Help with elec troubleshooting

[Probus]

Hello all!

Ive got a 1990 Maxum bowrider with 50 hp Force outboard and last time i used the boat it had electrical problems (low bat voltage/batt drained while out on the trip had to get a tow). The boat has been sitting for nearly a year but im in the process of getting it back in shape now. This is my elec situation, maybe someone could suggest the next few steps for me.

This is what ive done so far:

Tested batt -> +12v

Connected batt -> no power to boat

with batt negative connected to boat leads -> Multimeter between batt pos and boat pos leads -> +12v (so there is a short)

When testing Ohms between boat neg leads and boat pos leads -> ~ Ohms

When testing mAmps between batt pos and boat pos leads, the meter bounced between 75 and 100 ma and at the same time i heard a clicking noise come from the radio area of the boat (its on the left dash while all other acc are on the right)

** UPDATE
Cleaned a few contacts and now ive got power to run radio and fishfinder, but when i try to flip on acc light or horn or turn key to turn over motor the system looses all power, but it comes back on when i release the switch or key. Could my battery be bad? it was fully dischanged after sitting in the boat for so long, but i charged it on a batt charger and it acted charged. the fishfinder read 11.0 volts when working.

** UPDATE
also when turning the key to start the motor, it makes a soft click noise

Any idea what to suspect or how to proceed?

Many thanks in advance,
Justin

 

[seabob4]

Re: Help with elec troubleshooting

Your batt could have no guts. Try this. Put your meter on the batt at rest, then have a friend turn the key and see what your meter says. May be she has fine rest voltage, but no amp output to run anything significant...

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Help with elec troubleshooting

Because a battery reads 12 volt (should be 12.6 actually) with no load, does not mean it is capable of powering anything. SeaBob is right. With the meter attached, turn the key to start. Bet the voltage drops to "zip". Any auto store in town can load test the battery for you but I suspect it is toast. The "memory" function on a radio draws current (a small amount in the mA range) so station memory is not lost when the radio is turned off. Over a long period of storage this will kill the battery. A battery left in a discharged state may not come back to life.

 

[jhebert]

Re: Help with elec troubleshooting

My first advice is to stop using "batt" to mean battery.

Next, apply this rule:

"In diagnosing problems in an electrical system where the power is supplied by a storage battery, the first circuit component to investigate is the storage battery."

 

[seabob4]

Re: Help with elec troubleshooting

My first advice is to stop using "batt" to mean battery.

Next, apply this rule:

"In diagnosing problems in an electrical system where the power is supplied by a storage battery, the first circuit component to investigate is the storage battery."

And there is some sort of a problem using the non-word "batt"?

Most here understand the meaning of the non-word...

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Help with elec troubleshooting

Someone better alert the dual battery swtich manufacturers that BAT and BATT can no longer be used. BAT is used in baseball and BATT is a non-word. What is this world coming to. Note to self. I'll stop using BAT and BATT when people stop using the word "irregardless" and "U" as in texting "you".

 

[Mark_VTfisherman]

Re: Help with elec troubleshooting

"In diagnosing problems with colloquial english where the obfuscation is supplied by a discussion group poster, the first component to investigate is the advice of those with a long history of helping."

If the battery checks out, and since your symptoms seem to indicate an issue with poor connections - some of which you have already fixed- I would check out the battery cables, the connections at the motor, and all the power connections that run to the helm and console. Do it methodically one at a time, and eventually you will isolate the problem.

Silvertip's advice is good and succinct. After you check the batt and the cables, maybe if you post a reply to this thread as a follow up he may be able to help point you to the issue. He is good at quick diagnosis of batts and nitwits and other connections.

 

[RickJ6956]

Re: Help with elec troubleshooting

Put your meter on the batt at rest, then have a friend turn the key and see what your meter says.

You don't want to be leaning over and looking at the batt ... er ... ee when you do this test. Protect yourself. It could explode and spray acid. It happened to me. Fortunately I was wearing glasses.

BTW, batt is a word. It is a type of insulation.