No Crank/ Acc switch question

[timpyron1980]

Hello all and thanks in advance for the information. I have a '99 1800 sr and have been having battery issues. Just recently purchased this boat and upon out first outing we had to boost off several times, i didnt think much about other than i needed a new battery. It had an Everstart deep cycle marine battery with 03/09 date stamped on it. I am not very fond of Everstart batteries so i didnt persue any warranty action through wal-mart, instead i purchased an Optima bluetop knowing these are very dependable batteries. Well to my surprise, on out next outing guess what, had to boost again. I have found that our radio stays powered up at times, even with music off the clock and backlighting will stay on no matter how long you hold the off button. I was assuming that power to the radio went through the ACC switch but i have found that it will power up with switch uplugged-etc... I have no been pulling the radio fuse to kill it but it is killing me not knowing what is causing this issue. Also, is it normal for all the toggle switches to have constant power without the key on or the ACC switch on (what does the ACC switch do?) If this helps, this boat has only been operated in fresh water since day 1. I will throw out another question as well- My Tach reads 6k at all times with no flicker at all- i have uplugged the connectors and reconnected with no change, im leaning towards a bad Tach but just looking for some advice. Thanks again- Tim.

[seapuppy]

welcome to the zoo tim......first off...when you say boost...are you talking about a battery jump???...

the radio is probably directly wired to the batt...which means that it has constant power....it should shut completely down when you turn it off but it will hold a small charge to keep the memory in the chip......so...you may have a bad radio too...not saying that's not an issue....

as for the batt. going south...well...it means your alternator/voltage regulator is gone...you can take it off and to an auto parts store..they will test it for free....then either get it rebuilt or a new one...make sure the new one is a marine alt....and also make sure all the connections are clean..

as for the acc switch...it's an extra switch for you to use ..it has pwr to it..but nothing out....so use it to pwr a radio...a gps(some gps require a switch)...
it's a spare for your convenience...

Tach...the tach usually runs off the coil or the module...there is a connection back there..get thsoe cleaned up and see if that clears the problem....if not then the tach has taken a dump....

hope this helps...

SP

[CountryME]

Having to jump start a motor that has a new battery can be a sign of a bad starter. When you pull the alternator to get it tested at the autoparts store, pull the starter and check that too.

[timpyron1980]

Thanks for the information- as i mentioned, i have been pulling the cd player fuse and since doing that i have not had a cranking problem- not to say there still isnt a problem though. According to the volt meter the alt.is charging around 15 V but i know gauges can be misleading. Thanks again for the info.

[TonyA]

Hi tim: if you have a volt meter (multi meter) check the volts on you battery it should be about 12.5 or close to 13 volts than start your engine your voltage should go up app 2 volts 13.5 or close to 14 volts if so then your alternator is charching. If nothing changes from your first check then the alternator is not charging.

[timpyron1980]

Thanks again for the info. Im just updating this- I have not had any further cranking problems since pulling the radio fuse after every outing. I do have another question though- I would like to tie my radio into my ACCY switch being that it isnt used for anything else right now, but it already has a red & yellow wire connected to the back of it. Any idea where they might be running from, all my other switches work for there giving purpose and i have verified that the ACCY switch turns nothing on/off. Im just not sure if i should leave them hanging or trace them to there source- hopefully someone else has came across this before.

[TonyA]

hi Tim not that i have looked at my accy switches but i would asume that the red is probably the feed + and may be the yellow is going to one side of a curciut braker your supply to what ever you want ??. I am going to look at my Accy switches ill let you know what I fined Tony

[shrew]

Originally Posted by CountryME

Having to jump start a motor that has a new battery can be a sign of a bad starter. When you pull the alternator to get it tested at the autoparts store, pull the starter and check that too.

I think when he says 'Jump Start', he means using jumper cables and a remote battery connected to the existing battery. The exisitng battery shorts the circuit, but the power for the starter is beign drawn from the remote battery through the jumper cables. In that case, the exact same starter is being used. A bad starter would not start no matter how many battery you hooked up to it.

What you describe would be the case when jump starting a car or motorcycle with a standard transmission by pushing it, then putting it into gear and dumping the clutch. This engages the transmission and forces the rolling wheels to turn the engine until it starts itself. That is technically all a starter does anyway. There is no way that I know of to 'jump start' a boat by pushing, pulling, etc and would never try to manualy spin the prop to jump start a boat in this manner (ala the old WW1 biplanes when someone shorts the circuit manual ("CONTACT") then someone else spins the prop.

Just my .02

[CountryME]

Originally Posted by shrew

I think when he says 'Jump Start', he means using jumper cables and a remote battery connected to the existing battery. The exisitng battery shorts the circuit, but the power for the starter is beign drawn from the remote battery through the jumper cables. In that case, the exact same starter is being used. A bad starter would not start no matter how many battery you hooked up to it.

What you describe would be the case when jump starting a car or motorcycle with a standard transmission by pushing it, then putting it into gear and dumping the clutch. This engages the transmission and forces the rolling wheels to turn the engine until it starts itself. That is technically all a starter does anyway. There is no way that I know of to 'jump start' a boat by pushing, pulling, etc and would never try to manualy spin the prop to jump start a boat in this manner (ala the old WW1 biplanes when someone shorts the circuit manual ("CONTACT") then someone else spins the prop.

Just my .02

jump-start (jmpstärt)
tr.v. jump-start·ed, jump-start·ing, jump-starts
1. To start (the engine of a motor vehicle) by using a booster cable connected to the battery of another vehicle


In no way was I implying you could push start a boat. From where I come from, jump start is the term used for starting a vehicle with another battery. The statement that he had to "boost" even after installing a new battery led me to the possible bad starter scenario.

A starter going bad may require a large current (amps) to turn the starter. The installed battery may not be providing enough current to turn the bad starter and jump starting the motor by electrically connecting another battery in parallel can provide enough current to turn over the bad starter. An unusually high current draw and low free turning speed or cranking speed typically indicates a shorted armature, grounded armature or field coils, or excessive friction within the starter itself (dirty, worn or binding bearings or bushings, a bent armature shaft or contact between the armature and field coils).