Battery life

[mick]

I have a dodgy alternator, but a brand new 56AH starter battery which is used for starting and nothing else. I also have a new starter motor which starts the engine (Bukh 10hp) instantly. If my alternator fails completely, how many starts am I likely to get before the battery is too far gone to start the engine?

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[vyv_cox]

It's a very large number. Although the current drawn by a starter motor is high it lasts for only a few seconds, providing the engine starts without prolonged cranking. So 200 Amps for 10 seconds (at worst) equates to just over 0.5 Ampere hours. You can probably reckon to take the battery charge down to about half (?) so you might reckon to get 50 starts at this rate.

Electrical experts can comment, I won't be offended.

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[roger]

You should be able to get an alternator from a car breaker for about £10 with a 1 month guarantee! It would be worth carrying one - just in case.

<hr width=100% size=1>Roger

 

[mick]

Thanks to Vyv and Roger for advice.

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[anabel]

Depends!!!!!!!!!!! If you have a dodgy alternator you you may have a under charged battery. If I were you I wouldn't go beyond 'hailing' distance til you sort out your alternator.



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[extravert]

Have you tried hand starting your engine? According to the manual it's possible, but I've never tried mine.

<hr width=100% size=1>Adventures of the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.xrayted.fsnet.co.uk>Teddy Bear Boat</A>