Starter battery seems dead, yet.....

[macbeth]

Tried to check the cells with my 10 year old hydrometer. It wouldn't suck up the battery fluid !! Rubber has become porous over the years I guess. If it's not one thing it's another ! Time for a new one.


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[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by macbeth

Tried to check the cells with my 10 year old hydrometer. It wouldn't suck up the battery fluid !! Rubber has become porous over the years I guess. If it's not one thing it's another ! Time for a new one.


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Yeah, tried and true method of a cell to cell comparison.
Better than current technology for wet cell non-sealed batteries.
Luckily they're not expensive.



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[hellosailor]

"Rubber has become porous over the years I guess."
Probably cheap "rubber". But heat, ozone, and chemicals like battery acid do attack it. Flush your hydrometer with potable water, take the rubber bulb off and flush it again to get any acid out, and if you talc the outside, or use ArmorAll, it is more likely to last longer.

[tinkrman69]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Test the voltage at the starter, while cranking. Anything below 10V is suspect. If low, then start measuring the voltage drops in the wiring. Most likely is a bad connection. I've had this problem caused by bad crimps on battery cables. Genuinedealz.com is an excellent source for custom cables, and they use the best 4 jaw crimper.

follow the above check voltage whilst cranking at very connection the positive side of the circuit makes ....ie....check battery if the drop is 10 or less battery is bad. if not check batt to sol, ten or less cable is bad. check connections at both ends of both pos and neg cables. check again if still bad change both cables. if not check sol to motor ten or less? change sol. or whole starter.

[macbeth]

Hydrometer test results: B1: starter battery: all 6 cells in green zone.
B2: house battery: 5 cells in white area. 1 cell in lower red zone.
Conclusion: both batteries OK

I disconnected B2. Turned dual circuit switch to first position. No response at ignition switch or engine exhaust switch and no response from starter push button.
Turned dual circuit battery switch to "combine". Ignition switch buzzes, exhaust fan works. Didn't try engine push button, but obviously it would be OK.
CONCLUSION: something wrong with output connection(s), especially output from B1, when battery switch is in first position.


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[macbeth]

Hydrometer test results: B1: starter battery: all 6 cells in green zone.
B2: house battery: 5 cells in white area. 1 cell in lower red zone.
Conclusion: both batteries OK

I disconnected B2. Turned dual circuit switch to first position. No response at ignition switch or engine exhaust switch and no response from starter push button.
Turned dual circuit battery switch to "combine". Ignition switch buzzes, exhaust fan works. Didn't try engine push button, but obviously it would be OK.
CONCLUSION: something wrong with output connection(s), especially output from B1, when battery switch is in first position. Will do more testing this morning.


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[Boatyarddog]

House battery, sounds like a faulty cell in that one.
Don't think it's your problem, but all cells should test evenly.
Even if all in white zone, red or green zone on hydrometer.
Each cell should test within 5% of each other.
5 in white zone and 1 in the red, would indicate a weak or shorted cell.
It's a relative test of specific gravity of each cell.

Sounds like the battery switch is at fault.
B1 selector switch position not working, but the combined or 1&2 position works.
Probably the switch, in the B1position contacts are cooked.


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[macbeth]

So I checked the output side of the dual circuit battery switch for battery 1, and it was ok, when in position 1. So I went onto where the double oo cable ended. Which was the starter. 12 volts. But coming off the same terminal was a red cable which disappeared up towards the cockpit terminal. Adjacent to this terminal was also quite a fat wire connected to tiddley spade terminal. I jiggled this wire and the spade terminal fell out !! I pushed it in and out a few times and then thought I'd try starting as per normal. Hey presto, it worked !!

So I guess it was something to do with this spade terminal, which in my opinion was totally inadequately designed and manufactured. Nothing I can do to improve the installation, guess I can only curse the starter manufacturer.

Thanks for all the replies. Got me thinking at any rate.


12


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[hellosailor]

Spade terminals:
Seen that before. Could be that someone figured a heavier wire was a good thing and, oops, didn't know it was the wrong wire to hang from that spade. Or, it could be they JUST used a cheap spade. If you look at the FASTON brand of terminals, they have a "bump" in the center of both contacts. Once the contact is seated, the "bump" is now sitting in a matching hollow, so the terminal CANNOT be pulled out without sufficient force to pull that bump out sideways against the contact. It makes a real difference.

[exMaggieDrum]

Battery switches can and do go bad sometimes so check that out. Many of them are not user maintainable so may need to be replaced. But all the other stuff needs to be checked too.

[macbeth]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

".....and if you talc the outside, or use ArmorAll, it is more likely to last longer.

Talc = talcum powder ? Never heard of that. What's it purpose, and what is good about it ? Serious question. Thanks.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by macbeth

So I checked the output side of the dual circuit battery switch for battery 1, and it was ok, when in position 1. So I went onto where the double oo cable ended. Which was the starter. 12 volts. But coming off the same terminal was a red cable which disappeared up towards the cockpit terminal. Adjacent to this terminal was also quite a fat wire connected to tiddley spade terminal. I jiggled this wire and the spade terminal fell out !! I pushed it in and out a few times and then thought I'd try starting as per normal. Hey presto, it worked !!

So I guess it was something to do with this spade terminal, which in my opinion was totally inadequately designed and manufactured. Nothing I can do to improve the installation, guess I can only curse the starter manufacturer.

Thanks for all the replies. Got me thinking at any rate.


12


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Good job on the diagnostics, you put the energy in to find the problem and did.
That's probably a power supply wire to the ignition.
Nice!.


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