Thread: Battery draw

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  1. #1
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    Battery draw

    I have a 2005 E-tec 250 hp. What would cause an outboard to draw a charge when it is turned off and at rest? I believe mine is drawing a charge when it is shut off and just sitting in the garage. The key is in the off position.

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    #2
    Not only is the emm drawing juice, any depth finders with gps are drawing also.....I installed a battery cut off switch to avoid this..... the gps on my ulterra also draws juice so I unplug it when it's sitting in the barn....

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    #3
    I'm isolating wires as we speak and the outboard is showing itself to decrease the volts of the battery....

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    #4
    The draw is definitely coming from the outboard. How is this possible?

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    #5
    Which wire showed up from the outboard....

  6. Electrical/Wiring/Trolling Motors Moderator CatFan's Avatar
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    #6
    Quote Originally Posted by edge View Post
    The draw is definitely coming from the outboard. How is this possible?
    Not only possible, but normal. Modern outboards generally draw a couple of hundred milliamps all the time if hooked to a battery.
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  7. Sprint Boats Moderator Bassmeister's Avatar
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    #7
    As long as the main battery wires from the engine harness is hooked to the battery it's drawing juice from the battery....then you add the gps units whose antennas are always searching you will have battery draw.....modern technology demands a battery cutoff switch if it's going to sit a while....

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    #8
    The motor is properly connected. I was told that when the motor is not in use there is no draw. Is there a way to test the ignition switch at the console or just at the motor?

  9. Electrical/Wiring/Trolling Motors Moderator CatFan's Avatar
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    #9
    Quote Originally Posted by edge View Post
    The motor is properly connected. I was told that when the motor is not in use there is no draw. Is there a way to test the ignition switch at the console or just at the motor?
    You were misinformed.
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    #10
    But the battery gets drawn down so that my MK460PC pops the trolling motor bats green in minutes after a full charge the night before. With just the outboard hooked up, over night, it starts off at 50%. The battery passed a load test with flying colors also.

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    #11
    Quote Originally Posted by edge View Post
    But the battery gets drawn down so that my MK460PC pops the trolling motor bats green in minutes after a full charge the night before. With just the outboard hooked up, over night, it starts off at 50%. The battery passed a load test with flying colors also.
    How many amps is the outboard drawing?
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    #12
    The amp measurement on my multimeter shows nothing. But, when I hooked up the outboard, turned off, to a perfect battery I use for my trolling motor, the volts dropped from 13.19 to 12.76 in 4 hours. Is this normal?

    If it was an EMM issue, wouldn't one of the 4 lights stay on at ignition?

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    #13
    Quote Originally Posted by edge View Post
    The amp measurement on my multimeter shows nothing. But, when I hooked up the outboard, turned off, to a perfect battery I use for my trolling motor, the volts dropped from 13.19 to 12.76 in 4 hours. Is this normal?

    If it was an EMM issue, wouldn't one of the 4 lights stay on at ignition?
    Probably normal. 13.19V is the voltage the charger was applying. It takes hours to drop to the actual battery voltage after the charger is turned off.
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    #14
    So why do my trolling motor batteries stay at 12.9? What is a typical draw for an E-tec at rest?

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    #15
    Quote Originally Posted by edge View Post
    So why do my trolling motor batteries stay at 12.9? What is a typical draw for an E-tec at rest?
    Are your batteries all the same? Different batteries have different full charge voltages. Range from 12.65-13.1V. Don’t know for sure about ETECs, but the only motor I recall the number I read was a little below 100mA.
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    #16
    Yes, they are all Group 31 AGM's, Odyssey PC 2100.

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    #17
    Quote Originally Posted by edge View Post
    Yes, they are all Group 31 AGM's, Odyssey PC 2100.
    What charger?

    I think I’d swap a TM battery with your cranking battery and see how they behave.
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    #18
    I did that last night. It stopped drawing at 12.75 just like on the original cranking battery. I’m wondering if this is a normal draw for that motor in the off position but still connected to the battery.

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    #19
    If my 03 250 DI didn't get used for a few weeks the battery would be drawn down enough it wouldn't crank. I'm running 31 series batterys and two helix graphs with gps.....it adds up. That's why I put in a battery cut off switch. Now when I get home from fishing I charge the batterys and then unplug charger, plug back in the night before a trip and no problems.....With the ulterra troller i unplug it also to keep the gps from drawing on the batteries....