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Efi drawing power while key turned off??

brade07

New member
This summer i kept having troubles with my batteries going dead. I went to a guy in my area who races merc's, he said that the old efi's will draw off the battery even when the key is off, and that i should install a battery dissconnect. Anyone ever here of this or know if its true?
 
This summer i kept having troubles with my batteries going dead. I went to a guy in my area who races merc's, he said that the old efi's will draw off the battery even when the key is off, and that i should install a battery dissconnect. Anyone ever here of this or know if its true?
 
not sure about the draw, but i no stereos with a memory in them will drain a battery flat in 2 weeks - clarion in particular. I ran the memory wire to the key switch to solve that problem. No radio memory, but all the stations around here suck, so its no great loss for me.

If you have access to a multimeter you can isolate where the draw is coming from and eliminate it.

Also keep in mind that mercs efi system requires a full 12 volts just for itself before you even crank the starter, if your batteries are even a little weak, they won't go. Merc recommends 1000 amp batteries for starting.
 
This is a common problem! Every one that I know has had to move the memory wire to a switch to keep the battery from going dead. If you use you boat 3 to 4 days a week and have a good battery, no problem. boatman
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I can vouch for Chris' statement about Clarion's draining batteries. Mine does it in about two weeks. It's rediculous really. And, it's a marine version too. You think they would have thought about the drain on the battery. I pull the harness off of mine whenever I'm not using the boat for a few weeks.
 
Just install a disconnect switch. Mine would do that. They was a draw somewhere in the boat. The old 78 charging system was not gret when they where new let a lone old. I installed the disconnect switch and plug in the battery tender.
 
We looked at one of those Laser motors from the late 80's, and I was informed by someone that had one as well as a couple of Merc techs that the problem was that the charging system did not produce enough of a charge to charge the battery. The charging system barely had enough power to supply the efi system.
 
So if i get rid of the stereo memory, put a battery dissconnect wut will i do about the motor not producing enough of a charge? Have a solar charger constantly hooked up to the battery.
I dont need a repeat of braking down half way between kilarney and my cottage, had to get towed 10miles into kilarney. Battery didnt have enoguh charge to keep the engine running more than 10sec.
ended up frying 3 cells on the batt
 
I'm not a tech but....

Once your motor is running, it should be able to produce enough juice on its own to at least keep itself running. I would think if it needs the battery to keep itself going there are some charging issues or something else going wrong. Typically it should be able to keep itself running and charge the battery as well.
 
How old was the battery? A good habbit is to purchase a new 1 at least every other year.A speed boat is a hard enviorment on any battery. You don't get a 2nd chance out on the water.
Or theres a device called a battery buddy it monitors the draw of electrity and kicks out when it drops to a point always leaving enough to start the motor.I lived with this for apx 5 yrs with 400 watt amp and cheesy 16 amp charging system on my 2.5.That you had to run at 6500 rpms to put any charge back in.
If you go with a switch then you should go with a dual battery set up.Its easy to do and not that expensive, You've got 1 new battery already now.Amattter of fact I have to purchase 2 new batterys this spring.
 
The battery was brand new, but when i brought it back they said it was defective, it wouldnt take any charge even after being on a trickle charger for 3 days.

but now i have a new working battery, and drove the boat for about 3 weeks, and took it out 3 times with no problems. This is why i think it is charging.
 
Install a perko switch, simple on off for the entire electrical system. It will cost less then 50 bucks and you will have nothing to worry about.
 
If it happens again, I would start checking the internals of your charging system (rectifier, stator) - very easy to check. I had to replace my rectifier last year.
 
Brad : I installed a battery switch on our exciter.Prior to this, there was a small current flow even with the key off. I don't remember what the draw was , it might have been the tach positive, but I'm not sure. The switch that I bought was from Blue Sea systems, they are available from most marine stores, it was under thirty dollars, one benefit of the one that I purchased is that it has a removable key, so when you turn off the power, and remove the key it makes it a bit more work for someone to drive your boat away.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Checkm8fan:
Brad : I installed a battery switch on our exciter.Prior to this, there was a small current flow even with the key off. I don't remember what the draw was , it might have been the tach positive, but I'm not sure. The switch that I bought was from Blue Sea systems, they are available from most marine stores, it was under thirty dollars, one benefit of the one that I purchased is that it has a removable key, so when you turn off the power, and remove the key it makes it a bit more work for someone to drive your boat away. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Blue seas are nice switches, i put one in my dad's sea ray last year - works great.

did you ever get those flush cleats installed?
 
Chris, yes,I got the cleats installed, it took me quite a while to come to terms with drilling big holes in the deck of our boat.They work very well and they do not look out of place, so thanks again. I was sorry to read of the loss of your dog, it is tough to part with a friend, hope that you have a safe and happy Christmas.
 
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