Emergency Start

[canuckkb]

Greetings,
I am finally getting ready to splash my new-to-me TriFly. I spent the weekend cleaning it up and getting the systems ready, making a list and checking it twice. Anyways, I was wondering is someone could explain to me how the emergency start works or was intended to work. Unfortunately the boat is 3 hours away and my time on it has been short, so I wasn't able to devote the time needed to figure it out on my own.
Thank you
Kevin

[sluggo]

on mine, it works like an internal jump starter, that is if the port engine battery wont fire, hit and hold the emergency start switch, and try to see if it will fire (the switch jumps over the starboard engine battery and runs it to the port).

[sluggo]

and one more thing, and not to be a know it all, but this flipped me out for a while when I first got my trojan. It would not start, would not fire, would not do anything when I went to start it. Turns out it has a safety neutral switch, which means it has to be in neutral to start. Although it appeared to be in neutral, it was quite right, a little jiggle of the level throws it to neutral and it fired right up!

[canuckkb]

Probably safe to assume that they are set up the same. So does that mean that the starboard battery is normally isolated to only starting that engine and that the alternator charges the starboard side, while the port charges the the port? If so, should the starboard battery be a starting battery? For the port side, I am I correct that this would be the house batteries. Therefore a group of deep cycle batteries with no starting battery.
Thank you for time.

[larryeddington]

I think the switch works for either engine when battery is dead otherwise if it always used one as emergency battery and it died you would be dead in the water.

[larryeddington]

I think the switch works for either engine when battery is dead otherwise if it always used one as emergency battery and it died you would be dead in the water.

[todd brinkerhoff]

I think both batteries are run in parallel when you engage the switch, so you are pulling from both batteries. I suppose to set it up properly, their should be a single battery that only starts motors and bilge pumps, and the other battery is strictly a house battery. I don't think any of them are set up that way.

[P-Dogg]

Greetings and welcome. One thing to find out is what battery powers the emergency start relay. I believe the relay is only powered from one battery, which I know sounds like it shouldn't be. On my tricabin, with the engine hatches open, I can hear the emergency relay click on from the bridge. That's one way to make sure it is working. And if your batteries are in less than stellar shape, the engines will turn over faster when said switch is enabled. My relay is mounted inside my battery box.

As for batteries, many folks will tell you that what I am doing is heresy. I'm running the biggest premium deep cycle batteries from walltowallmart that would fit in the existing box. I use the emergency start as a matter of course when starting. I can easily start my crusader 270s from one deep cycle battery, but by paralleling them, each one sees half the amp draw. Two plus years with this setup. So far no issues, except you can still see the anchor light at dawn and you don't HAVE to use the emergency start to get going in the morning. Generator gets a genuine starting battery since it never sees house loads. If I was starting big diesels things would be different.

And yes, each engine charges it's own battery.

[9mtrojan]

@ P-Dogg If it's not to much troule, can you take a picture of your set up and post it? I have three deep cycle batteries and the emergency jump also. No click. Think I hooked it up wrong. Thank You

[obeejr]

As Todd stated above, both batteries are always connected by the starting relay regardless of which engine you are starting. The reason there is a switch on the dash is because when the battery normally connected to the engine you are starting is dead, it also doesn't have enough power to close the crossover relay to parallel in the good battery. The crossover switch allows you to pick which battery is used to close the relay, so in one of the two possible positions the relay will be closed by the good battery and allow you to start.
I would prefer that the crossover relay only operated with the manual switch. Otherwise, you may have a weak battery and not even know it.

[prowlersfish]

Greetings and welcome. One thing to find out is what battery powers the emergency start relay. I believe the relay is only powered from one battery, which I know sounds like it shouldn't be. On my tricabin, with the engine hatches open, I can hear the emergency relay click on from the bridge. That's one way to make sure it is working. And if your batteries are in less than stellar shape, the engines will turn over faster when said switch is enabled. My relay is mounted inside my battery box.



And yes, each engine charges it's own battery.

As you know this has come up before . But I will clear up a few things . What battery powers the relay in normal use ? The battery of the engine you trying to start powers it when you try to start it . this happens every time you start it if the system is working . You don't need the switch . ( something I learned on the last thread and checked on .)

Then why the switch ? And what battery powers the switch ? Well the switch has 2 postions so you can power the relay off battery 1 or battery 2 . Why ? well if battery 1 is dead you could not power the relay could you ? So you power it off battery 2 to send power to the dead battery 1 The switch is there in case you have a dead Battery . thats why it labled Emergency Start .

The system only jumps when cranking or using the switch .

I see obeejr posted basicly the the same info .

[canuckkb]

Thank you for the responses.
I guess that I am still a little confused. When I bought my boat last fall, it had already been winterized and the batteries been removed and placed on a trickle charger. I much prefer to winterize myself however this was not the case this time. Anyways, I have 1 starting battery and a 4 dead cycles. There is one battery box in each engine compartment, and 3 batteries located in front of the generator in the mid-cabin compartment.
I assumed that the starboard engine gets the starting battery and the rest were in parallel on port side, and that the port side ran the house. Am I wrong in my thinking? If so, what would the best setup be? Should I add a second starting battery or take away the starting battery and replace it with another dead cycle? Keep in mind that we anchor out every weekend and have a couple teenagers that need to have something to plug in or they go nuts.
Kevin

[P-Dogg]

@ P-Dogg If it's not to much troule, can you take a picture of your set up and post it? I have three deep cycle batteries and the emergency jump also. No click. Think I hooked it up wrong. Thank You

No sweat! I'll get right on this!

[WayWeGo]

P-Dogg, if you get it done by June 3rd, you will just slip in before the 4-year deadline.