dropping volts

[shawn]

has anyone had this problem?  when i gover 30mph or so, my battery volts drop to the point of making the alarm go off.  they go as low as 10.4 volts.  thanks in advance.

i also came across another problem.  my dash will completly go out, so then i have to turn off the batteries and turn them back on three times and then everything will work again.  this only happens after the boat has sat for a day or two, not while it's running.

[cyclone]

My boat has the same voltage dropping problem. Part of the problem is undersized supply wire powering the dash and gauges and computer. I think that more volts are dropped in the long 12vdc run from the dash where the supply is to the trunk where the MMDC is. I have attached test wires in a couple of strategic places, I will take some voltage measurements next time out. Malibu's have similar problems, identical problems, actually. They bitch like crazy about it on Malibuboatowners.com, but stay pretty quiet on other sites. It is a common Borg Warner gauge problem.

Two things I will try: Drop between battery and dash:Add a second 10gauge wire and fuse paralleling the one coming from the battery to the dash supply.

Drop between dash supply and MMDC. Increase the gauge of the supply wire from the dash to the MMDC.

[cyclone]

The other problem is probably caused by loose/dirty connections. Check all the big white plastic connectors under the dash, they can pop loose. Work them all together a couple of times, gremlins will disappear.

[toyotafreak]

Pete's right, of course. I actually 1) bought a new Optima blue-top (was looking for a reason anyway) and 2) took the alternator out and had it bench tested; all because of the low voltage alarm going off. BTW, the thing pumped juice out to 90-something amps - it's a fantastic OEM alternator.

If you do a search on voltage alarm, you'll find our past posts about it. I picked up some 10-gauge wire as well and will rig that sucker up this winter.

There's also a .pdf on the docs page describing the Borg-Warner fix that has you hack into the MMDC itself to provide clean power to it.

Actually, the thing we most often do in terms of the LVA is to ignore it. I know that when I'm seriously gunning it, the alarm's going off. Period.

Funny thing is that both d-drive and v-drives have the problem for similar reasons: the d-drive battery's forward, the MMDC's aft. The V-drive's battery is aft and the MMDC is forward.

And I can't friggin believe that some of you guys don't have battery switches. I shut mine off every single time even though it's and optima and only elf-discharges at 1% per month, versus the 10% per month of a normal liquid battery.

[lesman01]

I have the same low voltage alarm issue. Had it for 2 years. I think if it did anything different, i would think something is wrong.  

You sould always set the alarm at a lower threashold, but that kinda defeats the purpose.

My Vdrive has a battery key under the rear set/tranny enclosure. I take it out every time. Is that what you mean, battery switch?

[toyotafreak]

Yeah, that's the switch. A lot of the other guys (d-drives probably) talk about unhooking their battery.

[Bitzco]

My old X-22 had a battery shut off in the engine compartment on the right front side of the engine. Same key as in the v-drives. Never had the voltage alarm go off in that boat.

On my first v-drive SX I rarely had the voltage alarm. It would only go off if the stereo, tower lights and heater were all on at the same time. I had a two battery system in that boat.

I haven't had the alarm at all yet on my new v-drive SX. I'll turn everything on the next time we go out and see if the alarm goes off. This v-drive only has one battery.

[2000epic]

This is just a thought..which makes my head hurt BTW.  Anyhoo, I didn't notice a low voltage alarm until after I switched to NGK iridium plugs.  Sparkplugs.com says that the denso plugs draw less current than the NGK due to the size of the electrode, .4 vs. .7.  I'm sure I'm over-analyzing things, but I can't confirm my theory until spring since I'm winterized (which I did myself thanks to Pete).  Has anyone run the two back-to-back and seen a difference?

[toyotafreak]

Very interesting (even though MY head's hurting now). I'd very much like to hear your experience with spark plugs in the Epic. Not really concerned about their impact on the alarm, but rather performance, longevity, price/availability. The alternator in our boats is so pimp that I bet the voltage at the battery is 100% whether every factory option is turned on or not. The voltage alarm really is a false alarm, which is really dangerous ("yeah, just ignore that alarm, it's normal.")

Remember Pete and the old timers talked about three main issues: excessive voltage drop between battery and MMDC due to thin gauge wire, large amount of current drawn by the servo gauges at high rpms and high speed, and the always present threat of a poor ground.

[cyclone]

I have measured the voltage at the battery, at the digital switchbox, and at the MMDC at speed. It is 14.6 volts at the bat, about 12 at the switchbox (dash distribution point) and 10 volts at the computer in the trunk. I will fix this damn thing and post the results.  

[1SLEDHEAD]

I know this is a very old post but I wanted to share some info as I have done research and do not see that this voltage drop issue has ever really been resolved. I purchased an S22 V-Drive near the end of last summer. Boat ran great! No alarms, issues, anything. I performed a full spring maintenance on it and just recently put it in the water. I noticed I was getting the voltage drop gremlins in the mid to upper RPM range. When I did remove the spark plugs, I noticed they were NGKs (I did not know the # now as I threw them out). I did install new Toyota Denso Iriduim plugs and am thinking that could be the reason for the warning messae on the AccuSki. I know this has been discussed before but wanted to report my finsdings in hopes others may have had the same issue. I am not going to take out the expensive plugs this year as it appears the voltage dropping issue is not something to worry about, but will surely consider going back to the NGKs next year if it will stop the low voltage warning. Just a thought!

[toyotafreak]

Quick recap of what I did when the ugly LVAs started going off in '03. Already put a Blue Top in there new (still using, now in my daily driver) so knew the batt wasn't a problem. Pulled the alternator and had it bench tested. Forgot what the rating was, but it checked out good. Added extra cable direct from the batt or switch, don't recall, in parallel with the original wires. Should have made a big diff, but didn't. At all. So...I just hit clear when it comes up and I'm needing to see the depth finder readout. Really about the only annoying thing after almost 10 years on the water.

[westtx]

My E22 voltage always shows a drop at high RPMs. No alarm, and the battery always charges. I just ignore it now. Probably not wise, but the boat runs like new every time I fire it up