is this normal with a new battery????

[giericd]

hi guys,
just signed up and couldn't find a post with this issue so i started a new post, sorry if it is in the wrong place. 2 weeks ago i purchased a new marine battery from my local marine store and believe it is a 800CCA. went out in the boat old 85hp suzuki that takes a few tries to get started, I drove about 8miles to the spot shut off the motor (and key) and started to drift fish. the only electronics on the boat are a small lowrance nav/fishfinder and bildge pump, thats it. after doing 5 drifts i tried to start the boat and the batt was dead, and waited 5 hours for sea tow. I charged the batttery for 10 hours and took it back to the store. they said it tests at 12v (my fluke meter said 11.91v)and under load it is a little low 400-500 and it should be about 600 amps but it is ok. They said to charge it again over night and try it again but to bring a nother batt with me so i dont get stuck. charged for 15 hours and it tests 11.93v with my Fluke volt meter. I read on a nother post some where that a new marine batt should be at 14v and if it is less than 12.7 after charge it is junk and needs to be replaced. is this true? i took the boat out yesterday and after starting the motor to change locations about 5 times the batt was dead. the funny thing is this new $80 marine batt 800CCA left me stuck 2 times in 2 weeks, the batt that saved me was the little one i took out of my car for the trip which happens to be the $49 Ever Start 450CCA walmart battery that spent 3 years in my other boat and the last year in my car! My question is, is there some thing wrong with this battery where they should replace it? As a customer I'm not happy to spend $80 on a piece of junk battery that just looks better than the piece of junk attery that i was replaceing. I spent the money to have the piece of mind knowing that at least i have a new battery so that is one less piece of the puzzle that should fail me when i'm 8 miles off shore. at this point I just want a refund and to go to walmart and buy 2 of those little everstart batteries and run them in series, it would weigh about the same as this heavy 800CCA marine batt and it would only cost $20 more. I would like to hear some of your feadback on what some of you more experienced guys think, I'm not trying to be a jeark to the store i got it from, they have taken great care of me for years but i do feel that i just got ripped off and lost $80. thanks guys.....

 

[NYBo]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

Welcome to iboats!

Do you know what the charging voltage is? Does the charging system on the outboard actually work?

BTW, a fully charged battery reads 12.6 volts, so I suspect the battery is bad. However, the question is: What killed it? It could have been bad when you bought it, or something about your setup killed it.

 

[randy029]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

New batteries no matter the price can come dead...the best thing that I have ever done was went to a battery store and bought a used battery for $10.00...i have had this battery for 4 years and has never failed me when I needed it.

 

[chriscraft254]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

Check the date on the battery that you bought. It should have a date of manufacturing. It could be that battery has been on there shelf for a long time. Take it back and tell them you want another one and then run same tests. I wouudn't buy a walmart battery if you paid me to. I'll stick with the green top interstates.

 

[mr 88]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

Sounds like a bad battery out of the box. I would demand a new one, period.They give you a hard time let them know you will give them the towing bill and have the clerk sign a piece of paper stating they will incur all cost.I do not see why they should give you a hard time,all they do is return it to the MFG.Even if your motor did not have a charging system you should be able to do what you described for many days before your battery would fail.

 

[Skiwi]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

CCA doesn't tell the whole story, how many amphours it it rated for?
Run an amp meter in line with the battery while out on the water and see if you have a heavy or parasitic drain somewhere. (simple maths will tell you how long you should expect the battery to last (example, if your dragging 5 amps and your battery is rated for 50 amphours it will last about 10 hours from fully charged to flat)

Or take your new battery to an auto electrician, they can load test it and tell you if it's crook.

 

[fucawi]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

charge for 24 hrs ..stand for 24 hrs ..if its below 12.5v its suspect ( if its way below its knackered) you can prove it to the dealer if you insist he takes the tops off and measures the ~SG ...cells should be 1250 .on the hydrometer ...why is the dealer bothered he will get a repalcement from he wholesaler ....give him some shiiiit

I always buy batteries from K mart ..cheap and cheer full .do the job buy 2 12 v good idea

 

[Silverbullet555]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

Everyone has already said it. Could be a bad battery, but also could be something to do with the charging system.

Make sure you check both.

If it is fully charged and they say it is a little low I would want a new battery. A new battery should not be a little low.

 

[giericd]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

guys, thank you for the quick responce! I dont know if this helps any but after a full chargh on a selectable charger (4/6v 4/12v) it tested at 11.93v after starting the engine it was at 11.82 then jumped to 11.93, 11.94, then after kicking the RPM up to about 1800 for a few seconds it went to and stayed at 11.96v. The motor is a 1987 suzuki 85hp 2 stroke.I don't know if the charging system of the engine is on when the engine is on or if it kicks on after a specific RPM is reached but i would think it is working if the batt eas at 11.93v with engine off and then 11.96v with engine on. there is no way my fish finder and fuel gauge could kill a batt in a few hours! I'm thinking that the batt must be shot from the day i purchased it or starting the engine several times in a trip is draining it but even if that is the case why didn't it kill my other batt? my eletrical system is about as simple as it gets, the power/ground comming from the enging go to the pos/neg leads of the batt the ignition wires go from the key to the engine, there is a nother wite that hooks to the pos terminal which i think is the charging wire, fuel gauge,fish finder, buldge pump thats it! i dont even have nav lights hooked up yet. my other boat had 2 livewells, bildge pump forward and aft,gps, fishfinder,anchor/nav lights, trolling motor, deck lights, and 4 1000lm underwater lights all being powered by 2 450CCA run in series. after being on the water for a 24 hr trip the batts were low but allways got me home!

 

[Skiwi]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

Hi Giericd,
In both of your posts you have said you previosly had hooked up two batteries in series.
If thats correct you have been supplying 24volts, is yours a 24 volt system? if so that will explain the rapid drain on your single 12 volt battery.

 

[giericd]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

aaah, good catch! that was right idea wrong term on my part. I had them wired in parallel not in series! for some reason when posting this and remembering back for some reason i was thinking series (same voltage) parallel (double voltage). I had pos cable to pos terminal jumper to pos terminal on bat 2 same with neg's, to keep it at 12v with double the capasity.

 

[NYBo]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

For starters, the motor isn't charging the battery.

 

[Fed]

Re: is this normal with a new battery????

I'd be checking the fluke against your car battery both static & running.