96 XP battery dead after sitting

[RM93]

Hey everyone. Have a 96 XP. Rode it a few days a couple weeks ago. Then it has sat for a couple weeks. Will the memory in the MPEM draw these battery's down over time (normal condition) like a car? Or do I have a draw issue?

 

[Ckrawiec]

The MPEM will not draw down a battery in a couple weeks. If the battery drained down by itself just sitting, then a "parasitic" draw could be a possibility. Are you certain the battery is up to snuff? Load tested? Fully charged?

 

[RM93]

Yea it was a new fully charged and tested battery. It was down to like 3.5V in that time frame.

 

[RM93]

What is the best way to find the point of the draw on these machines?

 

[Ckrawiec]

Yea it was a new fully charged and tested battery. It was down to like 3.5V in that time frame.

HMMMMM... that's not good. The battery should not be draining down like that, that fast.....I've had batteries sitting for months on the shelf and still holding a charge....of course, not connected to anything.

There is technically nothing in the ski that should be drawing power from the battery once it's shut down either....

 

[RM93]

Yea I agree I can leave battery's on my bench for 6 months, no issue. So the memory for the DESS won't pull power when off? Like in automotive radio memory and ECU memory has a MA draw that over and extended period will kill a battery. I feel that down to 3.5V is still too fast.

 

[SpitandDirt]

Every time I store my skis on the trailer, my normal routine is to unplug the 6 pin connector from the rear electrical box. If the battery stays in the ski, this is the quickest way to eliminate the MPEM from drawing power. Then you don't have any issue of having a dead battery in a few days or weeks. THIS INFORMATION ONLY APPLIES TO DESS-EQUIPPED SKIS. 1995 and prior skis do not have this battery drain problem.

Technical Information | ODYSSEY® Battery

Issue – This brand of watercraft experiences an electrical load on the battery during storage, caused by a control module monitoring the lanyard socket. If the lanyard is left installed the electrical drain is 18 ma after 10 minutes of shutting down the engine. If the lanyard is removed, the electrical drain is 7 ma. These electrical loads are continuous and can accumulate to be significant over time. At 18 milli amps, the battery will lose 1 amp/hour of capacity in 55.5 hours or 10 amp/hours (Ah) in 23 days. On a PC 625, 10 Ah is 59% of battery capacity.

Solution – For Sea-Doo watercraft always disconnect the lanyard from its socket when not riding the watercraft. Install a waterproof disconnect switch in the negative battery cable, so the battery can be disconnected after riding. Use switch P/N 32965 from Overton’s Marine Catalog or use the 12V, 6A Odyssey Battery charger suggested above.

Check your ODYSSEY battery voltage periodically for full charge, which is 12.84V. Recharge whenever below 12.65V.

 

[RM93]

Thanks that is helpful info. Thats pretty much where my train of thought was. Down to 3V seems like a fast drain still but a shutoff switch will cure that.

 

[emspjay]

My wife's GTX does the same thing but I have not looked into why yet. I just did the quick and easy fix and put a battery cut off switch in.

https://www.amazon.com/Volt-Battery...ocphy=9007853&hvtargid=pla-571598952701&psc=1

 

[Ckrawiec]

Every time I store my skis on the trailer, my normal routine is to unplug the 6 pin connector from the rear electrical box. If the battery stays in the ski, this is the quickest way to eliminate the MPEM from drawing power. Then you don't have any issue of having a dead battery in a few days or weeks. THIS INFORMATION ONLY APPLIES TO DESS-EQUIPPED SKIS. 1995 and prior skis do not have this battery drain problem.

Technical Information | ODYSSEY® Battery

Issue – This brand of watercraft experiences an electrical load on the battery during storage, caused by a control module monitoring the lanyard socket. If the lanyard is left installed the electrical drain is 18 ma after 10 minutes of shutting down the engine. If the lanyard is removed, the electrical drain is 7 ma. These electrical loads are continuous and can accumulate to be significant over time. At 18 milli amps, the battery will lose 1 amp/hour of capacity in 55.5 hours or 10 amp/hours (Ah) in 23 days. On a PC 625, 10 Ah is 59% of battery capacity.

Solution – For Sea-Doo watercraft always disconnect the lanyard from its socket when not riding the watercraft. Install a waterproof disconnect switch in the negative battery cable, so the battery can be disconnected after riding. Use switch P/N 32965 from Overton’s Marine Catalog or use the 12V, 6A Odyssey Battery charger suggested above.

Check your ODYSSEY battery voltage periodically for full charge, which is 12.84V. Recharge whenever below 12.65V.

Now THAT is some "HIGH QUALITY h2o" info.....I never would have guessed the ski is "watching" the DESS post and ever so slowly diminishing the battery......

BUT, now that kinda opens my brain up to this/my issue.....If I leave my ski ('96 GTX) sitting unattended on the water for a week (I'm a weekend warrior during the Summer)....when I press the Start button (no key), I get a 12V LOW message....but there is usually still enough juice to get her started and the message goes away. I know my rectifier is working so the ski then "re-charges" the battery during any run time.....

IF I wait 2 weeks, not using the ski in between, then its a little harder to get her kicked over......aha!

 

[artr]

Is there a couple of tests you can perform to find out what's going on.
1. Use a Volt meter to check that the battery is being charged when the ski is running and revved up to about 4000 to 5000 RPM. It should read about 14V. When you rode it a couple of weeks ago and it was not charging but using up the battery and then sat for a couple of weeks that could be the problem.
2. If your Volt meter is capable of measuring amps you can use it in series with one of the battery leads to tell how much current draw there is when the ski is off. I would think it would only be a few milliamps.
3. Your ski is similar to a 96 GTX. Both have a CDI module that is in the front electrical Box on the cover. There is a holder relay in the front electrical Box that will cut power to the CDI unit when the ski is off. If that relay is stuck on then that can be the excessive power draw that you are looking for.

 

[POPPS]

One way to find the "parasitic draw",,,is to have your meter in series as artr stated,,,then one by one remove a fuse till the draw disappears,,that fuse circuit could be your culprit.

 

[RM93]

Is there a couple of tests you can perform to find out what's going on.
1. Use a Volt meter to check that the battery is being charged when the ski is running and revved up to about 4000 to 5000 RPM. It should read about 14V. When you rode it a couple of weeks ago and it was not charging but using up the battery and then sat for a couple of weeks that could be the problem.
2. If your Volt meter is capable of measuring amps you can use it in series with one of the battery leads to tell how much current draw there is when the ski is off. I would think it would only be a few milliamps.
3. Your ski is similar to a 96 GTX. Both have a CDI module that is in the front electrical Box on the cover. There is a holder relay in the front electrical Box that will cut power to the CDI unit when the ski is off. If that relay is stuck on then that can be the excessive power draw that you are looking for.

Thanks! I'll check that stuff out.

 

[Ckrawiec]

FYI....not all '96 GTXs have the separate CDI module....the separate CDI was incorporated into the MPEM at some point. I have a '96 GTX, no separate CDI.....the wiring diagram shows a CDI and I spent a bit of time searching for it until MIKI set me straight.

 

[wayneh]

Discharge to that low a voltage can permanently damage a battery. You can often bring it back but it's life has been shortened. Leaving a trickle charge on it for several days after it's been bulk-charged can help reform the plates and get a lot of performance back.

You didn't mention the battery type. Traditional lead-acid batteries don't like mechanical shocks, and of course they see a lot of that on a PWC. That's why cheapo lead batteries are not really recommended.

 

[RM93]

Know all about batteries lol used to work at a parts store for 10 years. Thanks! Good info, it is a lead acid that I plan to replace with a Deka AGM