New Battery Installed - No Power!?!

[rbiankowski]

Removed 5 year old battery while winterizing my 2000 Four Winns Horizon 190 last winter. Engine started and power to all electricals just fine all last year. Had the marina install a new battery about 2 weeks ago while fixing some dashboard gauges. I get the boat home and ready to go on the water but the boat doesn't start and there is no power to any electricals. Battery wires do not look corroded. Checked all fuses underneath dashboard and they are all OK. Marina tech said he was testing gauges all week so battery had to be fine while in the shop?!? Need troubleshooting help or else I will call marina back and have them fix this since everything was fine last winter.

Edit: there is no clicking while turning key. Could it be the ign. switch?

 

[mr 88]

What Marina would put in a new battery and not hit the key to make sure it works ? Do you have a battery selector switch that could be in the off position ? The marina should not charge you a dime , I would call them if your not mechanically inclined , then when I was there ,watch and see what they do to fix there mistake. If you don't the next thing you know is you will be paying 400.00 for a starter motor that is still sitting on there shelf.

 

[rbiankowski]

What Marina would put in a new battery and not hit the key to make sure it works ? Do you have a battery selector switch that could be in the off position ? The marina should not charge you a dime , I would call them if your not mechanically inclined , then when I was there ,watch and see what they do to fix there mistake. If you don't the next thing you know is you will be paying 400.00 for a starter motor that is still sitting on there shelf.

I know, I am incredibly confused. I only have one battery so does that mean there is no battery switch?

 

[ahicks]

It means the tech at the marina messed up. You can take it back to him, or better yet, have somebody else have a look. It's likely a very simple problem for somebody with any troubleshooting ability.

I would be discussing the issue with this tech's boss, with bill for work in hand.

 

[alldodge]

Is there a battery switch?

If no battery switch, need a meter or test light and check power on the starter post where the battery cable connects.

If you have trim tabs, do they work?

If power is on starter post, check the small post above it where some smaller wires are attached. This is the 90amp fuse, and if power is on starter post and not there, then someone blew the fuse. In most cases while they were working on the boat

Also agree the marina should be the one to fix it.

 

[rbiankowski]

Dropped boat off, tech says brand new battery is dead but was working during service. He says it's either the alternator took a crap or something about a "draw" and that he can install a battery switch. No idea how this happened in the first place. Does any of this make sense? Could the alternator go bad over the winter?:grumpy:

 

[Alumarine]

It's possible that the draw was caused by something left on or accidently turned on.
Possibly a bilge pump, nav light, panel light etc.

 

[Sea18Horse]

Do we know if the old battery was working before it was replaced? Did the boat have any electrical power when it was dropped off at the shop? If you don't know or if it didn't then any of the above are possible.

The alternator gong bad over the winter is the least likely I would think. The only way that could have caused it is if the alternator developed a short internally. Then it would be the source of the "drain". And "drain" is the proper term here, as in parasitic drain. A "draw" is the term used for the amount of current an electrical devise consumes when it is operating. If the tech doesn't know the difference between a "draw" and a "drain" I would be skeptical about anything he says.

If it does turn out to have a parasitic drain on the system then it needs to be tracked down and eliminated. A battery switch would just be a band-aid fix. Good luck with it!

Cheers................................Todd

 

[ahicks]

Make him track down the "draw" and identify it specifically. I doubt seriously that "draw" was there prior to replacing the battery, and agree that if there is one, something like a mooring light has been left turned on.

And replacing the alternator because of a dead battery is another shot in the dark.

It really sounds to me like this is one of those dime a dozen techs (B.S. artists) that keep throwing parts (and B.S.) at an issue until they find it (mostly by accident). Guys like this are the reason I do ALL of my own work. A tech that's worth a darn will perform diagnostics in an orderly fashion leading him to the EXACT problem with an absolute minimum amount of assuming/guessing!

Tell him you suspect he sold you a defective battery (that you asked some "experts" about the problem and this is what they told you). That might encourage him to prove it's not a bad battery by finding out what the real issue is, like he should have done in the first place.

 

[alldodge]

Yes its possiable, but my money is they left something ON and over the winter it killed the bat. The bad thing that can happen, is they are going to find a bad ALT and charge you for it, even if its not

 

[roffey]

I think the OP stated earlier the battery was dead the issue is why. Is it possible that the alternator was the problem with the first battery? If it is there is a easy check, just put a volt meter on it. I have an automatic bilge and when I put the boat away for the winter I do not disconnect the battery. The bilge runs for 30 seconds every 10 minutes so there is a draw on the battery. When I start it up in the spring it jumps to life, one of the best sounds ever, lol. Anyways, the tech should finish what he started and the battery should not be dead from sitting for a week or two. I would take it back, just as the OP did.

 

[rbiankowski]

Update: boat shop said the new battery was 100% dead. Recharged and tested both battery and alternator. Both are "fine" now. I am letting it sit there for a day and when I go back to get it me and the tech will start the boat since it will be roughly 48 hours off charge. Anything I should check with him while I am there?