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Thread: Battery/Guage Issues

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    Default Battery/Guage Issues


    Hey guys...Question for you....I went out to start up my boat last night becuase I try to run it evey week during the winter.....I recently charged my cranking battery up on Sunday, bc when I wanted to go out the battery was dead, so i charged it up. Last night when going to start it my guage was barely showing any charge...maybe 10 volts but my tilt/trim worked, lights worked and it would even start up and then run at 12-14 volts on the guage...Any ideas on what could be the problem?..Could it just be the guage?..I know that nothing was on since there were no sparks from the battery terminals .....It has been really cold at night in the teens some nights lately....Water levels are good in the battery and doesnt appear to be frozen....Any help on ideas would be appreciated as this battery was just purchased in May....Also I thought it may have been dead again so tried to charge again and my charger really kinda went nuts.....my full charge light and charging light indicators just went back and forth really fast....Thanks for any help

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    Barnacle Bill is offline Super Mod and 2014 Crappie.com Man of the Year * Crappie.com Supporter
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chadku
    Hey guys...Question for you....I went out to start up my boat last night becuase I try to run it evey week during the winter.....I recently charged my cranking battery up on Sunday, bc when I wanted to go out the battery was dead, so i charged it up. Last night when going to start it my guage was barely showing any charge...maybe 10 volts but my tilt/trim worked, lights worked and it would even start up and then run at 12-14 volts on the guage...Any ideas on what could be the problem?..Could it just be the guage?..I know that nothing was on since there were no sparks from the battery terminals .....It has been really cold at night in the teens some nights lately....Water levels are good in the battery and doesnt appear to be frozen....Any help on ideas would be appreciated as this battery was just purchased in May....Also I thought it may have been dead again so tried to charge again and my charger really kinda went nuts.....my full charge light and charging light indicators just went back and forth really fast....Thanks for any help
    Take the battery out and have it load tested. Any auto parts store can do that for you. Also make sure the connections on the battery are clean and tight.
    Fair Winds and Following Seas

    Bill H. PTC USN Ret
    Chesapeake, Va


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    A battery that has been dead is probably shot. Never let one set more than 30 days between full charges. That said, a gauge isn't much use when determining whether a battery is charged or not. They aren't accurate, and there is only about 1V between fully charged and almost dead. Unless it can read in tenths of a volt, it won't be much help.

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    you can get one of those little Minn Kota battery gauges for about $12. Charge your battery up and then check it. Go back the next day and check it again. If you notice your charge level has dropped much then the battery is on the way out. CF
    The Original Woodsgoat Hater
    2011 NWR Bash Yellow Perch Champion

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    Just take IBNFSHN's advice. I'd be willing to bet, it's the battery.
    Guage won't show it's charging, simply because it isn't.
    My vote goes to a bad cell in the battery.
    Mike

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    i had it load tested and it was the battery....thanks for the advice....what type of batteries do you all recommend??? this was an interstate battery and i guess i just got a bad one, bc i just purchased it in may.....i hear that the optima batteries are the best way to go, but for double the price i want to make sure...

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    I gotta agree with you about the Optimas.
    I can afford them,,,,,,, but I just won't part with that kind of money all at once.

    Interstate batteries are a top choice too. I have to admit though, for the money. Walmarts yellows have been pretty good to me.
    One nice thing about them is, you can keep an eye in the acid level and add as necessary.
    That's important. You just cannot let a batteries acid get below the top of the plates and start oxidizing. Once that starts happening, you may as well trade her in.
    Mike

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    Quote Originally Posted by FisherMike
    I gotta agree with you about the Optimas.
    I can afford them,,,,,,, but I just won't part with that kind of money all at once.

    Interstate batteries are a top choice too. I have to admit though, for the money. Walmarts yellows have been pretty good to me.
    One nice thing about them is, you can keep an eye in the acid level and add as necessary.
    That's important. You just cannot let a batteries acid get below the top of the plates and start oxidizing. Once that starts happening, you may as well trade her in.
    And thats why i went to the optima blue top. Dont have to worry about the acid level and its true about them lasting a long time on a charge. I haven't run out of juice in a full days fishing since i chucked those walmart batteries i had.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chadku
    i had it load tested and it was the battery....thanks for the advice....what type of batteries do you all recommend??? this was an interstate battery and i guess i just got a bad one, bc i just purchased it in may.....i hear that the optima batteries are the best way to go, but for double the price i want to make sure...
    You should have some warranty left if you just purchased the battery in May. I use Walmart's deep cycle batteries - the biggest ones they carry - and have had real good service out of them since I've been using an onboard charger designed for deep cycle batteries. They have a pretty good free replacement warranty and a prorated warranty after that.

    Probably one of the hardest things on a deep cycle battery is charging it with an automotive type battery that isn't designed to charge deep cycle batteries. I very seldom have to add an water to my Walmart batteries since I've been using an onboard charger and I use them and recharge them nearly every day.
    FISH ON!
    Jerry Blake

    www.BLAKETOURS.com

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    i agree with jerry the on board chargers are the way to go no battery problems since I have had mine. And i use the auto zone batteries
    Speck

    Real men troll for crappie (Here Fishy Fishy !)

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