Opti FYI...

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Craig Roberts

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For anyone running 2001 and newer Optis, Mercury is suggesting adding another battery to isolate your motor from the accessories. Things like bilge pumps and livewell aerators create a huge draw on your cranking battery (which should be at least 1000 MCA, by the way). This could have been a contributing factor in some powerhead failures. So, add another cranking battery with an a/b switch, or another deep cycle battery, hooked up to a battery charger(prefered method).



Craig
 
Craig,



I don't have a lot of knowledge about 2 stroke motors, but could you expand on the reason why an isolated cranking battery would prevent a powerhead from failing. I thought that the purpose of the cranking battery was to start the motor and that the motors alternator charged the battery and provided electrical energy to keep the motor running. I do agree that an extra deep cycle battery for accessories (bile pumps, aerators, etc..) is a great idea since these items run alot while the big motor is off and cranking batteries are not designed for continuous current draw.



Bob G.
 
Bob,....bilge pumps and areators are the biggest draw on a cranking battery. Yes the motor's alternator will keep the motor running, but the initial "start" is a big draw on the battery's reserve power. If you've had the areators or recirc running all day...and the battery is drawn down from this,..THEN you start the big motor,...it's even a BIGGER drain on that battery. Since the Opti's are required to run at a higher voltage (a FULL 12volt's) it's possible that lower voltage was "contributing" in part,..to power head failures due to the ECM's not functioning properly due to less than the 12vlt power. Merc's merely suggesting to use a 12vlt cranking battery solely for starting the big motor, thus keeping it at or very near peak charge ALL of the time. What little power is lost at initial start will be replaced by the alternator upon running. The idea is to use another battery for all of your other accessories thus eliminating any additional drain on your cranking battery.

Hope that clarifies the rationale.....I'm going to do that this year with my boat.....it's cheap insurance!!

Mac
 
Sounds to me like Mercury is trying to put a bandaid on a laceration that really requires surgery - to their product.



me
 
not even close Scott,....they don't offer 5 year warranties now because of a "band-aid" fix!!.....the isolated battery is JUST a suggestion and not mandatory by any means...again,..it's cheap "insurance"...
 
That's why I have an EFI.....Let'um work out ALL of the bugs. Jeeze, how many batteries and at what cost?!? Next you are going to need a kicker motor to get the boat moving due to all of the weight from extra batteries. IMHO the battery situation on boats is their only drawback. I just don't like the idea that I ALWAYS have to be close to juice to fish. Gotta plug in a $40,000 boat to a wall outlet like a dang toaster!! Replacement cost, reliability, failure etc...,

I told Marke, let me be the first to run the hydrogen cells he will end up developing. The inventor who solves the battery problem will be a ver rich man (or woman)!!



TOXIC
 
Mac,



It sounds like a good idea from Merc with the isolated cranking battery. I didn't know the Opti needed full power right from the beginning. Hopefully the bass boat manufacturers will make room for 4 to 5 batteries!



Bob G.
 
You guys aren't listening!!!...It's NOT A FIX!!!!!.,..It's a suggestion!!!!...You DON'T have to have a seperate battery! You STILL GET A 5 YR WARRANTY WITHOUT IT!!!...It doesn't matter if you use 1-2-3or 4 battery's!!! The Opti problems were fixed last year!!! Their warranty claims are down 85% in the last 12mos. alone!!! Merc's just making a suggestion....NOT mandating POLICY!!
 
I'm listening Mac, but what I didn't hear you say was that there are no "bugs" in the opti's. "Suggested" fix means "No Liability" to me as a manufacturer. I wonder what the percentage of warranty claims for blown powerheads is for the efi vs the opti's....or even the carbed motors. What I'm saying is that there is a definate need to improve "portable power" whether it be batteries or GPS, or Steros...whatever.



TOXIC
 
I'm not going to say there are NO bugs in the Opti's.....that would be incredibly naive and totally irresponsible on my part.....I AM saying they believe they have the problem fixed, and are so confident of that fact, that they are now offering a 5 year warranty on all new Opti's!!...and you WON'T get that kind of warranty on the EFI's OR the XR6's!!..so anybody who's considering buying a new Merc, and warranty coverage is an issue,...then you'd be foolish to buy anything BUT an Opti if you want maximum coverage for the longest amount of time! And lastly,...if a seperate battery provides even "more" protection against any potential failure,..than the price of that battery is nill. It is NOT required,...nor is it a "fix"....Merc just feels it may be a good idea to have a seperate battery...and that's ALL they're saying!!
 
Tox, the EFI's have similar power needs as the Opti's. They are voltage dependent to run the ECM. It takes at LEAST 9 volts to start the motor and run the ECM at peak efficency. If you run bilge pumps, livewells, GPS, fishfinders, etc off the same battery supplying power to the motor, you're not getting enough voltage to the ECM. Adding a battery and isolating the motor eliminates that potential.



Craig
 
Ok, Ok, I give, I wasn't trying to stir the pot, I just have a gripe with $40,000 rig that I have to plug in every night. That's not right. Battery technology has a LONG way to go in my opinion. We need better performance from that end of the boat. I'm happy with my motor and I will be ordering a new rig soon. I might just look at the opti's!! My partner didn't, he's not convinced.



TOXIC
 
Anybody try the 'EverTroll' batteries yet?

Big money...but supposed to last significantly longer than the deep cycle's...



az
 
You can still have a full 12 volts even if the battery amperage has been drawn down almost to the point of exhaustion. Lower voltage is indicative of the failure of one or more cells and the battery needs to be replaced.



The alternator on the motor should be more than sufficient to regenerate most - if not all - the amperage drawn by accessories. If not, knowing how the large outboards they manufacture are used, maybe Merc should design them with larger alternators rather than attempt to put the burden on us.



I think the "suggestion" that we add yet another battery to our boats is ludicrous.



me!
 
Does that mean we don't have to worry about it if we have a 2000 ? What would be the differance?
 
Scott, the "alternator" only charges the battery when the motor is running. Typically, you run to a spot, and you're on the trolling motor, with the livewells running, and 2 fishfinders going, etc. That is running down the cranking battery,and when you turn the key the next time, you may not, depending on how long you were on your honey hole,have enough voltage to PROPERLY run the ECM (the brains of an Opti). As Mac said, it's cheap insurance. A group 24 Deep Cycle battery is $60.00 (for an Interstate). A single bank charger is $60.00. For $120.00, you get peace of mind. OR, don't add the battery, and take your chances. We've replaced 2 powerheads in the 3 years I've been here. I'm not saying if you DON'T change it you'll be sorry. Just passing along INFORMATION (what we're all about here, right?)that could PREVENT a POTENTIAL failure.



Craig
 
The alternators on the 200-225HP Opti's are 60 amps!! The same as on a full size truck!(Mark..the alt on your motor is 60amp also...that's plenty!!) No need to add a bigger one for a boat,..and no need to even add a seperate battery for the motor if you don't want too...it's no more "ludicrous" than suggesting you replace cheap nickle plated hooks on baits with better ones...nobody says you have too!!(and don't try to tell me that a battery is more expensive than a few hundred replacement hooks!!..LOL) Mark...my (your) 901 has 3 batteries...and a 3 bank built-in charger. Adding a 4th battery will be entirely up to you...there's plenty of room back there to do it if you want to, but I don't think it's necessary. All 3 batteries were replaced last June and I've never had a problem with battery draw down or hard starts....nor has it ever been an issue plugging it in to charge them up or finding power outlets at hotels or campgrounds when i traveled to tournaments.(just keep an ext.cord in your storage when you travel) That's exactly why built in chargers were developed...FOR CONVENIENCE!!!! Anyway,.. The ONLY issue I can see regarding this whole isolated cranking battery thing is if you did have a 36volt TM and you're already dealing with 4 batteries...adding a 5th would be a pain,..especially when it isn't absolutely necessary. You'll be just fine with the 3 batteries.....I've NEVER had more than 3 batteries in any of my past 9 bass boats and I don't think you'll need to add a 4th either....just keep them charged when not in use and you won't have any problems!

Mac
 
I kind of think that maybe there is getting to be a LOT of accessories put on boats today that need power. One thought on this matter is that a lot of the cranking (starting) batteries are made to deliver high amperage current draw for very short periods of time - vs - deep cycle batteries that deliever amperage for longer periods of time. I was wondering if maybe a "combination" type battery (starting/deep cycle) battery would maybe fit the application better?



Also, spoke with a merc mech about a year ago and asked what are some of the major things that can go wrong with outboards and what the costs are to fix. One of the things I was told that MIGHT be related to this issue was that IF a cell in the starting battery shorts, you can loose the electronics of your motor (this includes the carbed and EFI motors also). I assume this is true with all the mfg's outboards not just merc. Very expensive repair for a shorted cell in a battery.



jd



 
Most salt water captains have isolated their cranking batteries for decades. The motor(s) are almost guaranteed a full charge off the cranking batteries this way if ran long enough to regenerate their initial draw. Accessories generally are running far more longer than the big motor does of any boat, especially a bass boat. Having the cranking battery dedicated is a good idea, done by many tournament fisherman for years. Judge for yourself. If your battery runs down often enough to be problematic on start (whatever the motor), consider removing the accessory bundles to another battery and you'll see a noticable improvement in both systems. Mercury is only suggesting this as a practical remedy for a remote possibility.
 
OK I never even hit reply ??



Craig I appreciate the post and the passing on of info that I otherwise would never hear about.



Thanks,

Mark
 
I simply run all the accessories off the cranking battery. Since the fishfinders don't draw much, they aren't an issue, and my livewell pumps are still in the original wrapper since I have no use for them (I can't catch fish). :)



I used a shad tank last year, and that pump would take out the battery in a day. A few hours would get me past "able to crank" stage. And this was a carbed motor.
 
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