Battery/Switch/Engine Setup

[rip131313]

OK, I have 3 batteries on my twin screw 3300. The one battery is exclusively for the genset so we will take that out of the equation. The other 2 are positioned front and back in the engine compartment so I will call them the bow battery and stern battery. It also helps to not confuse them with the selector switches which are labeled port engine and starboard engine. Next, when I state "light" it is all interior, courtesy and instrument panel lights so all lights. These batteries do not hold a charge so cranking engines off them does not work without running genset for about 10-15 minutes. I wanted to get a good starting battery and a good deep cycle battery but the setup has me questioning this. So here it goes:

Situation 1 - Both batteries disconnected (this is the easy one folks)
-Obviously no lights and neither engine will crank when any selector switch is on any position

Situation 2 - Stern battery disconnected, Bow battery connected
-With Port Engine Switch on 1 OR 2 and Starboard Engine Switch on OFF the port engine only cranks. No starboard engine nor lights work.
-With Starboard Engine Switch on 1 OR 2 and Port Switch on OFF the starboard engine only cranks and the lights work. No port engine.

Situation 3 - Bow battery disconnected, Stern battery connected
-Nothing works when either Switch is turned to 1
-With Port Engine Switch is on 2 and Starboard Engine Switch on OFF the port engine only cranks. No starboard engine nor lights work.
-With Starboard Engine Switch on 2 and Port Switch on OFF the starboard engine only cranks and the lights work. No port engine.

Situation 4 - Bow and Stern batteries connected
-Results are identical to Situation 2


So, who can solve this and tell me if I must get 2 all-purpose batteries or can I get 1 starting and 1 deep cycle?

[Kevlar7r]

Sounds like yours is a little different than mine, but look at what I came up with.

http://www.maxumownersclub.com/forum...ead.php?t=5599

[biggerseagar]

Rip your quest continues......maxum has a funny man in their battery connecting department. I have a 01 3000 with two batteries and both my selectors have to be on both so the idea of having a house battery and the a starting battery without completely rewiring everything well that's what you will have to do..if you want to.

I suggest that you find two wet cell, deep cycle , group 29 or 31 batteries with the ah around 190. That will start your engines and take care of your 12 volt needs. This is what I did. Works great. Keep that genny battery a starting wet cell around 650 cca. IMHO spending more money on a gel or agm optima type battery is not worth plus your charger might not be able to charge them correctly.

Hope this helps

Roger

[mmwjr]

Rip do these switches have 4 positions? off, 1, 2, and both? and when you say 1 or 2 is that what you mean or do you mean 1 or both?

Anyhow it sounds like the house gets power from the load (output side) of the starboard switch.

[rip131313]

Yes they have the standard 4 positions. When I say 1 OR 2 I mean on position 1 OR on position 2. I agree the house power comes from Starboard. In fact I already made a label that says "START ENGINES ON P1, S1. HOUSEPOWER ON P-OFF, S2."

[mmwjr]

very strange. are there battery isolators that have been added and if so how are they wired?

[rip131313]

Is it possible the isolators are part of the Promatic 30-3 charger? I can not easily see the wiring to the switched as there is a bulkhead in the way.

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by rip131313

Is it possible the isolators are part of the Promatic 30-3 charger? I can not easily see the wiring to the switched as there is a bulkhead in the way.

I doubt it. Did you look at the wiring diagram from the link I sent you in the other post?

[rip131313]

Yes, I guess I need to spend some time understanding the diagram. Certainly I understand wire size, fuses, colors, etc. but how the lines connect, etc. is a little beyond me.

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by rip131313

Yes, I guess I need to spend some time understanding the diagram. Certainly I understand wire size, fuses, colors, etc. but how the lines connect, etc. is a little beyond me.

well spend some time looking at it and ask any questions you may have.

[RandR]

I just bought a 2004 3300 and took the cabinet apart to try and figure out the same issue. On mine the hot lead from each battery goes to the 1 terminal on the switches. There is a short jumper cable that connects the two 2 terminals on the switches. The house connections are on the starboard switch. Thus I decided to leave both switches on 1 so each engine goes to a separate battery and the port battery would not be drained by the house load. This way I will always have the port battery for starting and if the starboard/house battery goes dead I could switch both switches to both and start both batteries. It seems as if it would have made more sense to do it as the manual says but it looks like they changed it for some reason

Hope this helps
Rich
R and R

[0Gravity]

Originally Posted by RandR

I just bought a 2004 3300 and took the cabinet apart to try and figure out the same issue. On mine the hot lead from each battery goes to the 1 terminal on the switches. There is a short jumper cable that connects the two 2 terminals on the switches. The house connections are on the starboard switch. Thus I decided to leave both switches on 1 so each engine goes to a separate battery and the port battery would not be drained by the house load. This way I will always have the port battery for starting and if the starboard/house battery goes dead I could switch both switches to both and start both batteries. It seems as if it would have made more sense to do it as the manual says but it looks like they changed it for some reason

Hope this helps
Rich
R and R

Wow.... This just doesn't make sense why they did it this way..... I'm sure your right, as these diagrams in a owners manual I found online illustrates the exact same thing...... It seems as though the running lights and others systems like bilge pumps, stereo system etc are on the port switch/battery and the House systems are on the starboard switch/battery, my questions are two fold, 1) shouldn't the stereo system also be on with the "House" systems, that way if your on the hook listening to your stereo and you have your House lights on, you are only feeding/killing one battery? 2) What do the #2 positions on the battery switches do and how/when should they be used?

Here is how my mind is figuring it.... Maybe someone here could tell me if I'm right or wrong, Being as the #2 switches don't have a separate battery attached to them, and they are just tied/jumpered together, that would mean that it's only use would be to tie the two sides together? So for instance in the example above, if I wanted to run my stereo and not kill my port battery I would have to have the starboard switch set to [Both? >>>Because "Both" doesn't mean both batteries, it means "Both Circuits"], and the Port switch set #2?
In my mind this is what that should do.... With the starboard switch to " BOTH", It allows the current from that battery [Stbd] to flow thru to the #2 side, when you place the port switch into the #2 position it then connects anything that is connected to the port switch directly to the starboard battery. So to get everything to run off the port battery you would do the same and put it in Both and the Stbd switch to the #2 position.

So is this thinking correct? Does it make sense to anyone else?

[0Gravity]

LOL....I have no idea why it posted my Kid Rock ticket purchase confirmation but it won't let me take it out.... Lol

[0Gravity]

It was supposed to be posting these schematics....

[RandR]

I can check more into my 3300 this weekend, as I recall from last year, all the house load including the stereo was on the same battery. I think it was the Starboard engine battery. The other battery was purely for starting, thus with both swithches in the 1 position the house load would only drain the starboard battery, if it went dead, i could switch the port battery to 'both' and the starboard to 2 to start it off the port battery. 0GRAVITY I do agree with yor thinking above, however a simpler idea would be to pull the panel in the storage locker and move your sterio lead to the same terminal as all the other house loads. note to pull that panel i had to cut a bunch of wire tires in the engine compartment above the battery charger to get enough slack in the lines. even with that it was tight working.

[0Gravity]

RandR, thanks again for checking yours out, and please do let me know what you come up with when you check yours out. I have already thought about switching my stereo power over to the other side.... That being said if I can just switch one battery to Both and the other to 2 to get everything to run off one battery while I'm on the hook, then I will probably just get myself into that habit anyway in order to isolate one battery for starting purposes.
I will also be at my body Sunday so I will be able to verify if my beliefs are correct.
Thanks again,
Mike

[0Gravity]

As for Rips original question, if yours is like we have been discussing above, you would need Two All purpose deep cycle batteries because in normal operation both batteries are used for starting purposes and various other functions.

[0Gravity]

Here are some real simplified schematics I made up to illustrate how I am thinking it works with the setup I have, I will be verifying this soon!

[RandR]

Finally got down to my boat and hooked up the batteries. I can confirm that all the house loads including the sterile are on the starboard battery. The port is purely starting for the port engine. So if I leave both switches on one. Even if the starboard is run down by house load I should still have the port for starting

[Bill-Maxum]

I also have a 2001 SCR3000. It has two batteries and the same thing, the two battery switches have to be in the "both" position. Maxum from the factory did not wire the battery switch configuration correctly to separate the "house" from the engines. If I do pull the switch panel this year, I will post what I find.