Starting battery

[Elmer Fudge]

My starting battery is fully charged,yet it can just barely turn the motor over.What's up with that?

 

[dk990496]

Re: Starting battery

Elmer<br />i had that same problem with my motor even tho the battery shows to be charged it loses voltage when charging replaced with a new battery problem fixed could be the same thing you are haveing some how they lose voltage as they charge over and over.

 

[Elmer Fudge]

Re: Starting battery

What brand of battery would you recomend? the one i have came from walmart 18 months ago,i really don't care to buy another one from there.

 

[Mod2]

Re: Starting battery

Moving to Boat Questions forum.

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Starting battery

I would take the battery to auto zone and have them test it for free. My boat has a 6 year old Fred Meyer automotive battery and it's still working fine...

 

[Elmer Fudge]

Re: Starting battery

Good idea ZM, i will do that. Somehow i knew if i stayed within ear shot of you i'll save some $$

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Starting battery

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Starting battery

If the battery is fully charged and reading 12-13 volts or higher, I'd be checking the positive and negative wires from the battery to the starter selonoid and then all the connections at the starter, to make sure they are tight and not corroded. Of course, it's not a bad idea to have the battery checked out, but 18 months is real short for battery life unless a cell went bad or other problems occured..

 

[jmattor]

Re: Starting battery

Rick has covered pretty much all the bases. Check to make sure you aren't overcharging the battery (is it swollen a bit?) and check the starter solenoid as well. Depending on the warranty you should have no problem getting a replacement prorated at Walmart.

 

[Boatist]

Re: Starting battery

Elmer<br />My question is did you charge the battery durning the winter? What type charger did you use? Was this your first trip out this year? If the battery has caps that can be removed, did you check the ACID level? I purchased batteries from Walmart and had very good luck. With 18 month uses I belive you have some warranty on that battery. Make sure connections and CLEAN and tight.

 

[Elmer Fudge]

Re: Starting battery

Hey guys thanks for all the informative replys, corrosion was the very first thing which i checked for,all connections were found to be tight and clean, during the winter i used my boat about 3 to 4 times a month,when the weather permits of course,so i don't often have to charge my batteries on a charger,the charger which i used was a shumacher(sp) 10/2. The acid level covered the plates just fine.<br /> I had the battery checked at Auto Zone like ZM suggested,i was told that it would not hold the charge for more than a couple of hours.<br /><br /> Can a battery show 12 to 13 volts and still not produce the required cranking amps?

 

[ED21]

Re: Starting battery

Absolutely. I recently replaced the battery on my truck that kept going dead, but registered a full charge on a digital volt meter. The problem was the voltage drop under load was down to almost 8 volts. The battery was close to 6 years old, so I replaced it & figure that was a decent battery to last that long.<br /> <br />Batteries get that way when the plates sulphate from being discharged to deeply or not being put away charged or maintaining the charge over the winter.

 

[Elmer Fudge]

Re: Starting battery

Yes. AGM batteries are deep cycle bats that have excellent starting capabilities. Often used in military combat vehicles where starting loads are heavy and failure is not on option.

Hi 18rabbit, I took your advice and bought a new deepcycle starting battery , I got it from Auto Zone, i hope this holds up better than my previous starting battery which was not a deepcycle I know it is not the brand which you mentioned, but Auto Zone was quite convenient bieng only two blocks away .