Smoking battery

[brother chris]

I have a 30' fairliner with an inboard 350. <br />We hooked up the battery with positive on positive and negative on negative. <br />I then went down to check what the voltage was on the battery. <br />There was smoke coming from the battery. <br />So we took the wires off the battery. <br />Then I looked for all the wires that connect to the batteries and found 1 red line, and 2 blacks coming from the switch box. There is also a short cable attached against the wall with a connector on each end. I would assume that would be for connecting the 2 positives together on the batteries. <br />So, one of the black wires from the switch box goes to a ground on the engine, the other black wire goes to another ground(on the starter). <br />I only have one battery, so does anyone know which black wire from the switch box goes to the battery? <br />I tried them both and the battery started to smoke. I'm confused about this. It never happened before when we hooked the battery up. <br />Is there a wire that is shorting out somewhere? <br />Any help would be appreciated.<br />Thanks, <br />Brother Chris...

 

[baddog00100]

Re: Smoking battery

i would say you definetly have a pos. wire going to ground somewhere. when you hook it up does the pos. wire comming from the battery grt hot? if so you have something going to ground i would look for a bear wire touching or a loose cable to a selonid or something else causing to pull a lot of amps at once. electrical problems are always the most fun.

 

[Blk-n-Blu]

Re: Smoking battery

My Perko switch has the two positive wires(red) from each battery attached to to it and 1 pos (red)that goes to starter thus allowing you to switch pos. voltage from either battery it also has off-1-2-both. <br />One ground to engine block from battery Negs. one to the other and then to the block. No black on the switch. The switch can fail internally as well. Verify the wire to starter and one ground and test without the switch<br />When I bought my boat it had a black wire running to the starter to the battery position even though it was a pos.wire and I assumed it was because its easier to find a black wire that long .

 

[KaGee]

Re: Smoking battery

Not saying they don't exist, but I've never seen a battery switch with a ground wire of any type. Not in the store or in any buddie's boats. All the wires were red and connected to battery positives and starter only.<br /><br />If you are only using one battery I would disconnect what ever it is you have and wire the battery direct... positive to starter, negative to the ground point on the block.<br /><br />You should also properly mark the cables if you are using black cable for both. Even the best can cross wires on occasion.<br /><br />I am currently running 2 batteries and the negative posts are connected to each other in addition to multiple ground points on the block.

 

[brother chris]

Re: Smoking battery

Thanks guys for the posts. <br />And KaGee, I think you are right. There should not be any ground going to the switch. <br />I think what happened was that I connected both, neg. and pos. to the switch. That is what would make it smoke. <br />So it was like I was connecting the pos. and neg. together. <br />That's not good!. <br />But at least I understand what I did wrong. <br />Thank God the battery did not explode.<br />Thanks for the replies guys. <br />What would I do without this site?

 

[achris]

Re: Smoking battery

That is what would make it smoke

Lots of it, and sparks! Would be a real showstopper.