Battery Is Reading 12.8 V but Wont Start

Danny Jo

Assistance please - battery ane shows 12.five 5 but won\'t plough engine.

Someone will no doubt tell me I did it incorrect, but I drained my engine oil while the engine (Perkins Perama 29 hp) was however hot, but before I had secured a supply of fresh oil. Then I went back a fortnight later, fitted new oil filter, added the necessary amount of oil, and turned the engine over (without starting information technology) on the service batteries (actually both battery 2 and bombardment 1), to pump the oil effectually. So far and then good.

Then I thought, mayhap I ought to check that bombardment ane was capable of doing what it was installed to do, human action as an emergency starter battery. Battery ane was showing 12.5 V (Mastervolt battery direction system) simply would not plough the engine. I noticed equally I turned the key to first position (normal running) the ignition and oil pressure warning lights came on nice and brilliant, merely they faded a little at the next, pre-heat position, and died altogether in the start position. At the same fourth dimension the Mastervolt reading flashed "E".

My conclusion is that I must have a dodgy connexion which can handle just a very low current. Has anyone got any thoughts on the most efficient manner to troubleshoot this? The photo (edit - higher resolution version) below shows battery 1 fitted forward of, and slightly lower than the iii batteries that make up bombardment 2. The back of the main switch is somewhere in the region of the bottom right of the photo. The batteries are gel type, dating from 2002, I recall. I did a fractional drop test of "bombardment 2" in April, aborting it at 160 Ah by which time the voltage had dropped to eleven.5 5.

fireball

Re: Aid please - bombardment i shows 12.5 V but won\'t plow engine.

The simple test would be to take off the connections, clean up and reconnect - examination again.
If that notwithstanding doesn't piece of work then yous can place another known good bombardment in information technology'southward place - that will exam the battery1 wiring.
If it is the wiring then it is a instance of tracing the wiring to the various locations (probably but switch i in this case), commencement reseating the connections and so bypassing them.
Information technology is also possible that the switch for battery1 is duff - yous could show this by bypassing the switch.

Pye_End

Re: Aid delight - battery 1 shows 12.five Five but won\'t plough engine.

Voltage testing is not always a reliable way of knowing whether a battery is alive or not. Information technology is a useful initial indicator simply.

If you can go at the cells (tin can't quite make out from the photograph) then always worth a get with a hydrometer earlier you start resorting to load tests etc.

Drop test - if you mean flatten the battery and seeing how long information technology lasts - not a good idea unless you just drop it by 50% from a fully charged battery equally you tin can destroy it simply by testing it.

StanFolds

Re: Help please - bombardment 1 shows 12.5 V merely won\'t plough engine.

From the picture show it looks to me equally if the cablevision to battery 1 is much thinner than those to battery two, information technology could well be that the thin wires aren't capable of taking the electric current to the starter. I would alter them to the same size that you lot have on bombardment 2.
Edit, I have simply noticed the cables running to the lesser of the picture so delight ignore the to a higher place. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif. You can examination the switches past swapping the connections between batteries simply cleaning the connections including the battery posts is the most probable cause.
Stan

VicS

Re: Assist please - battery 1 shows 12.5 5 only won\'t plough engine.

I concur make clean upwardly all the connections, on the heavy wiring that carries the starter electric current at least, negatives and engine "earth" included

12.5volts would not be a particularly skilful reading for a conventional bombardment later resting for say 12 hours and I would non expect a very lively operation by the starter at that. only i am not sure what to expect with gels. It certainly would exist useless if the battrey had just come off charging.

To otherwise check the connections, and information technology could be i or more than of the crimps or the battery isolating switch itself, you really demand to put a fair sized load on the arrangement and then bank check along the system with a sensitive voltmeter looking for voltage drops across connections or components. Less tedious IMO to make clean up and tighten all the connections first and only resort to checking for volts drops if that fails.

Only earlier you go much further connect the voltmeter directly to the battery posts and encounter just how far the reading falls when you endeavour to operate the starter. If information technology falls below about 9.5 then go the battery charged and tested.

TIP clean battery posts etc with a nylon Scotchbrite type of pot scourer. it removes the crud without taking off metallic. Lightly coat with Vaseline after re-making the connections

FullCircle

Re: Help please - battery i shows 12.5 V just won\'t turn engine.

Sounds very like you have a corroded cable which will comport the voltage but non the current.
Check the cables to see if they have corroded nether the insulation, equally they may not be tinned marine grade. It will be black and 'orrid looking. But demand to strip a bit back to know.

I had this final year on a Fulmar Nav low-cal. Showing 12.5v at the multimeter, only would not calorie-free the bulb. Changed the cablevision, finish of story.

Birdseye

Re: Help please - bombardment 1 shows 12.v V merely won\'t plow engine.

Try the battery and so with some care feel along the wiring excursion to see if whatsoever particular point has got hot. If it has, so thats where your bad conncetion is.

If nowhere is getting hot, and so the battery may well have developed a high internal resistance.

Danny Jo

Re: Help please - battery 1 shows 12.5 V merely won\'t turn engine.

Thank you anybody. I'm off to the boat to have a go with the Scotchbrite and Vaseline. At present where the hell'south my multimeter?

TheBoatman

Re: Help please - battery 1 shows 12.5 V but won\'t turn engine.

Not sure if this will help but I had a similar problem only recently and information technology turned out to exist a bad "internal" connection in the battery switch. The switch was capable of carrying 12.5v at low amps but as soon every bit it had to carry starting amperage it quit.
I intend to change the switch this wintertime but to overcome the immediate problem I sprayed some WD40 down the key pigsty and operated the switch a proficient few times - that did the trick and the engine started OK.

I would propose checking all the connections and and then finally cheque the battery itself.

Peter.

duncan

Re: Help delight - bombardment 1 shows 12.5 V but won\'t turn engine.

equally others take said it could exist a number of things so it's important to isolate the area start then the exact crusade as Fireball and others highlight.

whilst I don't remember it's related to the recent oil change I wouldn't rule out possible loose connection caused when removing the oil filter too............ie most problems are acquired rather than occur! however my money would exist on the bombardment switch

Danny Jo

Sorted - embarrassingly simply

I think I must take been intimidated by all those wires. With confidence additional by your communication, I started with the battery connections. The very start one I tried was loose. The nut holding the three leads on the positive terminal was no more than finger tight, in spite of a dissever lock washer. I don't think the nut had worked loose, merely that the terminals on the two smaller leads had worked their way down into the larger pigsty of the final on the main lead - there was no suitable washer to foreclose that. With the benefit of hindsight, yous might be able to persuade yourself that you can see what I mean in a blow-up of the original of the picture I posted, which was taken in October 2005.

Thanks again for the assistance.

mikejames

Re: Help please - battery 1 shows 12.five V but won\'t turn engine.

Did yous leave the battery bank discharged recently ?
One time a gel bombardment goes flat it has to exist recharged pretty instantly or it will get sulphated up. This event is quicker than with moisture cells and certainly more financially pitiful.

As you lot accept 3 batteries in parallel you might but have been seeing merely one working one with a correct voltage : this also may exist somewhat knackered and unable to beginning the engine : this was how my terminal killing of a gel battery went : left the VHF on on a small 2 battery system with a 1-2-both switch in the wrong place and came back besides late. Recharged the apartment battery back to over 12 volts but it couldnt deliver any current any more.

VicS

Re: Sorted - embarrassingly simply

[ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ] That is just the sort of bodge that is going to give you troubles.
The last on the big pb is the wrong size for the stud it is fitted on, That final sholud exist changed so that it is the right size for the stud .

TheBoatman

Re: Sorted - embarrassingly only

[ QUOTE ]
That is just the sort of bodge that is going to give you troubles.

[/ QUOTE ]

Vic I do detest it when posters mince in that location words /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Peter.

Danny Jo

Re: Sorted - embarrassingly simply

[ QUOTE ]
The terminal on the big atomic number 82 is the wrong size for the stud it is fitted on, That terminal sholud be changed so that information technology is the correct size for the stud.

[/ QUOTE ]
The base of operations onto which it'due south clamped is big enough, so I settled for a big fat washer that was the right size for the stud. But there is much the aforementioned setup on the other vii heavy duty terminals, so peradventure I should pursue your suggestion. Is it difficult to get new terminals fitted to the leads?

VicS

Re: Sorted - embarrassingly merely

[ QUOTE ]
Is it difficult to get new terminals fitted to the leads?

[/ QUOTE ] Should be possible to get them washed past a skilful Machine electrician and many others as well. Information technology'll need a heavy duty crimping tool but if you can beg, borrow, steal or even hire one yous could exercise it yourself.

Personally I would crimp and solder but there are stiff arguments against soldering.

[ QUOTE ]
Vic I exercise detest it when posters mince there words

[/ QUOTE ] You mean "their words".

You lot have a dig at me and I'll have one dorsum! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Granville Noirial

Battery Is Reading 12.8 V but Wont Start

fireball

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VicS

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FullCircle

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