Batteries Dying

[jondavis08]

Been having a lot of issues with my Batteries dying this year(2014 210). Both batteries were purchased new two years ago and I installed a new selector last year. Since I've had the boat battery 2 has always had issues having enough power to turn the engine over. Maybe after a full charge it will but typically only battery one will have enough juice. I usually run on just battery 1 or 1+2. Yesterday we were out for a cruise and stopped at a friends dock for just 10 minutes(only had radio on). I cut the motor but didn't turn off the batteries. I was running just on 1 at the time. When I got back in I didn't have enough juice to turn the boat over on either battery. Mind you, this just happened a few weeks ago and I recharged both via in boat battery tender. In the winter boat is in heated storage and hooked up to the battery tender all winter. Is it time to buy new batteries? Am I missing something here?

[NautiqueJeff]

What is the CCA rating on the batteries?

[jondavis08]

Both are rated at 800. Also my voltage on the Linc screen reads at 14.3. No idea if that’s high..


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[shag]

Have you had the alternator checked? Also, you would be surprised how much amperage you can lose in old cables/ends.

I would also double check to be sure the 'selector' isn't connected wrong. Just my .02

[XBIGPUN66]

14.3 should be sufficient alternator output. Perhaps one battery is failing

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[bturner]

Couple observations and suggestions/recommendations.....

First this is not normal operation, something is really not right here. Next, Shag is on the best path to problem determination/resolution. 14.3 volts would indicate that the alternator is charging, which is good. So if you're getting a good charge the next question is, is that charge getting to the batteries? Good battery cables and in particular grounding cable are key here. A dead cell in a battery will also kill the system, quickly.

My very first step would be to pull the batteries, take them to the auto parts store and have them load tested. If you have a dead cell in one of them you're going to have issues. You need to ensure the batteries are good before doing any further testing.

If the batteries are good I would start at the engine block and work my way out. I'd remove both the ground cable from the block to the ground battery post and the cable from the alternator to the positive post and check them physically for condition and for resistance/continuity. If they look or test even slightly marginal replace them.

If the cables are good the next place I'd look is at the switch. These switches fail all the time (2 guys posted on the MC site this week about switch issues). Bad contacts or connectors will cause similar issues to what you're experiencing. While on the switch I would personally dump the 1, 2 position switch and install an isolator/switch solution like the Blue Seas "add a battery kit" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EDMIF9O...osi&th=1&psc=1). With this installed you don't work about which battery is charging and what bank you're on.

At this point all the basics are covered. If you're still having problems past here you have a somewhat serious electrical drain somewhere and you'll need to start isolating circuits. I've seen automatic bilge pump switches do some weird things. I've also had bad connections to bus bars drain batteries but here you typically have issues with things like stereo ground loops or lights not working properly.

If it were me running down this issue I'd focus on the basics outlined above first.

[jondavis08]

Thanks, I’ll start digging. Something is off. Today I was able to start the engine on battery two(just barley after a charge). Then ran the boat in 2 the entire time and the engine actually cut off as the battery died while in gear..


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[jschurer]

I would bet bad cell in battery.

Alternator output may be good and keep the battery at 14v when running, but battery with a dead cell will not hold the required "depth" of charge to sustain electrical systems for long, thus eventually shutting down the engine.

I had a battery in a vehicle so bad that I watched systems fall off as the battery drained rapidly over a couple of minutes. First the nav, then stereo, then headlights, fog lights, gauges, then when there wasn't enough juice to run the ECM - pppllllbbbbt...vehicle died.

WHY this happening to your boat could be another story...bad terminals, poor ground, parisidic draw, or just frequent repeated discharging of the same battery without charging fully in between uses during the season. Check the water level in the batteries and be sure its topped up before charging if there are removable covers on the tops of the batteries.