I have an 88 bayliner w/ an OMC 2.3. The guy I got the boat from added a second battery (connected in parallel). This morning it was extremely hard getting the boat to start. I could tell the batteries were getting low.
It finally started and after about a minute I saw a little bit of smoke coming from the engine. I traced it to a wire that was smoking. I had a laser temp senor and the wire was 190 degrees. I then immediately shut the engine off.
A few hours later I went back and started poking around. The first thing I check was the batteries. They were around 10 volts. My suspicion was since both batteries were low, it was putting out a lot of current. I hooked up a battery charger for a few hours and started the engine.
It started right up and the wire didn't get hot (around 85).
I'm guessing the electrical system wasn't meant to handle 2 batteries. I like having the second battery, but if it's going to damage something or catch fire, it's not worth having.
Should I go back to just a 1 battery setup?
Thanks!
It finally started and after about a minute I saw a little bit of smoke coming from the engine. I traced it to a wire that was smoking. I had a laser temp senor and the wire was 190 degrees. I then immediately shut the engine off.
A few hours later I went back and started poking around. The first thing I check was the batteries. They were around 10 volts. My suspicion was since both batteries were low, it was putting out a lot of current. I hooked up a battery charger for a few hours and started the engine.
It started right up and the wire didn't get hot (around 85).
I'm guessing the electrical system wasn't meant to handle 2 batteries. I like having the second battery, but if it's going to damage something or catch fire, it's not worth having.
Should I go back to just a 1 battery setup?
Thanks!
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