Thread: Good onboard chargers.

Originally Posted by Atimm693

It has a plastic screw type selector to change from flooded to gel cell battery mode. The screw has a ~3/16" unthreaded dowel on the end, you grind about 1/8" off of that.

Thank you. Hopefully this might help someone else that might run into this same problem.

Originally Posted by Cray

Thank you. Hopefully this might help someone else that might run into this same problem.

The technician asked how old the charger was so I suspect this is only applicable to units made within a certain time period.

I think they must have had a bad run of screws that push the mode switch too far.

Originally Posted by Atimm693

The technician asked how old the charger was so I suspect this is only applicable to units made within a certain time period.

I think they must have had a bad run of screws that push the mode switch too far.

That’s what I figure. Mine is about 5 years old and have had no problems. I appreciate your help on this because a friend has one he bought about the same time you bought yours and afraid he might have a problem but thanks to your research I now have a answer for him if he does.

I have a minn-kota 330 that I installed back in the summer to replace a duel-pro. The reason for change was due to the need to continue to add water to the batteries every couple months. Each charger is a maintenance free unit but, I continue to have to add water to my batteries and so I wonder if the term maintenance free is just a play on words and means nothing. HAVE ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM? In reading the spec. on my new minn-kota 330 charger I was of the belief that the monitor would prevent any lost of fluid.

Originally Posted by Atimm693

Called tech support and they sent a document that went over removing the acid/gel selector screw and grinding some material off of it. I don't really understand it, but it's working fine now. Must be a common issue.

Wished I thought of that when mine went dead just after about 15 months but throwed it the trash after I put on a Noco the noco is about 5 times heavier than the pro mariner was! Hope it last longer than the pro-mariner did ! So far so good

Originally Posted by johnboy1

I have a minn-kota 330 that I installed back in the summer to replace a duel-pro. The reason for change was due to the need to continue to add water to the batteries every couple months. Each charger is a maintenance free unit but, I continue to have to add water to my batteries and so I wonder if the term maintenance free is just a play on words and means nothing. HAVE ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM? In reading the spec. on my new minn-kota 330 charger I was of the belief that the monitor would prevent any lost of fluid.

You are always going to have some water loss. Charging creates heat which inturn causes evaporation of fluid. Most new chargers have a maintaince mode which means at certain periods they go into a deep charge to clean plates. This will cause some evaporation, couple that with summertime temps your always going to have to add some water. About 2 months I would say is average.

Thanks for the feedback Cray, I was not aware of the deep charge to clean the plates cycle in the new chargers but, to use about a half gallon of fluid in 6 months seems like a lot of fluid lost for 2 deep cycle batteries. The engine battery never needs fluid, and this was the case with both chargers. Just don't make sense to this old country boy.

and this was the case with both chargers

My guess on the water consumption is the depth of discharge and length of time required to full charge.

Watch the charger lights and see if the crank battery is done charging before the Tmotor batteries and if so, how much longer do they need to full charge.

Assuming all three batteries are the same age.