Battery condition gauge question?

[Finlander]

In my Pro-V there is a battery condition gauge in the front by the trolling motor.
No matter how long I charge my battery and I do not over charge it, the battery indicator only says I have 1/4 charge in it.
That was even with a brand new battery charged correctly!
Could the battery be bad or the gauge?

[ChuckN]

I have never trusted those on board guages. If you tried it with a new battery, it must be giving a false reading or the guage is broken.

I have a portable unit that works great. I sometimes haul that around and it has been fairly accurate.

[RK]

Hiya,
Sounds like the gauge is no good. I've never like those things either. The one on my old Lund was erratic at best.

If you want a really good one, check out the ones made by MarCum Technologies. They have a few different models from console mounted to portable. They're 'smart' so they can be used with multiple battery setups for anything from 12 to 36 volt. Slick deals.

Cheers,
RK

[waterwolff]

yep defective gage just replaced mine with a new one works great now

[Giant_Jackpot]

If you are really interested in the condition of your batteries then go to Radio Shack and buy an inexpensive digital voltmeter. The battery condition gauges you are talking about are notoriously inaccurate.

On the other hand, I never understood the real need for the battery condition gauge anyway. What I mean is that since we are dealing with lead acid batteries you are supposed to be charging them after every use anyway so what difference does it make what the condition of the battery is? Also, another great way to tell if your batteries are getting drained is when your trolling motor starts to slow down. When the motor slows down the batteries are getting low! Sorry but I just could not resist.