The other day I started my engine for the first time this year on earmuffs only to have the engine malfunction alarm go off on the Smartcraft guages. I read into this some and decided it was time to replace on of the batteries. I currently have two batteries on my boat, both rated for 500 cca. It was my understanding that Optimaxes need at least 750 cca to function properly, so I decided I was going to replace the older of the two batteries. I went out and purchased a bigger battery rated for 800 cca and after fully charging it swapped it out for one of the two batteries. These batteries are hooked up to a standard Perko dual battery switch. Not realizing that the switch is only rated for 360 continuous amps, i turned the swtich to ALL and immediately sparks started flying from behind the switch and from the brand new battery. The negative terminal of the new battery completely melted off. My question is what exactly happened and what can I do to fix this problem? Is it a problem with the wiring or do I need to get a heavier duty switch. I really only need the batter to start my Optimax and run the trim, etc. Any help is greatly appreciated!!
