TM battieries won't hold charge

[shimano19]

I have 2 brand new 12v batteries for my minn kota v2, 68 lb thrust, after a full charge if i let the boat sit for a short period of time the battieries will drain. On the TM the battery meter will read full after a charge but over time it will drop charge even when not in use. Any ideas?

[aplumma]

You have a load on the battery somewhere. You need to remove power consumers one at a time with an amp meter in line to see which circuit is draining the battery. Have the batteries load tested to make sure they hold a charge and that the charge is not just a surface charge. Any auto place should be able to provide this service if they sell batteries. Measuring voltage is not a good test for this type of trouble shooting.

 

Art

[DanD]

The best would be to disconnect the battery positive connection(s) to the devices they are powering and then connect an ammeter between the battery positive terminal and the cables that were just disconnected. That will tell you whether there is any parasitic draw on the battery. Any more then .025 amp draw will kill any battery or batteries in a few days.

If you do find excessive draw, then one item at a time disconnect it from the battery; until you see the draw drop to well below the .025 amp or drop to zero draw.

If there is no draw found, have both batteries tested independently; there is a small change that one of the batteries has an internal short and drawing both batteries down.

 

Dan.

Edited April 19, 2017 by DanD

[Old Ironmaker]

If they are new return them.

[DanD]

Art.

You want a job trouble shooting electrical issue at my shop? LOL

 

Dan.

[misfish]

If they are new return them.

 

Quick on the draw here.

 

Pull the batteries. Charge. Let sit. Then check. Like said, you have a draw some where.

[aplumma]

 

Art.

You want a job trouble shooting electrical issue at my shop? LOL

 

Dan.

I was lucky enough to have a great teacher in HVAC who was old school and didn't teach you how to fix a specific unit rather what electricity did when it worked correctly. I thank him for this talent as well as teaching how to read a schematic. My first Bike was a Triumph with lucas electrics or better know as Lucas "prince of darkness". As a hobby My brother and I restore 70s and 80s motorcycles and cars. Which involved either mice chewed shorts to what the heck did someone else do to this thing.. After making a few wiring harness for boats, motorcycles and a car or two the short answer Dan is NO.

 

Thanks for the offer

 

Art

[shimano19]

You have a load on the battery somewhere. You need to remove power consumers one at a time with an amp meter in line to see which circuit is draining the battery. Have the batteries load tested to make sure they hold a charge and that the charge is not just a surface charge. Any auto place should be able to provide this service if they sell batteries. Measuring voltage is not a good test for this type of trouble shooting.

 

Art

I have 1 onboard charger and the trolling motor on those 2 batteries. I'll check it out. Maybe the tm being plugged in when not in use

[shimano19]

The best would be to disconnect the battery positive connection(s) to the devices they are powering and then connect an ammeter between the battery positive terminal and the cables that were just disconnected. That will tell you whether there is any parasitic draw on the battery. Any more then .025 amp draw will kill any battery or batteries in a few days.

If you do find excessive draw, then one item at a time disconnect it from the battery; until you see the draw drop to well below the .025 amp or drop to zero draw.

If there is no draw found, have both batteries tested independently; there is a small change that one of the batteries has an internal short and drawing both batteries down.

 

Dan.

Okay I'll give this a shot, if the onboard charger or TM is drawing power what do you do. Edited April 19, 2017 by MikeCmuskie

[Tom S]

Either figure out why they're drawing power (short?) or put in a battery disconnect switch to break the circuit at the end of the day.

[John Bacon]

If they are new return them.

 

If there is a current draw (which there probably is) then new batteries are not going to solve the problem.

 

 

[OhioFisherman]

 

Art.

You want a job trouble shooting electrical issue at my shop? LOL

 

Dan.

I was lucky enough to have a great teacher in HVAC who was old school and didn't teach you how to fix a specific unit rather what electricity did when it worked correctly. I thank him for this talent as well as teaching how to read a schematic. My first Bike was a Triumph with lucas electrics or better know as Lucas "prince of darkness". As a hobby My brother and I restore 70s and 80s motorcycles and cars. Which involved either mice chewed shorts to what the heck did someone else do to this thing.. After making a few wiring harness for boats, motorcycles and a car or two the short answer Dan is NO.

 

Thanks for the offer

 

Art

 

 

LOL, sort of amazing what mice will chew? Plug wires can't be too tasty!

[DanD]

Okay I'll give this a shot, if the onboard charger or TM is drawing power what do you do.

If the charger is the issue, there's not much you can do other then replace it. There is a chance an electronics repair shop could repair it; but you'd have to weight out the costs.

Trolling motor's variable speed rheostat, may not be shutting down completely? Again replace or repair after comparing costs.

Or do as Tom S suggested; install a battery switch.

 

Art.

You had to mention Lucas ignition; those opti-spark joke of electronic module triggers; where a nightmare system to figure out.

When you did get the system to actually make a spark; the guy in the next bay would spill his coffee and that was enough moisture to shut the car off again. LOL

 

Dan

[grimsbylander]

I agree with testing the circuits to isolate the draw. I'd hate to haul back batteries only to have the issue repeat. FYI on the trolling motor...I always unplug my motor as soon as it's back on the trailer. More of a safety issue but it's good to not have it plugged in when charging the system. Not sure if that's really the case but it doesn't hurt to do it.

[oldphart]

~~~I have a Load Tester, which I use to check on the batteries, I have 3 for the TM, and 1 Cranking, I also check the water levels, and the acid about.

[LeXXington]

Get a Quick Disconnect Battery Terminal..

 

I have them on all my batteries, I separate the Core engine, Battery charger and auto bilge.

 

Everything else is disconnected when done for the day.

 

No worries that the kids might press power on fish finder's, turn on the stereo etc

[Garnet]

Dirty and corroded battery terminals and connectors can add to the problem.

[John]

 

Art.

You want a job trouble shooting electrical issue at my shop? LOL

 

Dan.

I was lucky enough to have a great teacher in HVAC who was old school and didn't teach you how to fix a specific unit rather what electricity did when it worked correctly. I thank him for this talent as well as teaching how to read a schematic. My first Bike was a Triumph with lucas electrics or better know as Lucas "prince of darkness". As a hobby My brother and I restore 70s and 80s motorcycles and cars. Which involved either mice chewed shorts to what the heck did someone else do to this thing.. After making a few wiring harness for boats, motorcycles and a car or two the short answer Dan is NO.

 

Thanks for the offer

 

Art

 

 

What Art says...If you are in Milton area I would be happy to do a NC load test for you.

 

Dan, I get him first, assuming he learns metric...

 

Art, I grew up with Lucas electrics. They were the devils work. Imagine dealing with it in the wet North East of England and no alternatives in those days!

[dave524]

 

 

 

Art, I grew up with Lucas electrics. They were the devils work. Imagine dealing with it in the wet North East of England and no alternatives in those days!

 

Dad had at least 2 Austins around 1960, passed my drivers test in a 59 Austin Cambridge, Smith gauges were no better than Lucas and don't hit a puddle at speed or the engine will die, electrically British cars were the worst.

[John]

 

Dad had at least 2 Austins around 1960, passed my drivers test in a 59 Austin Cambridge, Smith gauges were no better than Lucas and don't hit a puddle at speed or the engine will die, electrically British cars were the worst.

The Smiths gauges were pretty good back in 60's.... the Lucas electrics a different story. Distributors/Caps mounted at the front of the engine were the first things to get wet...you become an expert (well good anyways) at drying out electrics in the wild and woolly parts of the country, miles from anywhere, except maybe the odd pub....

[aplumma]

Do you have 2 batteries in series 24 volt or two batteries parallel 12 volts? Is the charger made to charge two separate batteries or just one?

 

Here is a very good site that has pretty pictures on various hook ups ad why you do it.

 

http://www.batterytender.com/connecting-chargers

 

 

Art

[Garnet]

Your 1st Question Is it battery charger.

 

2nd Question is it battery.

 

That load tester talked about every boater should own 1 $50 CTC.

 

You shouldn't run anything else off trolling motor battery's.

 

Take load tester and test each battery. Even dis charged they should have 12 volts. 11 anything battery is junk. Brand new battery's are most likely to crap.

 

So leave load tester on battery and plug in charger should go over 13 volts. Not instantly but over 13. Do same to other battery.

 

So charger good now charge battery's fully and load test.

 

If your battery terminals are not shiny and cover white grease all this could be a waste of time. 1 bad connection and all this doesn't work.

Edited April 21, 2017 by Garnet

[Old Ironmaker]

If there is a current draw (which there probably is) then new batteries are not going to solve the problem.

I totally understand that John, I have learned batteries have a specific number of times that can discharge below 20% then won't take a charge. If under warranty return them, get fresh batteries and then troubleshoot the problem. I have bought new batteries that were faulty before installing, more than once. Batteries sold in the spring are most likely those that sat on a shelf all winter. Check the manufacture date before buying. The 2 Deep Cycle that I bought were bad were 2 years old. I should have explained my thinking.

[shimano19]

The trolling motor was draining power, I'll just simply unplug it when not in use now. It was pulling 0.160A

[Mister G]

The trolling motor was draining power, I'll just simply unplug it when not in use now. It was pulling 0.160A

Does this PD V2 TM have a i-Pilot installed on it because if so the GPS unit will draw power all the time and needs to be unplugged whenever not being used.