battery probs?

[kfouryou]

hi guys ,just had a questions I have a 87 force with 125hp and was out on my last day before the cold weather hit and went to start it and would crank but would not start.Tried it a couple of times but nothing .Checked the battery terminals and the pos was quite hot .Long story short pulled it out drove it home ,parked it for the winter.Is this normal?, do I maybe have a ground prob?

 

[kfouryou]

Re: battery probs?

Iput a filter just before the fuel pump should I 've put it after or does it not really matter?

 

[Barnacle_Bill]

Re: battery probs?

Filter is fine. Check all your connections and be sure they are clean and tight. Also check each lug for signs of corrosion. If any noted replace it. They can corrode inside where you can't see it.

 

[kfouryou]

Re: battery probs?

everything looks pretty clean.I had even cleaned the posts on the battery and made sure they were tight, so I guess I'll have to start from one end ,and work my way around 1st off check the filter in the tank itself , which I didn't know till I read it in the bayliner manual.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: battery probs?

did you choke the motor? What location you from? If you are storing this for the winter in a climate that freezes make sure you drain and refill the lower unit. If water gets in there it will expand when frozen and can cause some expensive damage.

 

[kfouryou]

Re: battery probs?

yea I did thanks I live in Southern Ontario ,Canada I still have a concern on the pos battery terminal becoming hot. I also notice Unless the battery is pretty fully charged I have a lot of trouble starting also.When it runs I seems to run pretty good, alot of smoke though.

 

[Talonz82]

Re: battery probs?

Previous reply regarding corrosion is important. How far from the motor is your battery? How long are your battery cables and what gauge wire are they? Are you familiar with a battery voltage drop test? Do you have a volt/ohm meter? If you have the correct cable size based on the distance your battery is from the motor, your best bet is to run a voltage drop test through your starter circuit to see if something or some component is creating to high of resistance, thus creating excessive amp draw and heat build-up. I can walk you through the test if you have the tools. Hope this helps.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: battery probs?

The original post states that the battery will crank the motor just not fire it. Unless it is cranking real slow the battery is not the problem. The reason the positive wire is getting hot is cause when you crank a battery you are practically putting a short across the battery. The current drain on that battery could be close to 24 amps which will make wire insulation melt. Starters and wires are designed to crank for only a couple of seconds not long periods of time.

Cold weather could be causing a frozen fuel line. Does the motor crank real slow? Try and spray some pre mix or carb cleaner into the carb and when choking try starting it to see if you can at least get it to cough. If motor is spinning normal your problem is gas, spark or timing.

 

[roadrunnr]

Re: battery probs?

Per Frank's suggestions, fuel filter should be placed after the fuel pump. It seems the check valves in the pump can disintergrate and a piece can lodge in one of the carbs inlet valves creating a lean condition on one, or in your case 2 cylinders. Running lean is not very healthy and will force you to rebuild your power head. A $3.00 fuel filter between your fuel pump and carbs is cheap insurance. There are a lot of tips like this you can learn on this site by simply reading posts. People like Frank have a lot of experience and give some great advice. Good luck on your electrical problem and keep us posted on what you find!