elecs. draining battery..or?

[luckymusky]

i upgraded to a 113c last summer from an x17. i also had to replace my starter which i did..eventually the starter would wear down the battery to where the motor wouldnt crank. i replaced the battery and it did the same thing. is the large graph wearing down the battery? do i need to power the graph with a seperate battery..? should i have replaced the solenoid when i replaced the starter..? thanks for any help.

[06champ198]

Your elctronics should be wired to your starting battery. What motor do you have? You may have a battery that is just barely within limits. You want something with alot of reserve capacity.

When you say the starter wears down your battery do you mean you have to crank the motor alot to get it to run?

[luckymusky]

yeah, have to hold the start button longer than i used to anyway, and you hear it getting hard to crank til eventually it doesnt even turn over...yes i do have elecs. wired straight to starting battery along with radio which is almost always off. motor is a 2002 merc 2 stroke 25 hp. now that i think about my last few times out.., even after the motor had been running for awhile, it would be harder to start each time after i stopped the motor to fish. then i would use the pull start to get it to run..i never had the problem before until i hooked up the 113c...

[EuropeanAM]

Load test the battery to confirm it's condition/capacity.

Then- check the VOLTAGE of the battery:

-Before starting engine
-While idling (after 5 minutes)
-At mid-range throttle (after 5 minutes).

Although your engine doesn't have the "heavy requirements" of today's electronic/injected models.... you'd be wise to have a battery with AT LEAST 650 CCA capacity (minimum).

[luckymusky]

its an everstart 27dc. 720 cranking amps..but not"cold cranking amps".. i dont even have a voltmeter..sheesh.. what kind of meter should i have ?

[EuropeanAM]

For testing voltage, you can simply buy an inexpensive Digital Voltmeter (many auto parts stores, tool suppliers, etc. carry these).

Battery LOAD TESTING must be performed with a LOAD TESTER. Most Auto Parts Stores will load test your battery for you.

[Ranger519VS]

Make sure you put a battery charger on between trips. Your motor does not have a big enough alternator to fully charge your motor on its own. A fully charged lead/acid battery should read 12.65 volts on a digital voltmeter. It will read 12.24 volts at 50% charge and 11.89 volts when fully discharged. (These figures per the wikipedia)

Your graph will certainly wear the battery down. It is a matter of how many hours you spend on the water vs how much time the outboard is recharging the battery. Most small outboards only have a 3 or 4 amp alternator so it is equivalent to a "trickle charger".

If the battery won't last your whole trip, then you need a bigger battery.

[luckymusky]

thanks guys. i think the bigger sonar unit is too much for the battery . i have an extra battery i will hook up for the sonar and radio alone.and pick up a voltmeter. and thanks for the wikipedia info on batteries and voltmeters..!