2001 Utopia 185 - Something's Draining Battery

[Medicine90man]

Apparently not a neutral problem. Something is killing/draining the battery even with kill switch off. Are there probable causes? It’s not the radio. Not sure what it is. I’d hate to have unhook battery cable every time. Battery is hard to get to. Thanks.

 

[Tim75]

Apparently not a neutral problem. Something is killing/draining the battery even with kill switch off. Are there probable causes? It’s not the radio. Not sure what it is. I’d hate to have unhook battery cable every time. Battery is hard to get to. Thanks.

Disconnect the battery???
What is wrong with your master disconnect switch?

Voltage regulators can cause parasitic drain.

 

[Medicine90man]

Thank you. It might have been a bad belt clip kill switch. We’ll see.

 

[Tim75]

Thank you. It might have been a bad belt clip kill switch. We’ll see.

Kill switch? I don't think so. All it does is short the black/yellow wire to ground.

Use voltmeter from ground to top of each fuse in the fuse block.
Boats are usually much simpler than a car. Just a few circuits compared to dozens.

 

[Medicine90man]

Thank you! Ignition one looks good. I’m going to check the others tomorrow. I think it’s running now. You’ve been very helpful! Chris.

 

[ripcuda]

You might also check the bilge pump. Those are wired to run even when the battery switch is turned off.

 

[Medicine90man]

Thank you so much. Very helpful.

 

[BGS]

On my Sea Ray, bilge is the second wire on battery +, everything else on other + wire, which goes to main disconnect switch.
And radio was a low level draw even off.

 

[Medicine90man]

Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Everything everyone’s said had helped fix this. It’s up and good to go today! Chris

 

[dbaldwin84]

@Medicine90man What ended up being the actual root cause and resolution?
I'm having similar issues, motor cranks fine for a while but then eventually cranks slowly and won't start.
After charging the battery (which load tests at almost 100%) things are fine again for another ~10 starts and then the battery is dead again.
I am turning off the master battery cutoff switch after every outing.
I have not yet measured voltage at the battery when the motor is running. That is my next step to try. If I don't see 14 V, then maybe the issue is voltage regulator/rectifier?
Does the voltage regulator/rectifier have its own independent ground which could be corroded or not easily identifiable and not connected properly?