volltage question

[smalljaws]

i have a very very lightly used 2004 stratos 285 magnum. the boat probably doesn't even have 20 hours total on it. my question is why have i been stranded 3 times while night fishing? i have fully charged my battery after each occurrence and the guage is at 12 when fully charged. after a day trip starting it a couple of times and trimming it , the guage backs down to a little under 11. and it keeps going dead after a few hours of night fishing. my voltage guage only reads 11 when running my engine. does the engine only charge the batteries when it is a certain rpm? i thought this may be the case, so i , for lack of a better term, gave it hell before stopping at my first night spot and it still ended up going dead on me. thank goodness i had a jumpbox. the engine is a 2004 johnson 175, i am not running any black lights or radios, simply a depth finder, and trolling motor, whereas he trolling motor isnt even run by the cranking battery. do i have a bad battery or do i have a bad charging system? i have checked the water levels and they are fine. do they have a test to see which is faulty, and both boat and battery are under warranty so is this going to cost me anything out of pocket? thanks for all of the help guys.

[ernel]

To check your charging system, check the battery voltage before cranking the motor. Then check the voltage again while the engine is running. You should read a higher voltage reading while the engine is running. If there is no increase or a steady decrease in the voltage, then have your charging system checked. Do not trust the gauge on the dash for testing purposes. You can get a volt meter for 10-15 bucks a Wally World that will be far more accurate.

If the voltages do increase with the engine running, then have the battery load tested at your local auto parts store. Most will check the battery for free in hopes that you will buy a new one there if your old one is bad.

[smalljaws]

thanks. i will say that i have noticed a steady decline in the reading on the gauge. the more i run it on any given day, the less reading i get, which indicates to me that the gauge itself is functional. i am not saying it is accurate, but it is indeed functional. so i guess my charging system is bad. it has been this way for almost a year now, i just havent had time to use it that much, much less take it to have it checked. i have heard though, that once a battery is drained all of the way, it will never hold a full charge. do you know this to be true? thanks for any info

[smalljaws]

VERY IMPORTANT THING I FORGOT TO MENTION
when i boosted my battery off and got my motor running, it still didnt want to trim it up. i had to put the booster box back on the motor in order to even trim. if the motor has an alternator, shouldnt it atleast be putting out enough voltage to trim the motor? i think it is definately my charging system.

[SEAHORSE]

Chances are the charging system is inoperative. If you keep running the motor, unless it has already, the stator will melt the insulation of the power and charge coils turning a $200 problem into a $500 problem, plus labor.

Has the battery ever had wing nuts on it instead of the required lockwashers and hex nuts? Have cables ever come loose or get corroded? Anyone ever hook up the battery backwards or do the same with a charger? What work was done on the boat and motor before this happened? If you have any doubts about the battery, have it tested, but if it's the same as the original battery it may be bad since the boat wasn't used much.

[smalljaws]

seahorse, the boat it factory rigged, there has never been anything done to it with the excpetion of the 20 hours ervice, and it was dont by john at riverside. i had mentioned this problem to him almost 6 moths ago, but me, the procrastinator, is just now getting around to fixing it. i am going to take it to the dealer this week and have them look at it. my question to you is even if the boat is under complete warranty you said i could have turned a 200 dollar prooblem into a 500 dollar problem, will i have to be the one to eat the cost of the repairs even though the boat isnt a year old? i got rid of my old boat and got a brand new one so i wouldnt have to go thjrough all of this. thanks for he reply

[SEAHORSE]

Unless there are blatant signs of abuse, the factory will cover warranty repairs. There is a stipulation in the warranty explanation is that you notify the dealer as soon as possible to avoid further damage, keep that in mind for the future.

[ChampioNman]

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by smalljaws &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">seahorse, the boat it factory rigged, there has never been anything done to it with the excpetion of the 20 hours ervice, and it was done by John at riverside. i had mentioned this problem to him almost 6 moths ago, is just now getting around to fixing it. i am going to take it to the dealer this week and have them look at it. my question to you is even if the boat is under complete warranty you said i could have turned a 200 dollar prooblem into a 500 dollar problem, will i have to be the one to eat the cost of the repairs even though the boat isnt a year old? i got rid of my old boat and got a brand new one so i wouldnt have to go thjrough all of this. thanks for he reply
</TD></TR></TABLE>

good thing you are under warranty, if you don't give your wrench a chance to fix it then it is your own fault.

[RUSTY63]

Dam Joe, that was more than a year ago..... and you still haven't had it fixed?

Guys, I would bet on a bad battery.

[smalljaws]

rusty you have one hell of a memory. remebering my name? i hate that you left riverside. one of the selling points of my purchase there was the customer service and top notch technicians. it actually hasn't been a year yet i am about to make my twelfth payment this month, so it is right at it. i know it sounds like i am procrastinating, but life here has been hectic. i changed jobs so i was in the training academy for a few months, my little sister got married so i helped with all of that for a month. i haven't had the time to use it to mess it up farther, i just know a problem exists. i hope it is a bad battery. who do i need to see over there rusty? steve or Reed? thanks and i am still amazed you remember. you want to know something even sadder than that? i still dont have my set up correct. it ws a long time ago we tlked about that too. lol. i am having prop blow out at 2800 rpms. dpo i need to start with the plugs first or adjust the jackplate? 25 tempest is what i am running. i have a friend with the same boat, same prop, same plugs, and he isnt blowing out so i am giuessing that it is my height of the motor.who knows, i just know everything is out of the way now, and it is time to start some serious fishing, but first things first i need to get my boat ready. thanks all of you for the replies.

[smalljaws]

i agree championman, but i havent used the boat that much at all. i know the problem exists. the only reason i took it back out the second and third times were because i thought i might have left a switch on or something that was leading to the problem, but now i know it is not something i am doing, there is an underlying problem. boat will be taken to riverside this week.

[RUSTY63]

Joe, see the Grumpy Old Man in the shop....C.W.

Good Luck.

Just kidding, Talk with Steve or Reed and they will take care of you.

[smalljaws]

lol thanks rusty. will do. not trying to be a headache, although i know i have been. you have a few beers on me coming your way. you just name the time and place. i absolutely love this site. the combined knowledge of you, seahorse, and championman amaze me. believe me i will stay on top of maitnenance to make all of your jobs lots easier, like i said i just havent had the time. the boat has barely been used in the time i have owned it. thanks all of you

[RUSTY63]

Joe, I am sitting at the Rivergate HOOTERS posting from my lap top so if you would like to join me just stop by...hang on, my wings just arrived.....Be right back, hard to type and eat wings.

Just kidding.

[smalljaws]

lol well that is my stomping grounds. seriously let me know and there will be beers oln me. i need a boat mentor anyways. seey a i am at the firehall at 6 in the am i need to gt my ass in bed, not talking about beer and boats....and you just ahd to throw the women in.....ahhhh what a website! what else does a man need?