www.iFourWinns.com

my volt gauge is always just below 12 volts, my mechanic said the alternator is putting out at least 13. so I think I need a new gauge.

This boat has been eating batteries, I have owned it for 4 years and put in 4 new battery sets, and I was buying the good batteries my mechanic suggested
Last summer put in a new shore power charger and as long as I am plugged in the batteries are fine.
If I am not on shore power and get off the boat for overnight and forget to turn off the batter switch and the ships systems switch the batteries will be dead in the morning.
This is happening even when I have checked to be sure all electronics are turned off.

Does anyone else have this issue with this model ???

I love my boat and use it to cruise Lake Ontario and the Canadian canal systems and it fills all our needs. Only thing lacking is generator but don't see any room for that with the big 8.1 motor, there's no room down there.

Happy Safe boating out there

I don't have a 268 but your batteries at full charge should read around 12.7 v and with the engine running around 14-14.5 v. I would suggest getting a hold of a electrical tester and see what you got. My batteries ( Interstate series 27) last at least 4 years. Fully discharging your batteries as you do are killing them. It is possible that you have another problem with something running without the battery switch on. Possibly a bilge pump, high water alarm or even a carbon monoxide detector, all of witch are hot wired. You may want to disconnect your batteries overnight, some time when convienent, and see if they are up the next day. Don't forget to record the voltage before and after you disconnect them. You got to start somewhere.

I put a pair of Group 31 Deep Cycle/Starting lead-acid batteries in my 268 for the house and a Group 27 Starting Battery for the engine. My voltmeter reads similar to what you describe. I have confirmed with a volt-ohm meter that the boat's voltmeter is reading close to accurate at the helm. I have also confirmed that the alternator and batteries were operating at an acceptable voltage output. I would suggest that you use a handheld voltmeter to check your boat's voltmeter. The 268's gauges can be easily removed as one unit by removing the 6 or 8 screws that hold the woodgrain panel in place. You might lay the instrument panel on a towel on the helm, but the panel with the instruments will be very accessible.

There have been several comments on this site about wire size on these boats, and whether this causes low voltage readings. The longer wire runs cn lead to voltage drop. You might be able to add additional power and ground jumper wires to help carry the electrical load. Otherwise, make sure that all electrical connections are clean and making good contact.

Your boat also has a battery isolator between the alternator and the batteries to allow charging of both battery banks, but electrically separate the two banks so one does not drain the other. Previous posts indicate that this isolator reduces battery voltage by about 1/2 volt.

We installed an 1800 watt modified sine wave inverter a few years ago, and replaced it this spring with a 2000 watt true sine wave inverter/battery charger. The boat is plugged in to shore power when we are at a dock or on the trailer at home. We have spent several nights anchored or beached, and were able to use 1 or 2 fans overnight in addition to running the fridge with the old inverter without issue.

Does your boat have an inverter, and do you use it overnight to run 110 volt appliances? If so, you will need to switch OFF the "Charger/Refrigerator". The fridge will run on either 12 volt or 110 volt. This stops the inverter from taking battery power to run the battery charger to recharge the batteries.

You might also verify whether you have a bilge pump or shower sump running.

Hope this helps.

_________________
Surface Interval: A scuba diving term for that time between dives to relax and prepare for life's next great adventure.

Current boat: '02 FW 268 Vista
Previous boat: '95 FW 190 Horizon

Based on your statements:
You have both batteries going dead overnight. These are two separate systems unless someone has tied them together.

Have you verified that the fridge is not on. That will run on the house battery and kill the battery overnight without shore power. Also your CO sensors, water level sensors, TV, DVD, etc... are all in standby mode unless you turn the master power off.

As for the starter battery - I would again look for some drain. It could be your radio and amp if wired to the starter battery instead of the house battery (even turned off, they use power for memory and the amp is probably on all the time or at least in a standby mode), along with several other systems running in the background (gps, depth finder, etc...).

As stated, most of the volt gauges read low due to voltage drop from the battery to the helm thru all the wiring and connections. I would doubt you have a bad volt gauge if it reads when engine is cranked.

I would recommend getting a clamp on style amp meter and read the amps coming out of the battery and then start chasing accessories that are not truly turned off.

Also, I never leave my boat without hooking up shore power and turning off the systems switches.
My last house battery lasted 5 years and my starter battery lasted 6 years.

_________________
The Dance II
2007 278 Vista
6.2L Mercruiser

I agree with the comments above. I second the fridge switch comment as well. You could also get an ammeter to see what you're drawing current-wise for your overnight drain:

https://www.alliedelec.com/product/fluk ... lsrc=aw.ds

I am sure there are cheaper models out there, but you could test each battery bank with your switches positioned to simulate overnight.

_________________
Current Boat: 2016 V275 6.2L MC B3
Previous Boat:2002 Vista 248 5.7l dp

It’s a good idea to connect an ammeter in series with each battery neg post and the neg cable with the batt switches off to see what is drawing the batteries down. On my boat I had a persistent issue where the batteries would read 14.2v with the engine running and 12.7 with it off. However the dash gauge would read about 11.5-12v with the engine running and lower (10.5) with it off. I thought it was just a old gauge but when I hooked up the multimeter to the voltmeter wiring I got the same exact readings; the old gauge was right on. What I had was low voltage to the dash wiring. I checked every connection under the dash and could find no corrosion or loose connections. I tried running an extra ground from the fuse box negative to one of the batts negative but that made no difference. Tried the same thi g with the positive side and the gauge jumped up to where it should be. I ran an extra pos feed fused at the batt switch common terminal to the fuse box positive and so far this seems to have fixed the low voltage to the dash wiring issue. It might be a high resistance connection somewhere in the engine harness but have not found it yet.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

I replaced my gauge years ago because of the same issue but found out that there was a sizable voltage drop from the battery to the voltage gauge which causes false low readings. Four Winns seems to have used too small gauge of wires on multiple systems on this boat as others have stated, this is especially the case with the fridge and helm. If you run a new fused positive supply like LouC mentioned I think it would resolve your issue

If you are looking for a more accurate way to monitor your house batteries then I would highly recommend adding this into your system. It uses a 100 amp shunt on the negative side to measure your amperage used and batteries voltage. Its cool to switch things on/off and get an immediate measurement of that device. I used thermostat 4/20g to run the info wires, it was a very easy install. This unit will also help you find your battery draw by disconnecting devices and watching the amperage usage drop https://www.amazon.com/bayite-6-5-100V-Display-Multimeter-Voltmeter/dp/B013PKYILS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3FAYPIXKS90G6&keywords=bayite+battery+monitor&qid=1560622119&s=gateway&sprefix=bayite+battery%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-3

Also as Surface interval stated if you have an inverter make sure you check its draw. The above unit helped me diagnose a massive draw our inverter was causing even in idle mode, turns out it is shorted and quickly draining the batteries when off shore power.

_________________
Our Boating Blog: http://ben-dana.blogspot.com/

2005 268 Vista "Sea Pickle II"
1979 AMF Alcort Puffer
Previous:
2003 FW190 Horizon
1973 Startcraft 18ft "Sea Pickle"

What I thought was a false low reading was actually true and the radio or gps would sometimes cut out due to low voltage. The odd thing was that none of the connections in the old Medallion harness were corroded. The added positive feed seems to have solved that issue.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II

One more cheap check would be the fish locator. Most units have a setting that will display voltage. It might take a few minutes to locate the setting. I've found them to be accurate.

_________________
2006 Four Winns 378 Vista
1999 Ciera 2655 5.7L BIII "Brenda Lou"
1996 Skeeter 1850DV 175 Mariner 9.9 Mariner. sold
1975 Lund 14' 25 HP Mercury. sold
2008 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 6.7L Turbo diesel Quad Cab
South Bay Marina, Green Bay

I too noticed my volt meter on the dash seemed low, but at the batteries was right on. I have heard the same as surface suggested, FW used small wire and the voltage drop affects it. I used it for a reference point. If it was off of the norm, I would be concerned


For the house batteries, I used 3 deep cycle marine batteries, never had an issue with the fridge running down the batteries, I also had a stereo with an amp running all day, I could go out for a couple days with that set up.

Good luck, loved my 268

_________________
Current:
2000 Sea Ray 380 Sundancer "still Livin the Dream"

Past
2002 268 Vista 5.7 GXI "Livin' the Dream"
1996 Rinker 192 Captiva. "The Simple Life"
1999 Yamaha XLL 1200 Waverunner.
1976 Mercury Marquis tri hull 120 hp

What I found was that the gauge was exactly right, meaning that even though the batteries were being charged at 14.2V, all the dash wiring was getting barely 12V and sometimes 11.5V which is not good for all the accessories fed by the dash wiring. If in fact your gauge is reading what the dash wiring actually is getting (just disconnect the pos and neg feed at the gauge and hook it up to a digital multimeter), then I think it should be attended to. It took me about an hr to figure out where the undersized wiring was and to correct it. I used an 8 gauge wire and fused it at the battery switch common terminal. Ran it right up to the positive lug on the fuse box.
Keep in mind that on most boats the bilge pumps, engine compartment blower, VHF radio, Depthfinder, sound system etc are all fed off the dash wiring. Low voltage tends to increase amp flow which builds heat in wiring connectors.

_________________
88 Four Winns 200 Horizon
4.3 OMC Cobra-4bbl
2002 Walker Bay 10/2012 Suzuki 2.5
2008 Walker Bay 8

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0/Selectrac
2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7 Hemi/Quadradrive II