starter barely cranks

[irtrimble]

Need advice. With battery just charged and functional(according to marina manager), when I go to start the engine, it barely cranks for 10-15 seconds, and then won't turn over at all. I have cleaned and tightened all connections, no difference. Ideas?

[Dave Neptune]

Double check the grounds battery and block both. Then check the voltage at the starter when cranking. The battery can check good on voltage but be very much lacking in enough amps to crank the engine.

Dave Neptune

[sastanley]

As Dave said, check grounds too, including at the engine block, and any other bus bars etc, in the engine current path..12v is direct current...the path needs to be complete.

Not that all marina managers are bad, but I don't trust most of 'em. A couple more questions...
Do you keep the boat plugged in?

How old are the batteries?

Did he tell you they were all charged up right after he took them off the charger, or did he check them 24h after resting?

Also, if you are cranking for 10-15 seconds and it is not running, be careful not to back flood the motor, and close the raw water thru-hull until it is running. If the motor has been run recently, it should not take 10-15 seconds to start with a fully closed choke. How long since she last ran?

[irtrimble]

boat just went in the water. Battery several years old but not sure exactly. Battery voltage across posts dropped from 11.8 to 2.3 after 10 seconds slow reluctant crank. Got to be bad battery.

[JOHN COOKSON]

boat just went in the water. Battery several years old but not sure exactly. Battery voltage across posts dropped from 11.8 to 2.3 after 10 seconds slow reluctant crank. Got to be bad battery.

Most likely it is a bad battery.
The battery could have been fully charged but it wasn't holding enough electricity to turn the starter in snappy manner.
So even though the "marina managers" statement was technically correct it didn't address the real problem.

TRUE GRIT

[sastanley]

launch-o-rama!!!!

Hey! Well, congrats on launching the boat!

[irtrimble]

battery was indeed dead in spite of apparently showing functional on the marina's battery tester. Finally got going but the fools at the marina cost me 2 days.