Overcharge/Ruining batteries

[Timbuktu]

Hi guys,

I am having some electrical issues. It started in the spring when a battery went dead..it was old so no biggie. Replaced it with one I though should have worked but it "apparently" was no good either. Got a new one from walmart, BTW all walmart batteries the cheaper marine ones. Put a brand new one in it, then had the Rec/regualtor burn up (I attribute this to a bad cable connection which I found later). So I replaced that. Now the newest battery has gone bad as well. They tested it and said it was no good and it would not hold a charge.

Now: Put a new higher quality battery in and tested the voltage out of the rec. 14.8 @ idle, 14.95 @ 2500 r's. Didn't want to run any faster off the garden hose. It sounds fairly normal.

Do you guys have any thoughts here, I and really having a tough time with this one. Are there any other tests I can do?

I usually travel pretty far, so I really need the reliability.

Thanks, Tim



Thanks in advance, Tim

[smann316]

Cheap batteries are just that, cheap. In case you didn't know, the average life span for a marine battery is 3-4 years depending on use. I would not trust a marine battery from WalMart, Autozone, Advance, Sam's etc. i ahe used them in the past and have not been pleased. I bought Bass Pro brand (made by Deka) 2 years ago and they have been very good to this point. I will buy them again when they need replacing.

[Timbuktu]

Yeah I was looking into that and it really does look like there is a difference. I don't plan on buying those anymore. My first one did last prob three years though, so the inconsistency bothers me.

[Banjo123]

overcharging

Hi, Timbukto. I recently had an overcharging (15.5-16.0 volts!) experience with an '89 Yamaha 40ETLF 3-cyl. I found a broken/burned wire in the harness so I repaired it and replaced the rectifier. No change. After lots of messing around I took the original controls (ignition switch, throttle, choke switch) off the boat and opened it up. All connections seemed clean and well-connected as I pulled apart and re-inserted each one. Just for the heck of it, I disconnected the battery and sprayed PB blaster into the ignition switch and worked the key back and forth many times, then sprayed & repeated. Connected battery and it charged fine! (13.6 volts approximately at high rpm. Hope you may find this info useful, as I have a Wal-Mart battery that serves me just fine.