Tweet
Help! I'm thinking of buying a bass boat and the owner has graciously let me test drive it for a week. The thing has left me stranded three times. The cranking battery is being drained. There is continuity between the positive and negative starter posts. Is this correct? When I touch the leads to the battery posts I get a spark even with no other accessories connected. Could this be creating a dead short across my battery leads and sucking it dry? Here's the clincher: The starter seems to work fine otherwise. My logic tells me there should not be continuity across the starter. I'm clueless. Thanks and God bless.
-
-
kc,
That starter should be isolated from the battery by the starter relay.
Battery ground should go directly to the starter.
Battery +12 volts should go to the starter relay.
The starter relay wiper contact connects 12 volts to the lead going to the starter when the ignition switch is turned to crank position.
Sounds to me like the starter relay is bad - somehow is providing a partial path for the 12 volts to the starter even with the ignition switch off the crank position.
There might be a little drain on the battery to the tach - depending on models, but this would be in the milliamps.
Check the posts on the starter with a voltmeter. Should be zero with ignition switch off and also to the on position. Should only get 12 volts when ignition switch is turned to crank position.
Good luck, and let us know what you find out.
Ken K [img]smile.gif[/img]
Comment