On Board Charger Question ???

[leadshot]

How can I know if an on board charger is actually charging the batterys. Been having battery issues w/ the HB 898 "shutting off" when starting the motor. HB support said it is a battery issue. Asked if they had similar issues an they said "no." So...I'm suspecting the on board charger might be the culprit. It is 5 yrs old. Anyone have a suggestion on how to test it to see if it is doing what it is supposed to do ???

[SLAB MASTER]

If you do not have sealed batteries I would suggest that you read the specific gravity of the battery with a hydrometer after your charger says that they/it are charged. Do not take the reading if you have just added water to the battery as you may get a false reading. If you have sealed batteries you could read the battery voltage with a meter. If you use the meter I think I would put some load on the battery to take the reading ie. you could turn on some of your electronics and/or lights to see if the voltage takes a large drop.

[blue thunder]

after a long day of fishin take a voltage reading on the battery, then after you put the charge on them over nite take another reading, compare the two.

[jimp]

another option is to charge the batts up, unhook the charger for 24 -36 hrs, then use a digital VM, take a reading, and note it, wait 12-24 hrs and take another reading, and again. Over a 3-5 day period, you should see no loss in a charge, if you do, then you have a bad cell/batt. If your batt is not a sealed one, you can get the cell hydrometers at wally world in the auto dept for cheap and test the cells like suggested above as well.

[leadshot]

Got nearly $ 250 in new batteries in the back that I put in this past April. That's what makes think it is the charger that it's not workring. Can I use a VM and unhook the batteries and see what is coming in from the plug in OB charger for each battery ??? Only thing I can think of...

[jimp]

you could have one bank on the charger that is bad, it's a trial and error/process of elimination in finding the problem. I would use a DVM to get readings on both batts, go fishing and do everything you normally would, when you get home, use the DVM again. This should tell you or point you in one direction to pursue, either the charger is bad, a battery is bad, etc. Go from there. If you know someone who has a portable charger that works that you could borrow to charge the batts up, take your DVM readings, then go fishing, take your DVM readings again, then use YOUR OB charger, then take readings again, that may help.

[rockmike]

Charge your batteries, then load test them or have them load tested.

[Dave Willis]

I had the same problem with my FF,cleaning and tightening the battery connections solved the problem.

[CatFan]

How can I know if an on board charger is actually charging the batterys. Been having battery issues w/ the HB 898 "shutting off" when starting the motor. HB support said it is a battery issue. Asked if they had similar issues an they said "no." So...I'm suspecting the on board charger might be the culprit. It is 5 yrs old. Anyone have a suggestion on how to test it to see if it is doing what it is supposed to do ???

It could be that your battery is just too small for the motor. If it doesn't have enough CCA to handle the load, its voltage will drop and the electronics will shut down.

Another possibility is loose connections on the battery or at the outboard.

To answer your original question, you can check the charger by measuring the voltage on the battery terminals after fishing and then when you plug the charger in. When the charger first comes on, you should see a voltage rise, maybe as high as 14.7 or 14.8V, depending on how deeply discharged the battery is. No matter where it starts As the battery charges, the voltage will eventually rise to that level just below 15V. Once the green light comes on, the battery voltage will drop to about 13.1-13.3V and hold there until the charger has been unplugged for around 6 hours, after which the battery should measure 12.65 to 12.8V, depending on what technology it is.