Cranking amps needed?

motorhead0320 · 01-17-09, 09:33 PM

I am new to this forum and to the boat owner world as well. The other day I purchased a 1974 ranger bass boat with a 70hp evinrude. I hope to restore it but i first need to get the thing running well. I know hte motor runs and I gotten it to start a few times. I am very unfamiliar with the starting procedure for outboards.
The first thing i really need to know is what cranking battery size i need? I purchased a cheap one from advanced auto but it only has 575 and I dont think that has enough for my size motor. But, what to I know, thats why I am asking you guys.
Good news is the boat does float. I got it to start up for me, but after getting out the middle of the lake it stalled on me. By the time i played with the choke, throttle, and tried to get it started the battery had no more life to make the starter spin. That made for an embarrasing low in from a couple guys on the lake. Good thing I had that stupid WHISTLE.
I think i need to take the thing in for a tune up. I am big JEEP guy which stands for Just Empty Every Pocket, I guess whatever change i have left will be in this boat because it seems like it will be the same time type of hobby.
Any suggestions about batterys or the corrects starting procedure would be great. Sorry this post was so long. Thanks in adavnce.

Nitro 640 · 01-17-09, 10:02 PM

This is what I use.
http://www.optimabatteries.com/optim...ts/bluetop.php

zooker · 01-17-09, 10:02 PM

first of all welcome to the board... welcome to the world of boat owner ship...

a 74 ranger packin a rude...SWEET!! if i was you and want a great resto job contact ranger boats and have them go over the boat..which would cost ya about $5-8 grand but on the up side is the boat would be in show room shape.and the rude would be in mint shape..BELIEVE ME this is a deal when you start digging into an old boat..

ok i use a 1000 cca but this is just me.. a 575 should spin it well.. first make sure it is in water or has the muffs hooked up.. pump the bulb on the fuel line till it gets hard-not rock hard either-choke it. -the evinrudes of that era seems to have about 5 differant choking set ups-lift the idle lever found on the TOP of the control box to the "start" postion. then turn the key. the moter should spin till it fires. once it fires up ya need to allow the moter to warm up 5-10 mintues at a high idle or a normal idle -depending on how cold it is-i would definatly go with a high idle for a couple mintues then lower it..

once ya warm it up and run the moter any distance. you will "normally" not need to pump the bulb or do more than move the idle up to the start postion,to start it.. you may need to choke it. i have owned 12 differant omc-johnson, evinrudes-moters.. i think i had to choke at least 5 of them EVERY time..

oh yeah boat stands for Break Out Another Thousand..

zooker

motorhead0320 · 01-17-09, 10:19 PM

i have not decided how mcuh cash i want to dump into this thing yet. I am little bummed after getting stranded this afternnon. I am sure once i get it running well i will change my attitude. The battery i bought is is 575mcca and 465cca. So you think that could be the prob? Is bigger always better?
I do have the lever on the side and then a choke switch. All the writing is long gone so i couldnt tell a whole lot. So the lever all the way up is the start position, thats good to know. I am used to a choke that is either in or out. Why the toggle? Does it just guve a squirt of gas when you toggle it? Do you hit hte choke switch while turing the key?multiple times? Soyry fo rthe stupid questions i am just an ignorant when it comes to boats.

zooker · 01-17-09, 10:56 PM

ok you have the eletric choke -same as my 71- depends on how it is wired one way is full choke the other is choke off.. ya have to pull the cover and see which way does what to the carbs..btw the key switch has to be turn to the "on" position to get the choke to move..

ok this a picture of my 71 johnson it shows the thottle linkage on the throttle link age there is a thin wire coming from the left. this wire is your choke which way it goes when the choke switch is thrown depends on weather it is on or not.. at the present position it is "off"...

yeah i know the dam leaves blown in on my old ride's cover...

zooker

motorhead0320 · 01-17-09, 11:09 PM

thanks...any info is great. i will try to see if i can figure that choke out tomm. I still odnt know what battery to buy. I will return the one i bought tomm. if its too small. Anyone else want to comment on how huigh cca i need? I really want to rule the battery out. The problem i have been having is the starting goes really slow sometimes like their is no juice. Even when the battery has over 12 V. This leads me to believe the battery just may be plain too small. I wish i could just pull start this dinasour.

zooker · 01-17-09, 11:32 PM

a 575 is fine for cranking the moter just as long as you aint trying to run a bilge pump or live well pump... i was given a 1000 cca my buddy got from bps as a xps package deal-the buy 3 get the 4th free-. it would not crank his rude if any pump was on..it was a 250 ho rude btw.. i'd personally get a 1000 cca speficlly with an older moter.. then tend to crank more before firing then the new efi jobs..

btw pull starting a beast like this which has if good 110+pounds of compression will end you up in the lake...i had an 82 merc 65 horse kick back and chunk me in the drink.

zooker

1FASTLASER · 01-18-09, 08:44 AM

Let me add to what zook has already told ya. He is right on the money but on ALL motors that are cold be it a OMC,Merc,Yamaha or whatever, when they are cold TRIM THEM ALL THE WAY DOWN. A must especially on the first crank of the day. Gravity plays a part in the way fuel flows especially on carbed motors. After the motor has been started and warmed up if the fuel system is up to par you should have no problems, unless its cold then again TRIM IT DOWN. Now that we got that covered. As far as battery size ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS buy as big a battery as you can afford and there is room in the battery compartment for it. Low amps will kill electronics be them depth finders,bilge pumps any and all electronics on the engine so forth and so on. The big group 27 batterys are the SMALLEST you should have for a cranking battery I dont care if its a 25hp motor or a 300 hp motor. Trust me on this. I have seen so much damage done to engine's electronics because they didnt have enough juice to crank the engine. When that happens your buying stators and power packs etc etc. Try over 200 for each power pack on a V6 merc and you will see what I mean.

motorhead0320 · 01-18-09, 09:57 AM

i think i gonna go the bigger is better ruoute and get one with more cca. At least that way i will know for sure that its not lack of battery power that is causing any problems.

As far as procedure to get the thing started it seems every motor is different and i just have to find out what works. With muffs is it safe to run the motor for long periods. What i mean is can i practice starting it, getting it warm, and then waiting for it to cool and trying to start it back up.

I really dont feel like getting the tow of shame again. I guess i coul dhave trolled back. But my 30lb trolling motor doesnt push my boat too well. The trolling motor was free so i cant complain.

01-17-09, 09:33 PM	#1
motorhead0320 BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 26	Cranking amps needed? I am new to this forum and to the boat owner world as well. The other day I purchased a 1974 ranger bass boat with a 70hp evinrude. I hope to restore it but i first need to get the thing running well. I know hte motor runs and I gotten it to start a few times. I am very unfamiliar with the starting procedure for outboards. The first thing i really need to know is what cranking battery size i need? I purchased a cheap one from advanced auto but it only has 575 and I dont think that has enough for my size motor. But, what to I know, thats why I am asking you guys. Good news is the boat does float. I got it to start up for me, but after getting out the middle of the lake it stalled on me. By the time i played with the choke, throttle, and tried to get it started the battery had no more life to make the starter spin. That made for an embarrasing low in from a couple guys on the lake. Good thing I had that stupid WHISTLE. I think i need to take the thing in for a tune up. I am big JEEP guy which stands for Just Empty Every Pocket, I guess whatever change i have left will be in this boat because it seems like it will be the same time type of hobby. Any suggestions about batterys or the corrects starting procedure would be great. Sorry this post was so long. Thanks in adavnce.

01-17-09, 10:02 PM	#3
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	first of all welcome to the board... welcome to the world of boat owner ship... a 74 ranger packin a rude...SWEET!! if i was you and want a great resto job contact ranger boats and have them go over the boat..which would cost ya about $5-8 grand but on the up side is the boat would be in show room shape.and the rude would be in mint shape..BELIEVE ME this is a deal when you start digging into an old boat.. ok i use a 1000 cca but this is just me.. a 575 should spin it well.. first make sure it is in water or has the muffs hooked up.. pump the bulb on the fuel line till it gets hard-not rock hard either-choke it. -the evinrudes of that era seems to have about 5 differant choking set ups-lift the idle lever found on the TOP of the control box to the "start" postion. then turn the key. the moter should spin till it fires. once it fires up ya need to allow the moter to warm up 5-10 mintues at a high idle or a normal idle -depending on how cold it is-i would definatly go with a high idle for a couple mintues then lower it.. once ya warm it up and run the moter any distance. you will "normally" not need to pump the bulb or do more than move the idle up to the start postion,to start it.. you may need to choke it. i have owned 12 differant omc-johnson, evinrudes-moters.. i think i had to choke at least 5 of them EVERY time.. oh yeah boat stands for Break Out Another Thousand.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

01-17-09, 10:56 PM	#5
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	ok you have the eletric choke -same as my 71- depends on how it is wired one way is full choke the other is choke off.. ya have to pull the cover and see which way does what to the carbs..btw the key switch has to be turn to the "on" position to get the choke to move.. ok this a picture of my 71 johnson it shows the thottle linkage on the throttle link age there is a thin wire coming from the left. this wire is your choke which way it goes when the choke switch is thrown depends on weather it is on or not.. at the present position it is "off"... yeah i know the dam leaves blown in on my old ride's cover... zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09 Last edited by zooker; 01-17-09 at 11:25 PM.

01-17-09, 11:32 PM	#7
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	a 575 is fine for cranking the moter just as long as you aint trying to run a bilge pump or live well pump... i was given a 1000 cca my buddy got from bps as a xps package deal-the buy 3 get the 4th free-. it would not crank his rude if any pump was on..it was a 250 ho rude btw.. i'd personally get a 1000 cca speficlly with an older moter.. then tend to crank more before firing then the new efi jobs.. btw pull starting a beast like this which has if good 110+pounds of compression will end you up in the lake...i had an 82 merc 65 horse kick back and chunk me in the drink. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

01-18-09, 08:44 AM	#8
1FASTLASER BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: crossett,arkansas Posts: 2,777	Let me add to what zook has already told ya. He is right on the money but on ALL motors that are cold be it a OMC,Merc,Yamaha or whatever, when they are cold TRIM THEM ALL THE WAY DOWN. A must especially on the first crank of the day. Gravity plays a part in the way fuel flows especially on carbed motors. After the motor has been started and warmed up if the fuel system is up to par you should have no problems, unless its cold then again TRIM IT DOWN. Now that we got that covered. As far as battery size ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS buy as big a battery as you can afford and there is room in the battery compartment for it. Low amps will kill electronics be them depth finders,bilge pumps any and all electronics on the engine so forth and so on. The big group 27 batterys are the SMALLEST you should have for a cranking battery I dont care if its a 25hp motor or a 300 hp motor. Trust me on this. I have seen so much damage done to engine's electronics because they didnt have enough juice to crank the engine. When that happens your buying stators and power packs etc etc. Try over 200 for each power pack on a V6 merc and you will see what I mean. __________________ Laser's rule with Merc's doing the pushing..........KEEP THE WETSIDE DOWN AND THE DRY SIDE UP!!!!!!

01-17-09, 10:02 PM	#2
Nitro 640 BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Caledonia, MI Posts: 253	This is what I use. http://www.optimabatteries.com/optim...ts/bluetop.php

01-17-09, 10:19 PM	#4
motorhead0320 BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 26	i have not decided how mcuh cash i want to dump into this thing yet. I am little bummed after getting stranded this afternnon. I am sure once i get it running well i will change my attitude. The battery i bought is is 575mcca and 465cca. So you think that could be the prob? Is bigger always better? I do have the lever on the side and then a choke switch. All the writing is long gone so i couldnt tell a whole lot. So the lever all the way up is the start position, thats good to know. I am used to a choke that is either in or out. Why the toggle? Does it just guve a squirt of gas when you toggle it? Do you hit hte choke switch while turing the key?multiple times? Soyry fo rthe stupid questions i am just an ignorant when it comes to boats.

01-17-09, 11:09 PM	#6
motorhead0320 BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 26	thanks...any info is great. i will try to see if i can figure that choke out tomm. I still odnt know what battery to buy. I will return the one i bought tomm. if its too small. Anyone else want to comment on how huigh cca i need? I really want to rule the battery out. The problem i have been having is the starting goes really slow sometimes like their is no juice. Even when the battery has over 12 V. This leads me to believe the battery just may be plain too small. I wish i could just pull start this dinasour.

01-18-09, 09:57 AM	#9
motorhead0320 BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 26	i think i gonna go the bigger is better ruoute and get one with more cca. At least that way i will know for sure that its not lack of battery power that is causing any problems. As far as procedure to get the thing started it seems every motor is different and i just have to find out what works. With muffs is it safe to run the motor for long periods. What i mean is can i practice starting it, getting it warm, and then waiting for it to cool and trying to start it back up. I really dont feel like getting the tow of shame again. I guess i coul dhave trolled back. But my 30lb trolling motor doesnt push my boat too well. The trolling motor was free so i cant complain.

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