Stumped. Battery dead even though master turned off.

[makeall6]

So, this has been going on all summer. If I leave the boat sit for over a week, battery is drained. But, the master switch is off. I thought I found the problem but no. There is a black wire from the negative side of the battery that has a fuse in it. Took out the fuse and the amp for the radio did not work. So…not the problem. Battery still drained.  There is also a red wire from the battery but when I took the fuse out of that, no dashboard. By the way, the battery is only two years old. When I charge the battery all is good, starts every time unless sitting for multiple days with the MASTER SWITCH OFF. What is going on?

Cheers.

Tom

[Rednucleus]

Using a meter (not your dash), measure your battery voltage right after you turn off the switch.  Would also be interested to know voltage at idle. What year/baot/motor please

[jjackkrash]

It still might just be a bad battery (even though it's only two years old) especially if it's been drained more than a few times.  Or it could be a bad battery and something else.  Man do I hate electrical issues.  Good luck.

[jpwhit]

You shouldn’t have a red wire connected to directly to the battery that is powering the dashboard. Somebody has modified the wiring incorrectly in the boat. Any dash power wire should be connected via the ignition switch. And the ignition switch power comes through the master switch. 

[Dano]

Test to see if there is an amp draw.  Here is how to do it. If there is no draw your battery is likely toast.

http://testmeterpro.com/parasitic-draw-test-with-a-multimeter/ 

[LeonL]

8 hours ago, jpwhit said:

You shouldn’t have a red wire connected to directly to the battery that is powering the dashboard. Somebody has modified the wiring incorrectly in the boat. Any dash power wire should be connected via the ignition switch. And the ignition switch power comes through the master switch. 

Apparently you didn't add the red wire.  How long have you had the boat?  Two years maybe since you know the age of the battery. How long has this problem been occurring? 

If recently, just spring for a new battery.

[Windsurfnut]

Exact same problem this year.  Chased it all summer.  Once I jumped the boat, it would operate fine all day, even for a few days.. then dead.  I reterminated cables, checked draws.. nothing came up.

Battery would charge up on a smart charger fine..but quickly.  That was my first tip off.

Turned out the battery was failing and would behave irratically.  New battery, and no longer any issues 

[makeall6]

Thanks for the info. It is a 2004 SN. I did have a new radio installed a couple years back so I am inclined to think that is the problem. But why would the dash go dark if I remove that red wire if it is just powering the new radio? 

Thanks.

Tom

 

[Killer]

Check the battery first and confirm.

Not sure about 04 but the master switch has been a known failure point on other 196 models.

My 01 is wired away from the master switch.   I remove the negative battery cable when it sits for more than a week in case of other draws.

[Cnewbert]

Maybe this is too simple, but if I were trying to determine if I had a bad battery or a parasitic drain I think I'd just disconnect the battery entirely before leaving the boat and when I came back over a week later, reconnect it and see if it drained on its own or remained charged.