voltage loss

[Cs2930]

Hello, I have a yamaha 242 e-series 2016. when i am on the water I experience voltage loss when a I play the radio. Then the alarm goes off once it reaches 10.8v. I start the motors up and immediately both batteries display 13.2 v. How should I set up the batteries when on water. Thanks

 

[dgfreeze]

What you're describing sounds normal. Obviously, as you're draining the battery with the radio, etc, your voltage will drop. Once you start the engines back up, they will immediately put a charge to the batteries, hence the 13.2 on display. If you want your batteries to last longer, you can add more batteries, and you can also isolate one battery to be used as your "start" battery, which alleviates the fear of being stranded, and allows you to drain your auxiliary batteries to your heart's desire.

 

[Cs2930]

Thanks. But I have a start battery and a house battery. Both batteries have to be on in order for the radio to play. I though I could shut off the start battery. Apparently not. I also have the solar panels. I figured it would compensate. Apparently not.

 

[TommyG]

On the e-series both Batts have to be on so the DVSR can do its thing. I had this issue on my 2019 when it was new but it was draining my start Batt. I had to take it in to the dealer. They said I had a bad screen, replaced it and its been working fine since then. I initially thought the batteries or elc system might be wired wrong because I have seen some talk about it on the E-series but don't think they did any other than Replace the touch-Screen. I have the solar panels and usually see 12.7-12.2 (depending on the time of day) on both batteries with the radio up pretty loud.

 

[Cs2930]

I had the radio on and on very low volume. After 3 hours I was at 10.2 v. My batteries were just tested and they are in great condition. Something seems to be draining it . Doesn’t the solar panel charge it? I may consult my dealer.

 

[TommyG]

I had the radio on and on very low volume. After 3 hours I was at 10.2 v. My batteries were just tested and they are in great condition. Something seems to be draining it . Doesn’t the solar panel charge it? I may consult my dealer.

Yes if the solar panel is working you'll get something over 12v with the engines off. if the DVSR (Voltage regulator) goes bad it won't charge properly. Sorry if I'm not much help but that's a mechanic level fix for me. I'm sure the smart guys will chime in shortly with some better trouble shooting tips.

 

[Cs2930]

Honestly been a great help thank you very much

 

[tdonoughue]

First, check the water level in the batteries. Low water in the batteries will decrease their capacity.

I don't have a Limited S, so don't know about the solar panels too much (or why you would need both batteries on for the DVSR to work). But if you need both batteries on to make the radio work, that sounds wrong to me. Normally, one battery should be your starting battery (for connecting to the engines) and the other one should be the 'house' battery (for the accessories, radio, lights, etc.). The idea is that when you are floating you run off just the house battery, preserving one battery's charge to start the boat (even if you completely deplete the house battery). Then when the boat is started and charging, both batteries get charged up (that is what the DVSR does). So if you need them both on to run the radio, that kinda defeats the purpose.

What do you have for a radio? Just stock, or do you have an amp or two? Subwoofer? Additional speakers? Any other power drains going on while you are floating?

Also, how long are we talking about here? An hour or like 8 hours? And do you keep your boat on a charger when not in use? Is it a smart charger with multiple banks or just a simple battery maintainer?

Also, the reading of the voltage while the engines is running is skewed. When the engines are running, you are seeing the voltage generated by the stators, not the voltage from the batteries. It is higher than 12v because it is charging the 12v batteries. When you turn off the engines, you get a truer reading of the battery voltage. So you should be seeing 13+v when running and when you turn it off generally it will drop some.

 

[212s]

Something is not right...I have a 212s with a stock dual battery system, house and start. I too need to keep both turned on or the Connext system will complain as the start will read 0.0v and an alarm will sound. My system is wired properly (checked with a meter to confirm) and the start battery doesn't drain at all when floating. The house battery will drop as expected when playing tunes with my JL digital amp which doesn't draw too much when low, but does draw a lot if I crank it up. With low volumes though, I can play off the house battery all week and never see less than 12.5v.

There's threads on here about battery fixes and wiring changes as Yamaha didn't have great success with electronics - try a search and see if something matches your issue. Perhaps your 2016 has something wired wrong, or as stated a bad DVSR, or something else. If you can't figure it out, I'd hit the dealer for a diagnosis. You should be able to float all day without the start draining. The solar panel helps, but it can't charge the house battery if the system is on - it's there to charge when floating and all systems are off, like at a friend's dock for a weekend, not to charge when playing tunes.

You also asked how should the batteries be set - I guess you mean the switches? Both red should be on, the yellow combine should always be off. The yellow switch is only needed for emergency starting like slipped for a few weeks and the boat was unused and both batteries are too low to start by itself. When I'm floating, my house will slowly drop, but after hours of floating it goes from full at 12.7v down to 12.5v if not too loud. Even cranked for a while it doesn't drop below 12.4v often (that's about 50% discharged). The whole time the start battery remains full at 12.7v and doesn't drop at all in 3-5 hours. This is how it's supposed to work...

 

[Cs2930]

Something is not right...I have a 212s with a stock dual battery system, house and start. I too need to keep both turned on or the Connext system will complain as the start will read 0.0v and an alarm will sound. My system is wired properly (checked with a meter to confirm) and the start battery doesn't drain at all when floating. The house battery will drop as expected when playing tunes with my JL digital amp which doesn't draw too much when low, but does draw a lot if I crank it up. With low volumes though, I can play off the house battery all week and never see less than 12.5v.

There's threads on here about battery fixes and wiring changes as Yamaha didn't have great success with electronics - try a search and see if something matches your issue. Perhaps your 2016 has something wired wrong, or as stated a bad DVSR, or something else. If you can't figure it out, I'd hit the dealer for a diagnosis. You should be able to float all day without the start draining. The solar panel helps, but it can't charge the house battery if the system is on - it's there to charge when floating and all systems are off, like at a friend's dock for a weekend, not to charge when playing tunes.

You also asked how should the batteries be set - I guess you mean the switches? Both red should be on, the yellow combine should always be off. The yellow switch is only needed for emergency starting like slipped for a few weeks and the boat was unused and both batteries are too low to start by itself. When I'm floating, my house will slowly drop, but after hours of floating it goes from full at 12.7v down to 12.5v if not too loud. Even cranked for a while it doesn't drop below 12.4v often (that's about 50% discharged). The whole time the start battery remains full at 12.7v and doesn't drop at all in 3-5 hours. This is how it's supposed to work...

 

[Cs2930]

Well that really explains a lot. I guess I really have a problem because only after a 3 hours the battery drains to 10.2 Volts then the alarm goes off. I thought the solar panels would charge the battery as I’m on the water and the radio is on. I have the stock radio and it is a sealed battery.I was told I have to keep both batteries on in order for the system to work properly. I will go see my dealership for help. Thanks for the advice I will post once I find the problem. But I’ve been told that Yamaha have not mastered this system yet

 

[Beachbummer]

Yamaha may not have, but many folks on the board have gotten really knowledgeable on it.

Before you take it in, why don't you post some pictures of your wiring? Someone here might recognize what's wing and save you a trip.

 

[Cs2930]

great idea

 

[Cs2930]

This is the setup that I have I'm thinking maybe I need more cranking amps I'm not sure if I need a stronger battery

 

[mrcleanr6]

i didnt see it posted but is this the original battery with the boat? thats prob about 5 years old now. what you are telling us is just a prime example of a battery that is on its way out. did you bother to load test it?

 

[Cs2930]

Yes I had a test loaded and it was 735 cranking amps on both batteries. I am assuming they are original I just purchased the boat three weeks ago

 

[mrcleanr6]

5 years is about the upper limit to be expected from batteries. on a boat, batteries in less than top notch condition could leave you stranded. first thing i would do is buy new ones.

 

[Cs2930]

thanks

 

[TommyG]

First, check the water level in the batteries. Low water in the batteries will decrease their capacity.

I don't have a Limited S, so don't know about the solar panels too much (or why you would need both batteries on for the DVSR to work). But if you need both batteries on to make the radio work, that sounds wrong to me. Normally, one battery should be your starting battery (for connecting to the engines) and the other one should be the 'house' battery (for the accessories, radio, lights, etc.). The idea is that when you are floating you run off just the house battery, preserving one battery's charge to start the boat (even if you completely deplete the house battery). Then when the boat is started and charging, both batteries get charged up (that is what the DVSR does). So if you need them both on to run the radio, that kinda defeats the purpose.

What do you have for a radio? Just stock, or do you have an amp or two? Subwoofer? Additional speakers? Any other power drains going on while you are floating?

Also, how long are we talking about here? An hour or like 8 hours? And do you keep your boat on a charger when not in use? Is it a smart charger with multiple banks or just a simple battery maintainer?

Also, the reading of the voltage while the engines is running is skewed. When the engines are running, you are seeing the voltage generated by the stators, not the voltage from the batteries. It is higher than 12v because it is charging the 12v batteries. When you turn off the engines, you get a truer reading of the battery voltage. So you should be seeing 13+v when running and when you turn it off generally it will drop some.

On the E series boats you can physically leave the start Batt off but you get a constant alarm that you will have to silence every few mins. My understanding is the DVSR helps charge each individual batt as needed but keeps the system from using any power from the start batt unless you are using the starter or the parallel switch is closed (on). For normal operations the parallel switch should be Open(off) unless u need it to start the engine. keeping both Batts on has to do with how Yamaha configured the Computers on board. You are directed to keep them both on in the manual.

 

[Cs2930]

Just attended the dealer. showed him pics and he termined that I do not have deep cycle batteries and that it is an absolute must. therefore I will change them. bought the boat 1 month ago from so.eo e that was clueless. cheers and I appreciate all the help