Battery Help Please

[jmitchell]

My cranking/starting battery is no longer holding a charge. I have recharged twice this summer and after a handful of times out, the battery drains down to where the boat won't start. Had it checked at AutoZone and it showed 'good' but at the last 1/4 of its life. Sick of dealing with it so it is time to replace it.

I have searched a bunch of threads looking for specific answers but couldn't get all of what I was looking for. Here's the question...My current cranking/starting battery is an Interstate 24M-XHD (800 CCA; 1000 MCA; 135 RC) and dimensionally it is a standard size battery which is good because they sit in standard size trays and there isn't room for larger sized battery. The manual says I need 650 CCA & 120Ah minimum. However, I am having a very difficult time matching these specs locally (AutoZone, Walmart, Costco, etc.) Most group 24 marine batteries that I've found are 500-550 CCA.

Any ideas on what will match these specs in terms of performance? Looks like Deka makes this same spec battery thru Lowe's but I'll have to order it. What are the main things I am looking for when battery shopping? Keep in mind, dimensionally I can't go larger in size. I've got the 5.7L PCM engine and the tower of power stereo setup (2 amps; 2 pro 60's on the tower) on the '10 Z1. Thanks for your input.

[Captainkurk72]

Why not just buy another Interstate 24M-xhd? There is a Interstate Company store in Fort Collins. You can also look at the Optima AGM batteries. I have seen these at our local auto parts stores. They do cost more but its AGM. They have a 34M (start only) and D34M (dual start & Deep) that will meet your size requirements. Not sure what you do for a living but check and see if you get an type of discounts. I called the Interstate Battery Store and got dealer cost because of where I worked (local power utility)...wish i checked that years ago.

[jmitchell]

Good suggestion, thanks. I called the Interstate store and they have the exact battery in stock. I also called BatteriesPlus and they have a same rated Duracell battery (800cca, 1000mca, 130rc) that could be here by Friday. Any thoughts on the better brand?

[Captainkurk72]

I did a dual battery project last winter and when I searched the threads and ask my local lake buddies they were generally all interstate or optima. Ironically, the ones that like interstate said optima is overpriced and optima guys said nothing's better than a optima..,Go figure. I purchased the interstate cause of my discount and its warranty. My starting battery is some brand the dealer put in when I bought it last year. I think it's a prostart or something like that.


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[chpthril]

the battery drains down to where the boat won't start. Had it checked at AutoZone and it showed 'good' but at the last 1/4 of its life.

My cranking/starting battery is no longer holding a charge.

You cant have it both ways, something is not right. A battery that is not holding a charge or unable to reach a full charge thats appropriate for its age and use, will not test "good". A battery thats actually good but not fully charged, will test "good, needs charged".

You've got a 5-6 year old battery, so it can easily be at the end of its life, but I would not take the word of the tester and would dig deeper. The main cranking should not run down through the day, unless it has loads drawing off of it when the engine is off, that it should not.

Now as to what battery to go with. I would stick with a group-24 for the main cranking. No real advantage to going larger on it. Im an interstate dealer and user. In 6 years, ive only had to warranty 2 interstates. One was due to a shorted SAT unit drew current all winter and battery went dead and froze, so not really a battery failure and the other was on one of ET's Bu's. Took a crap after a few weeks, for some odd reason.

[jmitchell]

Thanks for the reply Mike. Maybe I spoke incorrectly above. Here's the full story....charged both batteries at beginning of season as usual since I leave them hooked up in boat over winter in my garage (I probably need to start taking them out) and they drain down every winter. Installed charged batteries in boat and ran great for first month of season. Then after a full day on the water was pulling a tuber and "warning low battery" flashed on the instrument panel. I turned boat off to pull tuber in and boat would not restart (like a dead battery). Got towed to ramp and 30 min after tow boat had barely enough juice to actually start again at ramp. I proceeded to pull both batteries and fully charge them. Boat ran great for another month then last weekend the stereo was flashing in and out (wouldn't play) and dome tower light also flashing while boat was running. Fearing it was going to die again we trailered up and put it away. Put volt meter on batteries a week later and cranking shows 5V and aux battery shows 12.3V. I'm assuming the cranking battery is done and I've got life left on aux battery. Does this seem right? To note, I've got the bad battery charging right now and I'm certain it will recharge fully but I fear it will drain down on the water again. Thanks for the help.

[lee]

I would put your volt meter on the batteries with the engine running to see if the batteries are charging. Sounds like the one battery is not getting a charge for some reason.

[chpthril]

That last post reinforces my initial feeling. Bad battery that should have tested "bad" or there is a charging issue while the engine is running.

No need to remove the batteries for off season, but removing the main ground is all you need to do. Make sure the batteries are fully charged prior to storage as well.

[Z3CO23]

I've had some battery issues this season as well. My winter routine is similar to jmitchell. I only have an issue when we are anchored and listening to music without the motor running. My boat has the factory dual battery switch. We can listen to music for about a half hour and then the music just stops, doesn't matter what input we use. Batters showes 11.8 volts on the dash. I turn the key off for 15 to 30 minutes and boom, music again but it last about the same amount of time. I've checked the amps and none of them are in protect mode or anything. I recreated the situation in my driveway when I got home and used the meter to check the voltage on the batteries. Both batteries test at just over 12v. I've been stumped. Batteries are originals from 2011.

[jmitchell]

Sounds like similar problems I'm having. While on the water, we typically surf in 15min intervals x 3 or 4 people (1 hr total run time) then turn the boat off but leave the stereo running while the kids jump in the water for 30-60min. Might surf again for a while then sit idle with stereo on and play in the water again for some time. So there is very little run time while we are on the water (probably why we only have 100 hrs) but stereo runs almost the entire time.

Update from this morning, I went to the Interstate store and had them test the battery. It tested "good" again and he even manually checked the cells which he said were all the same level. I replaced the battery anyway to take one potential problem out of the equation. I will install the new battery this weekend and report back. If the new battery continues to draw down during use then there is another issue. I'm hoping I don't have an alternator problem. I remember last time out I could almost watch the voltage on the dash run down as the boat was running (11.6....11.4v). What's the easiest way to check alternator?

[ajnesbitt]

If your sound system is cutting out after sitting for a while, your house battery is probably failing. Mike would know the voltage, but after the battery drops below a certain voltage, the amps will cut out.

I would definitely say the OP's charging system isn't working correctly. Either something not wired correctly or the battery isolator/switching diode has failed. If wired correctly, the starting battery should only power the necessary systems to run the boat. All of the extras should be powered by the house battery. The isolator allows for both batteries to charge, but one battery cannot drain the other. This is assuming that no wiring has been changed or accessories added.

I never unhook my batteries for winter storage. To ensure I never run them down I always turn the battery switch to the off position and also turnoff the two main switched on the breaker panel. This should completely isolate all of the stock electrical devices. I do this after each use. Starts every time.

Put a voltmeter on the poles of your battery while the boat is running to check the alternator. While running it should read between 13-14V.

[jmitchell]

This is how the cranking battery is wired below. The two amps both run thru this battery and have since we got it 5 years ago as you can see by the square 60amp terminal fuse blocks for each amp. There is one other positive lead running to this battery that I haven't chased down. All other accessories are to the aux/house battery which has been running great...
20150621_121123.jpg

[chpthril]

The two amps both run thru this battery

This is issue #1

I remember last time out I could almost watch the voltage on the dash run down as the boat was running (11.6....11.4v). What's the easiest way to check alternator?

If thats while the engine is running, you have a charging issue or a failing cable. If thats while engine is off, thats likely the house bank voltage, as thats what the helm BUS is fed by.

[chpthril]

I've had some battery issues this season as well. My winter routine is similar to jmitchell. I only have an issue when we are anchored and listening to music without the motor running. My boat has the factory dual battery switch. We can listen to music for about a half hour and then the music just stops, doesn't matter what input we use. Batters showes 11.8 volts on the dash. I turn the key off for 15 to 30 minutes and boom, music again but it last about the same amount of time. I've checked the amps and none of them are in protect mode or anything. I recreated the situation in my driveway when I got home and used the meter to check the voltage on the batteries. Both batteries test at just over 12v. I've been stumped. Batteries are originals from 2011.

The 3 things you need to do is: test voltage on both banks while engine is running, test voltage at the end of the day and lastly, recharge the batteries right then if they are low. Just above 12.0V is between 75% to 100% depleted.

[ajnesbitt]

It looks like your wiring has changed from what the factory intended. Based on your timing, it looks like you bought this boat new. If it has always been wired this way, I would suspect that the dealer may have removed the batteries (winter storage, boat show rules, etc.) and then reinstalled them incorrectly. I've seen this happen, but it is usually done by someone that doen't work with these types of boats. If the sound system is not factory installed, that could also explain things.

The other lead might be the bilge pump. They are often wired directly to the battery.