Boat Battery 1, Battery 2, and switch troubleshooting question

[hopedale]

Need ideas to trouble shoot why is it when I turn the battery switch to dual I get no power to the starter?

The starting battery is on 1 and if the switch is turned to 1 I can turn the key, hear the alarm, and start my motor.

If I turn the switch to 2, I hear nothing, which is correct.

But as stated, if I turn the switch to both (which is supposed to give me the charge from both batteries) I get nothing.


What do I need to troubleshoot?

[Walker]

Probably have the outgoing positive on the wrong pole of the switch.

[muzzlebrake]

Hope them batteries are wired parallel and not in series.

[Walker]

If I turn the switch to 2, I hear nothing, which is correct.

Explain what you're trying to do with both batteries.

[hopedale]

Hope them batteries are wired parallel and not in series.

Its all orginal wiring.

Positive from position 1 is on starting battery. Positive postion 2 is on the second battery (house).

I like keeping the switch on "both" so as I run both batteries get re-charged.

[Walker]

If everything is wired right then you have a problem with battery #2. Maybe it's dead.

[kingranch]

do you have access to a volt meter?

unscrew the perko from the wall and look at the wiring
should be straight forward 12v wiring,

How old is batt?

[bowhntrmatt]

On mine, the switch got a little corroded. Sometimes it would work, sometimes if I switched to just one battery or the other, it wouldn’t work. I took it apart and wire brushed all the internal contact points and it is good as new.

Mine is mounted knob-down under the console to it would hold water inside the plastic housing. I also drilled a bunch of holes in the plastic to let the water drain out.

[E.TX.BOWHUNTER]

If everything is wired right then you have a problem with battery #2. Maybe it's dead.

This is my thinking. Shorted cells in battery 2.

[cva34]

maybe bad switch battery selector

[justletmein]

If I turn the switch to 2, I hear nothing, which is correct.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but if you turn the switch to 2 and get nothing and that's correct, how are you supposed to pull juice from both 1 and 2 when you're on All? Seems like it'd be the same as being just on #1. I've always run my Perko's where 1 or 2 both will power everything, so not a true house battery situation.

[rvd]

Sounds like battery 2 being bad is where I would start.

FWIW It was a long time ago (late 90's) but I burned up a couple stators running on "both" batteries before I figured out what was happening. May not be an issue on newer motors.

[RWB]

I think your switch has a problem. Sounds to me like it's not making contact when in the dual battery position.

[Txnative78]

There should be a common ground between the two negative posts on the batteries jumping them together.