5.8 L won't start drains battery, HELP!!

[fireicyhott]

I just picked up a 1990 Four Winns 225 Sundowner from my uncle. It has an OMC 5.8L I/O on it. It ran great last season the few times he used it. This year when he went to start it it won't start. Here is what it does:

Turn key to first position all the gauges light up and everything seems normal. Turn the key to start and you hear one click from battery area and the gauges go dead and nothing happens. Try it again immediately and gauges don't even light up. Its like as soon as you turn the key that first time that something is draining the battery immediately. You wait a couple of hours and the gauges are back to working but one click and dead again. I guess in the couple of hours wait the battery is recharging itself.

What do you think? I have the link about starting problems and will dive into it this week. It is almost as if there is a dead short or something is draining the battery with the turn of the key.

Let me know what you think.

jeff@firstindustrialsupply.com

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[Don S]

Re: 5.8 L won't start drains battery, HELP!!

Sounds like dead batteries to me. Get a DVM and check the battery voltage before and after you try to start it, what are the readings.

 

[dvan1901]

Re: 5.8 L won't start drains battery, HELP!!

Sounds like dead batteries to me. Get a DVM and check the battery voltage before and after you try to start it, what are the readings.

I agree; sounds dead. You could see if you could charge that battery, and in the mean time, buy yourself another one to keep on as a spare and try it too. How long has it set not being used? Can you turn the engine by hand?

 

[BrianS.]

Re: 5.8 L won't start drains battery, HELP!!

Sounds like the symptoms of a bad cell on the battery.

 

[fireicyhott]

Re: 5.8 L won't start drains battery, HELP!!

Thanks guys I will check that tonight and report back.

I know one of the batteries is pretty new and on it shot. I will buy a new one since I need a new spare and see what happens.

Jeff

 

[fireicyhott]

Re: 5.8 L won't start drains battery, HELP!! NEW INFO

Re: 5.8 L won't start drains battery, HELP!! NEW INFO

OK got just a little bit of time to work on this problem. One of the 2 batteries is shot, only 6 volts measured. The other battery which is newer had 12.7 volts before I started last night. I charged it overnight and this morning it had 13.7 volts. I turned the key and heard a loud click from engine, let off key and all gauges stayed on. At least the battery didn't drain completely now. The voltage after these couple of tries was 12.7.

I hooked up some jumper cables to my truck and the good battery and it still just clicked, just like without the jumper cables.

So now I am going to take the side covers off so I can get to the engine and make sure the motor will turn over by hand, then I may have to pull the starter?

Also, should I get the bad battery completely out of the boat as they are hooked together I am wondering if the bad battery will drain the good one.

Any ideas? Also, where is best place to get a second battery? Currently the good one (if its good) is a Sears Die Hard Marine S27494, 500CCA.

Thanks,

Jeff

 

[Don S]

Re: 5.8 L won't start drains battery, HELP!! NEW INFO

Re: 5.8 L won't start drains battery, HELP!! NEW INFO

Also, should I get the bad battery completely out of the boat as they are hooked together I am wondering if the bad battery will drain the good one.

A bad battery will kill a new battery...... Get rid of it.

 

[CharlieB]

Re: 5.8 L won't start drains battery, HELP!!

First, ensure that BOTH ends of ALL battery cables are CLEAN and TIGHT.

Often lights and guages that fail after hearing a 'click' are nothing more than a poor connection failing to carry the load.

Second, a test light and a helper or a remote starter switch
find the small relay that has a heavy red and a heavy yellow w/red trace on the main lugs, this is the starter relay, triggered by the ignition switch the heavy yellow w/red trace lead goes to the starter solenoid
Ensure this relay is energizing the starter
This will verify the ignition starter circuit, bad switch, relay or starter.