Battery Drains

[Jack Daniels]

Hey all, quick question. I just bought a new battery from Mier and am currently having issues with it losing charge. Its the main starting battery for my outboard, in addtiion to starting, i run the depth finder and basic radio off it. Do you think the Depth finder and deck radio is causing it to drain or do i have a bad battery. Its a rather rapid discharge in my opionon, about 20 to 30 percent a day. Thanks

 

[PondTunes]

Re: Battery Drains

that sounds like a pretty serious drain does this occur when everything is OFF?

The radio doesn't draw much at all when it is off, just enough to keep the station memory. The fish finder draws very little when running as well.

You could take it by an advance auto or autozone and they will test it for free.

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Battery Drains

Ya everything is off as its sitting in my garage atm. I thought it was a bad battery, ill just return it and get another. Thanks

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Battery Drains

Before you go through the bother of getting another battery and still not knowing whether that's the problem. Charge the battery, disconnect the Positive battery cable and leave it sit a few days. If it self discharges, you need a new battery. If not, you have a wiring problem.

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Battery Drains

The stereo will drain enough of my battery in my small boat so that it won't start if I leave the faceplate in for a week or so. Even when it's turned off the faceplate display is still active because I wired the 2 power wires together. This way it didn't have to be wired to any other switch, as long as I take it off then the battery stays fine because only the memory is active and like Pondtunes says it's very minimal power loss.

 

[CFPena]

Re: Battery Drains

Before you go through the bother of getting another battery and still not knowing whether that's the problem. Charge the battery, disconnect the Positive battery cable and leave it sit a few days. If it self discharges, you need a new battery. If not, you have a wiring problem.

Sorry to jump in the conversation, and don't mean to offend nobody, but wouldn't be better to try to isolate the current draw? Of course after charging the battery.

Peace

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Battery Drains

Get a multimeter, take off a battery cable and measure the current between the cable and the battery. You can pull fuses to isolate what circuit is drawing the current.

 

[Jack Daniels]

Re: Battery Drains

ok i unhooked the positive side of the battery and charged it, I will let it sit overnight then check the charge. I also noticed that i left the face of the stereo on so i wonder if that could have had something to do with the draw. If the battery is good when i get home from work tomorrow, ill get the multi meter out and find the draw.

THanks guys

 

[jennis9]

Re: Battery Drains

if you remove the faceplate - will you lose the station memory? My bat2 drained after about 4 days without the trickle.

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: Battery Drains

No...removing the faceplate does not affect the stereo's memory, you have to remove all power to do that.