Checking F150TXRD charging output

[panasonic]

Where is Rodbolt?

Have you considered a small solar panel to keep your batteries trickle charged while not in use for extended periods. My brother has one on his boat approximately 12" x 18" size and it works good to keep his battery topped up. Boat is sitting out 50 feet from the end of our wharf on collar...no shore power within a 1/4 mile of it. So a dead battery is a royal pain in the azz...drag the generator down to the dock. Sun doesn't shine up here all that much and it still keeps that battery topped off.

Keith....settle down, we all know your credentials by now.

[pstephens46]

Pstep, since your not paying my 95hr cash with no estimate that's booked out 4/5 weeks this time of yr. With folks that will gladly wait until I can get to them. 1st in my book is Patrol and SAR vessels, 2nd is boats with kids from out of town. Like they fly in from out of town for a fishing trip with uncle/grandpal and boat has a issue. You don't understand,,, Sir Rodbolt is a GREAT Tech.. He is not the only one. I don't think he is boat captain let alone a electrical guru, electrical engineer. Diagnostic Master in Fuel injection and Electrical. and As A master Tech, I could consider hireing him out here in cali. If he is close to my skill level he would laugh at me. Remember he works for somebody at a StealerShip.. I don't work for anyone except a owner or prospective purchase Im done with your lack of brain cells. I like and miss Sir Rodbolt. The only guy on this blog that we related to each other Respectfully. He knows I know and I know he knows a lot. But so far as in Electrical in Marine I have found no peer. Well maybe Clark at CDI. I don't need to prove shit to u or anyone. I went out my way to give unquestionably good advice. You seem to be sitting on a STICK !! Agent 99 said it best, time to fly away from this chicken s--t roost.

I’m not sure of your qualifications. Electrical Engineer? Diagnostic Master? Electrical in Marine? I’ve known a few Electrical Engineers and their writing skills were quite different than yours. Now that I think back about your posts over the past years, have you ever offered any specific Yamaha advice? Please go advise the current poster on his question regarding F300 flywheel removal, if you aren’t too busy.

[zenoahphobic]

I’m not sure of your qualifications. Electrical Engineer? Diagnostic Master? Electrical in Marine? I’ve known a few Electrical Engineers and their writing skills were quite different than yours. Now that I think back about your posts over the past years, have you ever offered any specific Yamaha advice? Please go advise the current poster on his question regarding F300 flywheel removal, if you aren’t too busy.

A person has a problem if he continually has to mouth off how good he thinks he is. This is a fundamental psychology principle where it is used to not answer a direct question. “Trust me”, “I am older, smatter, more qualified, more experienced…” should rarely be used if one can produce a clear argument and answer.

[Keithbaja]

I constantly have put up with complete disrespect here IMO. So, I stand up for myself. Plain and simple. No matter what I post I'll get bs from somebody. I cover a lot of bases as I work on many brands and systems. Any thing I share includes the Yamaha platform. A outboard is a outboard. They are all very similar and not much is brand specific. I don't recall ever posting something that was Wrong or misleading. Seems to me some folks don't take kindly to marine techs as a lot them have been screwed by shady work and having spent big bucks to top off a boat repair. I know,, I see it all the time. And as a life long boater and tec that cares about fellow boaters, what I see sometimes is criminal. No I don't write well. I don't even write checks, letters and very few work orders. Mostly for insurance jobs. my reputation is Solid around here and I don't loose customers. I do what's needed and go a step above for boat people. Its more than job for me, its my life. When experience counts..
out

[pstephens46]

I’m still trying to “set” my regulator to properly charge deep cycle batteries.

[Keithbaja]

sir, I havnt been here in a few weeks, late to the ball****.
deep cycle batts dont Work well with outboards. They are designed for Cranking batterys.. Dual Purpose batts are a hot ticket depending on your needs. But NEVER deep cycle battery's

[pstephens46]

Left the boat for a week over the 4th. I will not say it cranked right up yesterday. This is typical, one day or one week. Turn key to start and it hesitates as if the battery is weak. Holding key to start, one or three seconds, eventually it turns and starts. I did take Baja’s advice and get a starting battery.
The damndest thing is that I can let motor run for five seconds, kill it, crank again(after the ICV cycles) and it pops right on as if there is no issue at all. Hell with it. I’m good for now.

[TownsendsFJR1300]

Internal starter relay contacts crappy:

[panasonic]

That would drive me crazy. I think you a bad connection somewhere...slowly getting worse. Have you done a voltage drop test on your starter circuit when the engine has be left sitting..on the first start?

[pstephens46]

That would drive me crazy. I think you a bad connection somewhere...slowly getting worse. Have you done a voltage drop test on your starter circuit when the engine has be left sitting..on the first start?

I followed Rodbolt's instructions on drop testing and was getting voltage drop, it seemed, on every wire run. Battery cables new. Is it possible the starter relay would struggle on the first crank, but work fine 5 seconds later? It has been doing this for at least two years. Seems like the relay would have completely failed by now. Maybe I should bypass it for the first crank to check it?

[TownsendsFJR1300]

As posted above, I had the exact same issue years ago, exactly, same engine.

Pic's are of the contacts of the relay after disassembly.

If you jump the terminal at the relay to the other side(starter side), by-passing the contacts, it should turn over first try(with the jumper)..

Just testing with a test light may not carry the amps (crappy contacts) the starter needs. You'll hear it click but nothing happens..

[pstephens46]

As posted above, I had the exact same issue years ago, exactly, same engine.

Pic's are of the contacts of the relay after disassembly.

If you jump the terminal at the relay to the other side(starter side), by-passing the contacts, it should turn over first try(with the jumper)..

Just testing with a test light may not carry the amps (crappy contacts) the starter needs. You'll hear it click but nothing happens..

I have a nice chunk of 4 guage wire I will use. If it would quit f ing raining…..

[99yam40]

I have a nice chunk of 4 guage wire I will use. If it would quit f ing raining…..

send that rain down here to Tx we need it

[pstephens46]

send that rain down here to Tx we need it

We needed it too. It just piddled on for hours. I wanted ribs on the smoker. So I cooked them in the piddling rain. I’ll bypass the relay in the morning.

[pstephens46]

Bypassing the relay seems to have helped. It has been two days since I last ran it. 17 bucks for a replacement relay isn’t going to hurt. My expectation was that a crappy relay would fail fairly quickly. Another question for the electrical experts here - could a half assed relay produce enough “draw” to dramatically reduce a battery’s life?