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Got 12 volts on battery and perko, screen says 8.7 volts, boat won’t crank. What should I be checking?
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Battery runs directly to starter, and is activated with a relay. If the starter doesn't see enough amps it won't spin, no matter what the voltage says.
Has the boat been sitting for a while?
Throw a charger on the battery and let it charge for a while. My bet is that the battery is just low. If it still won't start, have the battery load tested.I own and operate Silver Cove Marine, which is an inboard boat restoration, service, and sales facility located in Mooresville, North Carolina. We specializes in Nautiques and Correct Crafts, and also provide general service for Nautiques fifteen years old and older.
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Original batteries? If so probably time to replace. Also, battery cables can look oak from the outside but have corrosion and degradation inside with greatly reduces amperage.Comment
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Hard to go wrong with the above advice. Given your location and time of year low battery and/or bad cables/connections are the low hanging fruit. As far as testing goes using a volt meter will only give you the most basic indication of battery health. A fully charged battery will typically read between 12.5 and 13.5 volts. Unfortunately even with a good volt reading there is a good chance the battery could still be bad. Seeing 12 volts is probably not an indication of good health in this case. Seeing 8.7 with some load on the battery as the battery is now seeing a load with the key on is probably not good as well. The base recommendation would be to charge the battery and closely check the condition of all the battery connections.
I ran into something similar over the winter with my 70 Mach 1 when I went to move it to get to our garage attic. I had been charging the battery once a month over the fall/winter and the battery read 13.1 volts but wouldn't turn the car over. So one would think since I'm posting here and having diagnosed these types of issues numerous times over the years I would take my own advice and do a proper diagnosis right? Nope, not a chance. I fell for the quick voltage check and replaced the starter solenoid and all the associated battery and starter cables. The result? You guessed it, the car wouldn't turn over. As it turned a quick swap to one of the batteries from the boat showed that the battery was the culprit. The good news is I've been running though this car trying to get it ready for a road trip this summer and these parts were scheduled for replacement for some other issues I was having. As it turned out the cable going to the starter was fried from the headers and the one going to the positive terminal was corroded in the jacket a good 2 inches up the cable from the battery lug which you couldn't see without pealing the jacket back so it wasn't a complete waste of time or money.
Anyway if you want to learn more about battery testing here's a real good video that will educate you quickly on battery testing and testing options.....
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Great informative video!Comment
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Hey guys, problem is fixed . I really don’t wanna say what was wrong because it really makes me look really really bad. However, always double check your wiring when replacing the Perko switch. I had common on 2 and 2nd battery on common. Batteries were always dying. I replaced the perko last year.Comment
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We all have stories like that I'm quite sure. I know that I have. Glad you got it fixed!
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For sure. While the bone-headed mistakes tarnish our egos, they're often cheap, easy solutions--my favorite kind!
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And a solid reminder to 'never do that again'... lol
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