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Is this a battery problem

R

red_dwarf

New member
I went to start my Mercruiser

I went to start my Mercruiser this afternoon after a couple of months. I knew the battery would be flat and so took my "booster pack".
Engine started fine with the pack connected. When I disconnected the power pack my CD player and the tacho gauge started smoking! The tacho reading was steady when the pack was connected but acting strange when the pack was disconnected.
I removed the battery and found that the acid level was fine in all but one of the cells which appears to be bone dry.

Could a bad battery be the cause of the smoking?
Too high a voltage coming from engine charging...??

Hope someone can throw some light on this for me.

Red Dwarf
 
"If that cell was open interna

"If that cell was open internally it would simulate no battery connected to the system and the charging system ran wild.What you should have done was remove the battery and have it tested and charged or replaced and if the alt did go wild, remove it and have it tested too."
 
"Thanks for the reply Bt.
Wh

"Thanks for the reply Bt.
What do you mean by a battery cell being "open"?

I have the battery out, topped up with distilled water & on charge.

Red Dwarf"
 
"One "dry" cell usuall

"One "dry" cell usually indicates the cell has shorted and boiled dry. Replace the battery. Even if it indicates charge after your efforts, it will produce less than its share of needed current, and slow charge during running to other cells.

"open" circuit means no current flowing, like in a switch being "off". A battery is designed to work when all cells can produce and pass electricity along, and that cell wasn't. "closed" means current is flowing, like a switch being "on"."
 
"Regardless, you need a new ba

"Regardless, you need a new battery; then go from there.
You should also check the wiring behind your instrument panel for evidence of cooked insulation or other damage.

Rod"
 
"I spoke with the battery supp

"I spoke with the battery supplier yesterday and was told that I must have left "something on" to draw down the battery.
I am sure that everything was turned off, including the bilge. How can I test to see if there is anything drawing on the battery?

RD"
 
"Get or borrow a multimeter wi

"Get or borrow a multimeter with a 10 amp DC scale.
Disconnect all grounds from the negative side of your battery and with everything shut off, cautiously connect each one separately in series with the ammeter to the negative post.
If you get anything more than a few milliamps, there's your problem.

It may be something not obvious, like the memory circuit on your stereo that keeps the preset stations, or perhaps a sub-woofer amplifier that does not shut off on its own. Or a fish finder, GPS, etc etc.

Do you have Mercathode? This is a steady drain and will kill a battery after a week or two.

Rod"
 
"It is Merc's impressed cu

"It is Merc's impressed current cathodic corrosion protection system. It is connected directly to your battery and there is a small amount of current flow anytime your boat is in water, especially salt water.

Rod"
 
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