Ground block - 2003 FV310

Ian

I think the root of my issues last week is a connection problem at the common ground - great run out today on plane and speed a few times then last throttle back to come in and alarms going off, low voltage again. Has to be a ground, only common connection.

I have to go a hunting but anyone know where the block is for the batteries? @Pat310 @Rinker310_LI @rinker310FV @rinker310 - you guys found yours?

Pat310

Ground block in engine bay is on starboard side above the waste tank. Don’t remember seeing one at the helm

Ian

Yeah I thought it may be around there, also not seen one at helm. The storage box is there so that will be my starting point.

Ian

So there was no grounding issue after all - the problem ended up being what I discounted in the first instance - bad batteries. In April 2019 I replaced the 3 2012 dated batteries with new AGM’s (house had gone open circuit and figured the other 2 were due being 6 years old). I did confirm the charger is AGM suitable beforehand and went ahead with the replacement.

After finding nothing with grounds I watched my DVM as I hit the key and the voltages dropped way low and each starter did the same, switching batteries to emergency start didn’t help. Got jumper leads I have and hooked one to the house battery and it fired right up, same second engine. Now I was sure and arranged 2 new flooded 1000MSA batteries.

Borrowed a fancy analyzer and sure enough - came up bad with MCA on one 17 and the other around 80 - for 750 MCA batteries. Also tested the new ones - right from store and got 1280 and 1285 MCA readings. Put in the the engines crank over at a rate not seen for a while.

Shame I paid a lot for the AGMs, expecting more than 3 years of life and questioning if perhaps a a bad batch of the group 34’s as the 31 house is fine.

Lesson learnt - don’t assume the “can’t be” isn’t!