Trolling motor problem

[Trihull]

I hope someone can steer me in the right direction to fix this problem. At the beginning of a fishing trip TM seems to have plenty of power. (Motor Guide, not sure about thrust). As the trip goes on thrust seems to get less and less. Sounds like batteries (24 volt system) are running down. I have an onboard charger and I recharge after each trip as soon as I get home.

Today I did a load test on both batteries individually and each are still showing good abiet close to the yellow area. When I hooked the negative ground back up after the test, there was a spark. Seems like I read somewhere that a spark when hooking up a battery indicates a short somewhere, but not sure.

One TM battery is a Bass Pro brand and the other came from Wally world.

Any help would be appreciated.

Trihull

[Barnacle Bill]

You shouldn't get any sparks when connecting the cables unless something connected to them is on or you have a short somewhere. While your TM will work with any 2 12V batteries, it is best to use 2 of the same type, size and age. When doing a load test the needle should drop down some and then stay steady for at least 15 seconds.

[Cane Pole]

Are you running stuff on the TM batteries besides the TM? If not, could be the onboard charger. Some on boards will arc a little on initial connect to the battery. It is charging a big ole capacitor.

[Buzz]

Hey Trihull,

I've always been told that when you connect a battery and it sparks that something is drawing current. This sounds crazy because 24v should kill most electronics. I would make sure there is nothing else connected to those batteries. Just a thought but have you checked the voltage at the plug where the TM plugs in? I would make sure your getting the true 24volts.

Buzz

[trumpdriver]

I agree, you need to have the same size and amp batteries for best results. If the batteries are over 3 years old they are most likely ready for replacement. A little pricey but Optima Blue top batteries are the best out there in my opinion. A cheaper batter but good quality are Interste marine deep cycle 850 cca or better. Always use deep cycle for trolling motor use and marine cranking or standard battery for cranking.

Just my 2 cents

[Trihull]

Thanks fellows

I will check the volts at the TM plug and I also thought I would check the batteries with a VOM first thing this morning and again after I get back to see how much of a drain I am getting.

Thanks again for the advice.

Trihull

[tahoe 50]

A volt meter will only give a surface reading. To get a true reading you must do a load test. I use all blue top deep cell batteries,they cost a bit but have given me good power. I have a seperate battery for just the gas motor. Yes three batts. With a xps on board charger. It also gives a small charge to keep them at full at all times.

[DTG]

trihull i had sasme problem. it was my ob chrager bad

[Trihull]

Thanks everyone for the help.

[[email protected]]

Using an onboard (really, any) charger can cause loss of water in low maint. type batteries causing loss of charge. If your batts have caps that can be removed, pop them off and check levels. If low, fill with distilled water. Have to do this with my tm batteries about once a year. Hope this helps.