Battery drains instantly

[Jason.H.]

My problem hasnt came back since putting in new interstate marine battery and new starter solenoid switch. I put four hours on it yesterday and no problems. I replaced positive battery terminals and cleaned block ground too. Sure was nice having it back on the water yesterday!

[JimN]

Originally Posted by Jason.H.

My problem hasnt came back since putting in new interstate marine battery and new starter solenoid switch. I put four hours on it yesterday and no problems. I replaced positive battery terminals and cleaned block ground too. Sure was nice having it back on the water yesterday!

If it was shorted, you would see smoke.

[homer12]

Tonight, I started and measured volts on the battery and got 12V, 12V from block to starter solenoid. I pulled the dash panels looking for fuses or loose connections and didn't find anything. pulled the ignition switch and check out ok. Next thought the battery could have mysteriously discharged completely on me so I hooked a charger up to it. 5min later I was able to get gauges and horn to work. I'm going to let charge overnight and see what happens tommorow. I should also pull the battery and go have it tested.
I have a new starter to put in as I knew the one in it is starting to go bad. Do you guys think it's frozen and that could have almost instantly drained the whole battery?

[JimN]

Originally Posted by homer12

Tonight, I started and measured volts on the battery and got 12V, 12V from block to starter solenoid. I pulled the dash panels looking for fuses or loose connections and didn't find anything. pulled the ignition switch and check out ok. Next thought the battery could have mysteriously discharged completely on me so I hooked a charger up to it. 5min later I was able to get gauges and horn to work. I'm going to let charge overnight and see what happens tommorow. I should also pull the battery and go have it tested.
I have a new starter to put in as I knew the one in it is starting to go bad. Do you guys think it's frozen and that could have almost instantly drained the whole battery?

As I posted before, you can't dump a ton of current without a lot of heat. If the battery is unable to store enough voltage (the fact that it only shows 12V is one indication that either the alternator is only delivering 12V and a battery will only reach the voltage it receives) or the plates are damaged/depleted, it won't deliver adequate current. In this case, the voltage will take a big dump as soon as it has any kind of load.

Do you have anything that runs on DC, like an inverter for providing 120VAC? If you do, connect it to the battery and load it almost to its limit. Also, connect a voltmeter to the battery and monitor the battery's voltage. If you see it dropping quickly, the battery is toast. Have it load tested.

If you want to see if the starter is frozen, remove it and connect it to your car battery with jumper cables. If it's frozen, remove the cables ASAP.

[homer12]

pulled the battery today and had it tested at NAPA. Rated for 700cca and passed at 1100cca, so that's not an issue. Bought some new leads and will replace those to confirm connection is good and tight and go from there.

[homer12]

Think I got it fixed! Seems like it was the battery cable terminals. After replacing them showed good on voltage, engine cranked, in business! Also seems like this could have been the source of starting issues I have had when the engine was warm. Will see after some lake testing...