Deep Cycle batteries, when fully charged can be stored for a long time.

And I thought I was being overkill on my numbers... I knew it had to be worse.. They aren't meant to be discharged more that 50%. So if that battery was discharged down to 0%, then I'd throw it away.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_cycle_battery

Never doubt a person who has dealt with this stuff on a regular basis and studied and took an Amateur Radio exam.

That was just off the top of my head too, without research... so my ballparks were within what I learned in the past.

Granted you might get lucky and having nothing happen. I mean, it can happen. But more than likely you got lucky or else it is a VERY good battery.

 

Oh, it was posted on Wikipedia, therefore it must be true. If your 5% a day theory is correct, then my boat batteries should have been toast long ago. They still hold a 100% charge. And my batteries are the cheapest boat batteries that Costco sells.

 

Not necessarily. Your Costco batteries are more than likely made by a well known company. So in reality, it is a good battery.

So why hasn't it failed you yet? Maybe it is a different type of technlogy in the battery. The words Deep Cycle don't necessarily have to mean a gel filled lead acid battery... it could be of a different type of chemicals.

The way that technology is going these days, it truely is hard to figure out what types of batteries are really out there and what they are marketing them as.

Back in the day it used to be Alkaline, NiCD, and Lead Acid... none of these LiIon, LiPoly, NiMH, Organic, MoNaCL batteries...

 

Oh yeh....well my battery is stronger than your battery.....


Who gives a rats *** if its deep cycle, cranking, starting, lead acid, gel cell or whatever. If the bastard is dead, put a new one in, plain and simple.


And just for the record..marine batteries are rated in MCA not CCA...just sayin!!!



BREW

 

Beat 3 years.

 

That's cause you already fried the batteries in your boat once already...

 

What is all this talk of deep cycle batteries? Mine is from a riding lawn mower... No wonder it doesn't work.. HaHa
Anyway the battery was not 100% dead. I tried to start it and it turned over a few times. Once it didn't have enough power to turn the motor over I took it home and immediatly charged it. I believe it's fine.

 

Actually, not all marine batteries are deep cycle. There are actually two types of batteries available for marine use. There are Deep Cycle batteries which are great for things like trolling motors which may run for long periods of time before getting recharged. There are also marine Starting batteries - which are designed specifically for starting boats. (More cranking amps.) Neither one is really great for the opposite application. We generally recommend one of each in a dual battery installation. Believe it or not though, a Starting battery works best for most boats.

As for the original problem mentioned here, I'd charge the battery fully, then load test it. Assuming it passes, I'd then clean and tighten the connections. You might have a starter issue here. Either way, large arcs in a boat is something to avoid.

 

If it was me.........

Dollars to dougnuts says if the battery is good, hten it's likely a ground issue.....

Use jumper cables to check... attach the black to the neg on the batt. and the other black clamp somewhere on the engine block away from positives and moving parts...... (the ground bolt is ussually a great place.... but the starter housing is better.)

If it starts, replace ground cable or clean mating surface of cable and starter mounting plate (where the starter is getitng ground from).

If not...

Leave ground cable on and attach red to hot post then touch red to the starters post.......

If it spins then you know it's not going to be teh starter......

Then I'd use a pair of pliers to jump across the starter solenoid.
If it spins then it's your solenoidif it's the same reaction then you know it's not there either (or not just there)

Then I'd slap some jumper cables on it from the truck.
and do it all again.... If still the same things then I'd pull the battery straight out of the truck and install it.

If still same things, then remove truck batterry immediatly and replace orginal....

At this point I would pull the starter off.....
and check it with out a load... if it spins by adding current directly to it with the jumper cables..... then make sure the engine isn't locked up.....

If it does spin with out a load, then I'd take the starter to the auto store and have them do a load test on it, (ussualy free at most around here) also checking current "volt and amps" at the starter cable.

 

Here is what I found, Dirty, oxidized and rusted terminals and connectors at the battery. Cleaned everything up and it's working good. Thanks for the help!