Xantrex Marine 20 very hot cable

[laser]

When I put my Xantrex Marine 20 in charge mode charging my 6 golf cart batteries the cable that goes from the charger to the big fuse between it and the batteries gets very hot near the fuse and emits a smell. The fuse also gets very hot.

I replaced the fuse but that did not help. Any advice would be helpful trying to diagnose this.

It does charge through the entire cycle.

Thank you

[colemj]

There is resistance somewhere. Either the cable is too small, the cable fittings are loose, there is corrosion on the fittings or inside the cable, the fuse holder has loose or corroded contacts, etc.

Mark

[MarkJ]

The fuse needs to be quite large.

And as the other Mark said: check the connections.

[colemj]

I thought you were the other Mark?

Mark

[laser]

Thanks for the quick replies. The fuse is correct as its the one that has been there for years. I took a look at the connector on the cable and the crimp may have vibrated loose as you suggested. I have a new lug...if thats what you call it...and I will replace the one that may be loose tomorrow night after I get into a marina and see if that fixes it.

[MarkJ]

Yes, if its been fine for 3 years and now hot then it "must" be a connection.

Mark

[Jim Cate]

Mark my words, you Marks are just marking time until you finally make your marks in the world...

Jim

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Mark my words, you Marks are just marking time until you finally make your marks in the world...

Jim

I am sure Ann has some varnishing for you to do, Jim.



And I am retired so finding marks in the world is as good a vocation as any... Maybe finding Sarah's would be more fun...

[Reefmagnet]

Put a voltmeter across the fuse and connections (as in the leads either side of the fuse / connection) in turn and write down the voltage. Compare the readings. Normally you would only have millivolt readings, so a higher reading could indicate a problem. Higher readings mean higher resistance and more heating.

If all the above checks seem ok (which I doubt they will), check your cable by reading the voltage at the charger terminals and then at the battery terminals. A differential of a couple of volts or so indicates undersized leads.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I am sure Ann has some varnishing for you to do, Jim.

Sounds to me like he has been doing too much varnishing...

Mark

[Chuck Hawley]

At the risk of redirectly the discussion back to the hot cable, the location of the heat is the location of the problem. For example, if one side of the fuse block is hotter than the other, look on the hot side. I suspect that the crimp on the cable terminal has either some corrosion in it, or it was never quite crimped correctly, and there is resistance.

It's doubtful that the problem is under the insulation of the wire, unless the boat environment is really wet. It's either the terminal crimping or it's the security of the terminal on the fuse block.

Since I didn't have one of the big "bolt cutter" style tools on board, I used the old bolt-together Nicopress tool for most of my big battery cables with very good results.

See WEST MARINE Hand Swaging Tools | West Marine

I know this isn't entirely to code but for all terminals that I used, I could find a die that put great pressure on the wire. I also used the Ancor adhesive-lined shrink tubing for strain relief and insulation.

Chuck

[Captndave1]

I suggest also applying NOALOX to the bare wire before crimping the new lug. NOALOX is a commercial lubricant and sealer to keep out moisture in the crimp.
Available at any electrical supply house.

[laser]

Stop Marking up my thread? :-)

Thank you for all the advice. I found the connector on the end of the cable to the Xanrex was loose and a little oxidized. I cut off the end of the cable to have fresh copper and installed a new connector...fortunately vice grips and a bolt cutter made for a good crimp.

The cable is now down to its old slightly warm while charging. All other connections were clean although i sanded them off as well.

Now on to the next project.

All Marks may now resume the hijack.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I am sure Ann has some varnishing for you to do, Jim.







And I am retired so finding marks in the world is as good a vocation as any... Maybe finding Sarah's would be more fun...

Much more fun is researching Shiraz in ones spare time.


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[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by laser

Stop Marking up my thread? :-)

Thank you for all the advice. I found the connector on the end of the cable to the Xanrex was loose and a little oxidized. I cut off the end of the cable to have fresh copper and installed a new connector...fortunately vice grips and a bolt cutter made for a good crimp.

The cable is now down to its old slightly warm while charging. All other connections were clean although i sanded them off as well.

Now on to the next project.

All Marks may now resume the hijack.

You should check this tool out for crimping, works great for me.
And I'm sure it's a Ton better that Vgrips or a bolt cutter.
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...mped+hydraluic


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