Minor Electrical Issues w/ 2002 Pulse 185 BR

[Sam I am]

Howdy folks-

Here's the deal, half the time I go out to start up the motor won't turn over because the battery is dead. So, I charge for a while, an hour or two, and it will start up. So, I started unhooking the battery when I knew it would be a few days before I would run her again. Same thing sorta, battery isn't dead, but can't start the motor.

The battery itself is a marine cranking battery, but not a deep cycle. So, my question is, will a deep cycle battery cure this, or do I have a bad battery. My other thought was that I may be over trimming. Is that possible? I like to play with the trim, but never thought I'd be killing the battery doing it while running. Or, I guess it could be the alternator?

Thanks is advance for any insight.

Sam I am

[gchildre]

When I bought my boat used in 2006 the original owner told me the battery was old and would need to be replaced. I went ahead and put a Optimax Red top battery in it, thinking if it is the best then I won't have to worry about it. I ended up with problems similar to yours by the end of the season. I took the Optima back to Advance Auto Parts, they tested it and found it bad, replaced it without any questions or a receipt, the guy said he remembered me buying it.

I have since put a Perko rotary battery switch on the boat just to be sure that it isn't drawing down when stored but I haven't had any problems with it since. I take the battery out and put it in the garage when I know I won't be using it for a few weeks. I still carry a jump box when I go out, I have used it on other boats quite a bit but never on mine since the new battery.

If your battery is old and questionable I would start there however you could have a short in the wiring that is drawing down the battery when parked. If the battery goes dead while you are out on the water then you could have a charging problem.

Good luck

[Enticer1]

Sam, disconnect the battery (either Positive or Neg) from the boat and put an over-nite charge on it. Then let it sit for a day and check the voltage with a digital meter. If the battery is good it should read anywhere from 12.5 to 13 Volts. Note the reading and then reconnect it to the engine. Take another reading and see if something is dragging it down. If the voltage stays the same crank the engine on the hose and see if the voltage comes up (should come up anywhere between half to one and a half volts if the stator is putting out)
I constantly trim while running and my battery stays up. I'm running a lite-weight flywheel and it puts out about half the voltage of the stocker. Probably due to the smaller magnets. I also have a small constant drain on my battery from the " Water Witch " electronic bilge pump switch that I leave connected all the time.

Doug:surf:

[Sam I am]

gchild-

That was exactly my experience...the original owner said the battery was bad and I went and bought a new one. Still having issues. I took the battery out of the boat and put it on the charger for a day. I've since been out of town and will check the battery when I get back.

I'll let you know what I find out.

Sam I am