New owner needs help (again) - engines won't start

[adt2]

Good morning, folks. We're trying to get underway from Slidell to Houston this morning and already have the trip's first issue: neither engine will crank over hard enough to fire.

It's cool here but not cold (60deg). Engines started just fine (well, actually they cranked a little slowly but started after a few seconds) and ran like a charm two weeks ago, although all I was doing was verifying they'd still start and run after I changed all the fuel filters for the first time. I let them run about 20min.

This morning, both engine room checks were competed without any issues noted. Both voltmeters are in the green when I turn the ignition on...but the engines just barely crank, and certainly not enough to fire up.

I'm thinking maybe a battery issue (not enough juice to crank) but then I don't understand how the meters are green...

Any help getting underway would be appreciated.

 

[whoover]

A battery can have a full charge voltage but as soon as load is applied the voltage can drop to almost nothing. You need to load test the batteries.

Walt Hoover

 

[MadHatter53]

Have you tried using the parallel switch?

 

[adt2]

We are just now realizing that we never reviewed the electrical system with the previous owner. In hindsight that seems like an error, lol.

Of course that means I have no idea how any of it works, other than switching from shore to generator and back. I don't know if we have a parallel switch, or what it looks like. Also don't know how to load test the batteries but I'm currently googling it.

I also don't know - and this seems like a fairly major oversight on my part - how to properly inspect and maintain the batteries. Also working on that.

 

[Pascal]

The factory installed parallel solenoid has a switch at both helms. It s double pole toggle switch which lets you select which side will power the solenoid. Hold it one way or the other while cranking

On some boats the switch is on the lower part of the helm, under the wheel.

Check the age of the batteries and make sure they are topped off if lead acid. Also make sure the battery charger is working. When turned on, voltage should jump up by a few volts.

 

[adt2]

Found the parallel switch - thanks for the tip. Still no dice, though, and now the cranking has slowed to a crawl.

 

[madhatter1]

Batteries are shot. What happens is one cell “dies” and the others get over charged. Then another cell dies and the others get even more overcharged. Shows the voltage but not the lack of capacity.

 

[Pascal]

Found the parallel switch - thanks for the tip. Still no dice, though, and now the cranking has slowed to a crawl.

Trying to crank with low batteries probably drained them to the point where even paralleling isn’t enough.

Again, check the charger output. It could be a bad cell or battery but I find it odd it would happen on both banks at the same time

Also make sure all the connections are nice and tight and clean especially ground straps on the engines

What type of batteries and how old are they? What kind of charger ? If one the old ferroresonnant, these can cook the batteries. Check the battery levels.

 

[Cricket]

Welcome to big boat ownership. As others have stated it's probably the batteries. Good luck.

 

[adt2]

I haven’t ghosted y’all. I’m currently picking up a rent car so we can go back to Houston tomorrow night. This problem seems like more than I can solve in the time I have available, so I’ll work on some other stuff in the meantime. I can say, I opened the batteries and one of them is damn-near bone dry. The others aren’t dry but the plates are showing in all of them. The original battery charger has been disconnected and replaced by a smaller, more modern unit, but my mechanic says it’s also out of date and suggests I investigate AGM batteries and an updated charger while I’m at it.

 

[bigbill]

top the batteries off with distilled water, there is a chance they may come back to like after charging over night

 

[Pascal]

I agree. Top them off and let them charge. what model charger do you have ?


I m not a fan of AGMs as they don’t last longer despite all the claims. All the boats I ve been running have AGMs and they don’t last longer than the lead acids on my boat. The only valid argument for AGMs is if they are in a hard to reach location.

 

[adt2]

top the batteries off with distilled water, there is a chance they may come back to like after charging over night

Just left Walmart with a bunch of distilled water. This ^^ will be my first step, but mechanic says the engines may not crank again after I get them started next time. I can’t really take a risk on anchoring out somewhere only to find I can’t start my engines the next morning. In fact I’m not sure why I’m even messing with the distilled water, other than curiosity, since I’m now too leery of battery trouble to actually leave the dock.

 

[adt2]

Current charger is an Analytic Systems BCA1000-220-32. There are two other much smaller chargers in the generator room, both ProMariner ProSport20 units.

 

[madhatter1]

Buy all new batteries. I prefer regular lead acid. Like Pascal said they don't last any longer. Later in life at first sign one bank is getting weak replace that side but not the other. When you have 2 sets of batteries that are a different age then you have a much better chance that the parallel switch will start a weak side during trips and normal use. This is how I have done it for years.

 

[adt2]

Any suggestions re: make/model? I saw somewhere else some good feedback on the Fullriver DC200-8 AGM batteries. I’m not sure yet what make/model the batteries in my engine rooms are, so I’m not sure what equivalent lead acid replacements would be.

 

[SEVEN]

A friend of mine ran his batteries completely dry. So dry he couldn’t check them with a hydrometer. He put in 11 gallons of distilled water. Waited for three hours with the charger on. He cranked it right over with no problems. Believe it or not the batteries all tested good. Every cell was checked he got lucky. Maybe he will too.

 

[adt2]

That would be awesome. I really would rarer spend whatever this battery problem is going to cost on other boat projects instead. How do I check the batteries/cells after filling and charging? I assume it’s something more scientific than “The boat started so everything must be okay.”

 

[SEVEN]

You can get them at any automotive store. And they’re cheap. They’re simple and they work. There are a new fangled ones that you can pay a lot more for but these are trident. True. Don’t check them until you’ve had them completely charged after you fill them, check them once the battery charger is off. If you’ve never used one, have the guy at the counter explain how it’s done. Extremely simple.

 

[Pascal]

If the batteries are fairly recent they should recover. If they’re over 2 to 3 years old they may recover for now but fail in the near future.

Personally I would replace one bank. If the other one fails in the future, you will have one new bank ready to parallel

A quick search shows that charger is still available, not familiar with it but unless it s not working it should be fine. But again check voltage at the bank terminals with the charger on and off to be sure

The two smaller promariners must be for the generator batteries and possibly a bow thruster or windlass bank if you have one. AFAIK ProMariner doesn’t make 32v chargers these days