Heads up with Bad Batteries

[Steve04]

Hello everyone just a heads up, recently I experience trouble with my StB batteries, the boat is a 2004 34 sundancer the batteries were the originals which were drained and I recharged them. (Should have replaced them immediately they were 4 years old) Well, while starting stb engine, I believe the voltage dropped to a level that took out the tachs, and EMC unit on the port engine. At first this sounded like a lighting strike, however, no other electrical system was effective.
I bought the boat in to have them diagnose the problem, after 4 hours, I have no tachs, stb and port, no speedometer, and port emc unit out. fortunally I have an extended warranty that will cover the gauges and mercury will cover the emc unit. cost, 435.00 per gauge, and 1000.00 for the emc.

All those with smart gauges be careful with batteries, get rid of older batteries you don't want the trouble I am having. Just a heads up...

Steve

 

[boltman]

Thanks for the warning, but was it a drop in the voltage or a sudden spike, sounds to melike your old battery surged in power a fried the system it was on....Don't know though I'm not a battery technition..

 

[tobnpr]

That confuses me. I guess all boats can be wired differently, but typically the stbd. battery provides power ONLY to the stbd. engine and gauges. Port engine and gauges are powered ONLY by the port battery. There is no "crossover". I do not understand how an issue with the starboard battery could have any effect whatsoever on the port engine or gauges...
Unless you had your batteries in parallel?

 

[Steve04]

tobnpr,
the tech at Marine max, indicated the gauges are wired in together, the stb, runs the sync, tach, and then to the port. the guess is that the batteries when starting the engine, bought the voltage below 5, and once the engines started there was a spike, which caused my troubles. going to the dealer tomorrow as all the parts are in, just a note the gauges cost 435.00 each, and the ecm unit 1300.00
thank god for the warranty..
Steve 04