informative, but not complete. A battery can have a "surface charge" that looks OK, but lack the guts to do any real work. As somebody else suggested, check those terminals and cable clamps and see if they got corroded by sitting all winter. The clamp from the jumper cable might have had enough pressure to make contact through any corrosion, and the austo parts store would have tested the battery with corrosion-free equipment. |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
"Ree-Yees" wrote in message ... Will I be able to put a starter battery and this deepcycle battery in there with some kind of a switch and then switch to the deep cycle when the boat is off? --C You didn't say the size of the boat but I'm assuming it's just a day runabout / under 25 feet. In this case I suggest two "dual- purpose" batteries. These batteries are good both for starting the boat and for running small amounts of equipment for relativley short periods of time. (Such as a couple of lights and the radio while your setting still for an hour). The "deep cell" will work for that too. But it's really more for taking lots of charge and then running more load for more time. (Like on a big boat that is setting with no engine running for hours and running bigger/more electrical loads.) The two dual-purpose gives you....well lets put it this way: One dual-purpose would do you OK. It would be fine both for starting the boat and for storing and delivering a charge for an hour or two while you sat someplace. Having the second dual-purpose is a backup. Yes, then you get an A/B/Both/OFF switch. There are a few ways to rig these up and a few ways to use them. The BASIC idea is that you charge up both batteries while running the engine but then switch to just one battery while setting still. That way if you accidentially discharge the entire battery you can still switch to the other one to restart the boat. I also suggest carrying one of those portable battery things. Some of them have a light, a 12 volt socket, maybe even a small inverter. But the point is it gives you yet another source to use if the batteries go dead to help start the boat. As for hooking up the A/B switch, ask again when you get to that point and you'll get lots of information about how to hook it up and what equipment to use. |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
I just got the boat a month or so ago and the guy said the battery was a
couple years old. I took it out and it is a deep cycle battery with 575CCA. I was reading online and I guess this isnt even the right kind of battery to If you're only going to hve one battery, it should be a deep cycle. There is nothing wrong with starting a boat with a deep cycle battery, as long as it has a sufficent cold crank rating to do the job. It doesn't hurt the battery. There is a problem with using a starting battery for running a lot of accessories with the engine off. The starting battery has thin plates that break up more quickly during recharge. |
2004 SUN TRACKER® PARTY BARGE® 17 Signature Series
Hi, I am contemplating whether to buy the Sun tracker Party boat with
a single axis trailer and an electric motor. Was wondering if anyone has any experience with electric motors and the advantages. One of the reasons I would like the electric motor is that a local Reservoir does not allow gas motors because it is the city drinking water. But I also want to use the boat at Texas Lakes, like Media and Canyon Lake. I was given a Total price including ttl 2004 PB17 with trailer and electric motor as $10,957.38. Does this seem like a reasonable deal for this boat? Any help on the above questions will be appreciated. http://suntrackerboats.com/index.cfm...v=16&boat=1229 Rod |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
How many CCA do I need for a 19 foot sea ray with a 165hp Mercruiser engine?
The deep cycle that is good, bad, or needs charging is 575 CCA. I guess I'll try to get one of those dual purpose starter/deep cycle batteries on the way home since id like to have two anyways. I saw one with 650CCA and one with 750CCA. --Cameron |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
You've gotten some good answers but I want to repeat a couple:
I always start solving battery, charging, electrical or starting problems by cleaning the battery and other affected terminals. For typical car batteries which have large terminals on the battery and large connetions on the cables, I'd advise you to get a little terminal tool at the auto parts store (it has a two part brush - one part made for cleaning the terminals on the battery, the other part for cleaning the inside of the cable connections). Boat batteries USUALLY have stainless steel screw threaded posts on the batteries and smaller round connectors on the cables. The posts don't often (ever?) need cleaning, but the cable connectors do need to be looked after. You can easily clean them with a toothbrush-sized copper or brass wire brush and/or sand paper. Regardless of car or boat, the idea is just to keep the battery posts and cable connections bright metal. This also applies to all electrical connections, but in my experience, the very first and most common place for corrosion to affect starting is right at the battery - and it is very easy and quick to cure and/or prevent. I'd almost bet this will solve your problem. Second issue, testing the battery: a boat/marine battery -whether it's deep cycle or starting type - is essentially the same as a car battery. They're just built a little different. Therefore anyplace that can test car batteries can test a marine battery. A load test is the best thing to do if it's an older battery that you're not totally sure of. Finally, there are easy "temporary" and "permanent" ways to monitor your alternator. You might want to have a volt meter permanently installed on the dash board if you don't have one already. It's a pretty basic gauge as you've found out. It will show you if the battery has a charge (if the motor's not running) or if the alternator's working (if the motor's running). As a temporary measure you can use a simple, cheap indicator tool as someone else pointed out, or you can buy an cheap or expensive version of a multi meter at any hardware store or Radio Shack. A very handy tool to learn how to use, and pretty easy to do so. Even if you're not enthusiastic about being a mechanic (like me - meaning I'm a very reluctant mechanic since I have a very large learning curve and often mess things up the first time), it's very handy to learn to do some of these things because (1) you can waste a LOT of time waiting for a mechanic to "get to it" and (2) a lot of times problems happen out on the water than can be pretty easily solved if you have some rudimentary knowledge and tools. It sounds to me like you've demonstrated pretty good problem solving skills (jumping it to raise the prop) I know it sounds strange, but some people wouldn't have figured that out and would have just dragged the thing out of the water and risked damaging it. Hey good luck and enjoy that boat. It sounds like it will be a beauty and a lot of fun. Cam |
2004 SUN TRACKER® PARTY BARGE® 17 Signature Series
wrote in message ... Hi, I am contemplating whether to buy the Sun tracker Party boat with a single axis trailer and an electric motor. Was wondering if anyone has any experience with electric motors and the advantages. One of the reasons I would like the electric motor is that a local Reservoir does not allow gas motors because it is the city drinking water. But I also want to use the boat at Texas Lakes, like Media and Canyon Lake. I was given a Total price including ttl 2004 PB17 with trailer and electric motor as $10,957.38. Does this seem like a reasonable deal for this boat? Any help on the above questions will be appreciated. http://suntrackerboats.com/index.cfm...v=16&boat=1229 Rod Rod, You should probably repost this question in it's own thread so that more people will see it and respond. Unfortunately I know very little about pontoon boats or electric motors. One thing generally though: -- Seems like you'll be buying this stuff new. If so, then the reputation and service you'll get from the dealer is key. Try to check around if you can and see if the dealer stands by his products. |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
How many CCA do I need on a battery for a boat my size?
I didnt think about the voltmeter on the dash but I could defintily install one of those without much trouble. I have installed boot meters and tachometers in cars before, not much difference. --c "Ree-Yees" wrote in message ... How many CCA do I need for a 19 foot sea ray with a 165hp Mercruiser engine? The deep cycle that is good, bad, or needs charging is 575 CCA. I guess I'll try to get one of those dual purpose starter/deep cycle batteries on the way home since id like to have two anyways. I saw one with 650CCA and one with 750CCA. --Cameron |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
"Ree-Yees" wrote in message ... How many CCA do I need on a battery for a boat my size? I don't know the exact answer. But 575 should be enough. Note you may also hear of Marine Cranking Amps or Warm Cranking Amps. These two terms are the same as each other. Like CCA they are a measure of how many amps the batter can deliver over a short period of time. Only difference is CCA is at a cold temperature (as might be found when starting your car) and MCA or WCA is at a higher temperature as is more usual with a boat. But CCA is still an easier standard to stick to for deciding. I didnt think about the voltmeter on the dash but I could defintily install one... Volt meter is a great tool. A Handheld one is hand in addition. You can use the hand held one AT the altenator to see what is it putting out. You can use it AT the battery when the engine is running to be sure it is getting a charging voltage (13.5 volts). And you can use it to test wires and current anywhere. Batteries, when charged, maintain a "surface charge" that slowly dissipates. I think for full disipation is something like 12 or 24 hours. But usualy if you charge a batter and then let it set for even an hour or two, you'll get a pretty close reading. Here is one FAQ that talkes about Marine, Deep Cell, CCA, MCA, etc. Google on "Battery FAQ" or "Car Battery FAQ" and you'll get tons of good info: http://www.exide.co.nz/faqs/marine.htm Good Luck |
2004 SUN TRACKER® PARTY BARGE® 17 Signature Series
You should probably repost this question in it's own thread so that more
people will see it and respond. Unfortunately I know very little about pontoon boats or electric motors. One thing generally though: -- Seems like you'll be buying this stuff new. If so, then the reputation and service you'll get from the dealer is key. Try to check around if you can and see if the dealer stands by his products. will do, thanks. Thanks for the tip too. Rod |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
"Ree-Yees" wrote in message ... When I went back to the boat ramp as I was waiting for others to finish putting their boats up I turned it off. When I did this my electronics should have still stayed on (radio, depth finder) but all went off. I could not even raise my propeller. Do you have a battery switch? This description sounds exactly like what I would expect if the battery swtich had been turned to OFF. As long as the engine was still running then the alternator provided the required current, but as soon as the engine stops there isn't any more current. Most boats have a big ON/OFF battery switch, or if they have dual batteries they will have a A-BOTH-B-OFF switch. It is also fairly common for a boat to have a "remote" battery switch that is operated by a small toggle switch on the dash. The battery should NEVER be turned off while the engine is running. I hooked in a second batter with some jump cables and was able to raise my propeller just fine. Did you clamp the jumper cables directly to the "dead" battery? If you did, then that rules out the battery switch. I took the battery to advanced auto (only thing open at 9pm) and they said the battery was fully charged and working! Obviously they must be wrong or their machine doesnt work correctly on boat batteries, even though they do sell some in there. Their equipment would test a battery, it doesn't matter if it had recently been installed in a boat, car, airplane, or whatever. I would expect them to test the battery by putting it under a significant load. The meter to do this usually has big clamps like a jumper cable that connect up to a fairly good size meter. When they push the button it will put like 100 amps on the battery and then they measure the voltage. If that is what they did and it measured Ok then you can be assured that the battery itself was not the problem. The auto parts store would also be anxious to sell you a new battery, so they sure wouldn't want to tell you that your battery was good if it wasn't. What type of place can test my boat battery and sells good boat batteries? I hope thats what the problem is. The definition of "good" is certainly subject of debate, but I would think that your boat would be happy with just about any battery. If your boat has the typical boat battery cables that connect to a 5/16" post with a wing nut then you will need to get a "marine" battery. If your setup has the typical battery post clamps then a common automotive battery would be fine, as long as you don't "deep cycle" it. If you sit for long periods of time running the stereo or run trolling motors or something then a deep cycle battery would be best. If it wasn't the battery switch being turned off then my best guess is that the battery contacts were loose or corroded. Clean up the battery posts and cable terminals with a stiff wire brush, then make sure the clamps/nuts are tight. You should NOT be able to twist the cables on the post. As others have suggested, it would be very helpful if you had an accurate volt meter. You can purchase a fairly decent "multi-meter" at the hardware store for around $20. In fact, here is one that will serve just fine and it is only $2.99! http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=30756 What you need is a volt meter that can show you the difference between 12.5 and 13.0 volts. The volt meter on your dash isn't good enough, you need something that can show the difference of 0.1 volts. To test to see if your alternator is working at all, measure the voltage at the battery before you start. It should be around 12.5 volts if the battery is fully charged. If the voltage is below 12 then the battery is fairly discharged. If it is below 11.5 the battery is nearly dead. Now start the engine, bring the RPM up to at least 1500 RPM. Measure the voltage again. The voltage should now be at least 13.0 volts, and could be as high as 14.2 volts. If it isn't at least 13 (or if the voltage actually went down) then the alternator is not putting out anything at all. Rod |
Is it my battery or alternator that let me down?
If the alternator wasn't bad to begin with, it likely will be if you disconnect
the battery with the engine running. Jim Rojas wrote: Do this quick test... 1. Start up your boat. 2. Remove the negative lead off your battery. 3. If the motor shuts off, it's your alternator for sure. 4. Check all connections before removing the alternator. Advanced Auto can test your alternator. Jim Rojas "Ree-Yees" wrote in message ... Hi all. I have an '87 sea ray seville. Yesterday put it in the water for the second time this year. Cruised around for hours, lots of time also just sitting around with the boat still running. When I went back to the boat ramp as I was waiting for others to finish putting their boats up I turned it off. When I did this my electronics should have still stayed on (radio, depth finder) but all went off. I could not even raise my propeller. I hooked in a second batter with some jump cables and was able to raise my propeller just fine. My guess is that my battery is dead and that I was running on alternator? I took the battery to advanced auto (only thing open at 9pm) and they said the battery was fully charged and working! Obviously they must be wrong or their machine doesnt work correctly on boat batteries, even though they do sell some in there. What type of place can test my boat battery and sells good boat batteries? I hope thats what the problem is. Also, would it be possible for them to test the battery as good but for some reason it not work in the boat? Cause it starts right up when I jumped it. Thanks! --C |
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