Battery Problem Help!!

[Brush Buster]

I have two interstate megatrons rigged 12/24. They are about 4 years old and i have never had any problems. I have not had my boat in the water in about 5 months and everything is dead as a hammer. I charged them up last time i came in but have not charged them any in the last 3 months or so. My minn kota onboard charger indicates that i need to check connections. i checked everything coming in from the charger to the batteries including the inline fuses. loosened and retightend all batter connections and i still get the same "check connections" lights on my charger. Never seen this before and im afraid that i have ruined my batteries somehow. any input would be helpfull

Thanks

[FishnFed]

Have you tried to put a wire brush to your battery posts? Some times just a little corrosion goes a long way. How about the breakers? Good luck.

[gabowman]

I'd try unhooking my batteries and putting a regular charger on them to see if they'd take a charge. Might be a problem with your onboard charger?!?

[Brush Buster]

I'd try unhooking my batteries and putting a regular charger on them to see if they'd take a charge. Might be a problem with your onboard charger?!?

Great minds think alike!! thats what i did before i come in. i forgot to add that in the post

[papasage]

i have a load tester i put om my batteries direcley to the post . that tells if it will hold up to a load. if so it is in a conection .they cost a lot but i had mine for 20 years . i can eve test the altonator on a car with it.

[Shellback]

Sometimes when a battery is stone dead, the charger can't complete it's charging circuit. Try using a pair of jumper cables and connect a good battery to the dead one, then hook up a charger. Might have to leave the good battery hooked up for a few minutes. The bad news is even if it takes a charge, you have done permanent damage to the battery, it probably won't hold a charge as long, or come up to 100% charge of 12.6 volts. You should always keep your batteries fully charged.

[Barnacle Bill]

4 years is a long time for marine batteries. Take them out and charge them, then take them to your local Advance Auto and have them load tested. Or get your own tester. I bought one of these many years ago and it still works good. - Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

[CatFan]

As has been mentioned, an onboard won't charge completely dead batteries. It's a safety feature to avoid sparking and overheating. You have to use a portable to get them started, then you can finish them off with the onboard. But 4 year old batteries sitting that long aren't going to be in very good shape, and may never hold a charge.

[JBledsoe]

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It's new battery time. Those are history.

[feelay]

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It's new battery time. Those are history.

+1, If your batteries have lasted 4 years....You're not fishing enough!