Battery Mystery Solved

[stopngo]

You may recall my recent frustration with my less than 1 yr old Deep Cycle trolling battery which at that time would quickly drop to 12.4 volts after charging and now has deteriorated further to 12.25 Volts a short while after Charging.

So I phone Minn Kota 1 800 tech support.

Me.....Hello Sir. I have a Charger Mod 105 P. My question is........Does this charger require unplugging or shutting off when the full charge green indicator light comes on??

Technician.......No .......Your Charger will automatically shut off when it senses full charge and goes into maintenance mode until it senses a voltage drop and then tops it up as needed. In other words it is a smart charger.

Me......So why do I get a 13.4 volt reading on my Multi meter (Green light on and no battery connected) when I connect it to the alligator clips on the Charger?

Technician........You have a defective charger and it has been over charging your battery if what you are telling me is the case. You should not even get a green light without a battery connected........the light should be red.

Me.........Thanks for your information. I now know why my recently purchased battery is on the way out if not gone:mad-new:.

 

[wrvond]

Well why in the world would you buy a defective charger? :lol: :facepalm:
So I assume they are sending you a new charger, but you are on your own for the battery until it actually will no longer hold a charge and you get a prorated new one, right?

 

[stopngo]

How I wish. I have only used the charger a half dozen times but time wise well past warranty. Lesson learned........Just because a charger looks good doesn't mean it is. Never assume anything.

 

[bruceb58]

Me......So why do I get a 13.4 volt reading on my Multi meter (Green light on and no battery connected) when I connect it to the alligator clips on the Charger?

That sounds completely normal to me. That is float voltage for a lead acid battery.

 

[bruceb58]

Just looked up your owners manual. This is what it says:

2) A GREEN light is lit for each bank to indicate any of the following:
a) The battery is fully charge
d and in maintenance mode.
b) No battery is connected to an output cord.


Sounds like you contacted a defective technician.

http://www.minnkotamotors.com/Products/MK-105P/

 

[stopngo]

"Sounds like you contacted a defective technician." I guess that means don't take a charger or a technician for granted.

"That sounds completely normal to me. That is float voltage for a lead acid battery." I did make myself clear right? No battery involved.......Green light on complete charge still putting out 13.4 off the alligator clips? Normal? You made my day.

 

[bruceb58]

Yeah...I think you just have a bad battery or a battery that's on it's way out....happens.

 

[stopngo]

Thanks Y'all

 

[Silvertip]

Just like any mechanical or electrical gadget you buy, you expect it to work right out of the box but sometimes you get a "Friday at 4:55 pm build-date" and things just aren't right. In many cases the flaw is obvious. Batteries tend to be a little sneaky about their health -- especially to someone not fully familiar with their failure pattern. I guess the analogy here is that a pacemaker can jolt the be-jeepers out of a non-beating heart (automatically) but if the heart is actually dead, chances of revival are nil.

 

[fishrdan]

Sounds like you contacted a defective technician.

I always take "help line" advice with a grain of salt, sometimes you get an ol' timer who knows what's going on, but many times it's just a warm body to answer calls and make customers happy.

I called the MK help line once asking what type of oil was best for the motor bushings (10W, 50W?)... The rep said to use some WD-40, or grease..... UGH!

 

[stopngo]

"warm body to answer calls and make customers happy." :lol: Bingo