No power to ignition after replacing starter battery

[monkeyfeet]

Hi

If anyone can help that would be great. We had no problems starting our engine until we replaced our starter battery. We just installed a new starter battery and now we are not getting any power to the ignition starter. There is power past the hook ups on the battery and the battery is good, any other ideas. Again all was working fine with the old battery and now nothing.

Cheers
Giselle

[Stillraining]

Check to make sure you got every wire taken off hook up to the battery again...I have missed one here and there in my life time...and also no swapped wires...ie + to - and vice-versa.

Do you have any way of checking the new batteries load out put?...with a load tester?...Power ie. 12v measured is one thing, sufficient amperage is another.

Also do you have your battery switch in the right position?...seems like a silly question but it happens.

[k1vsk]

sounds like you didn't make sure the battery connections were solid.

[CalebD]

To carry the point Stillraining was making about hooking up the battery in the wrong polarity a bit further (- wire to + batt terminal and + wire to - batt terminal)...
You could have fried the diodes in your alternator in the process (do not ask how I know this!).
The reverse polarity of the battery to wire connections could also be bad news for your starter motor (but less likely then the alternator).
Reversing the polarity of the battery pins to the wires would mean that the starter motor would try to turn in the opposite direction it should - hence nada once you turn the key or whatever.
The deal is like this, RED wire (whether labeled with red tape or whatever) connect to the POSitive terminal on the battery. BLACK wire is normally the NEGative terminal on the battery. It may seem insignificant but it is of the utmost importance that the battery bank(s) be hooked up correctly. Otherwise - pfffft, smoke and anguish.
If a few lights work but not much else then the battery terminals need to be reversed to the wire connections. You will find out what still works once the polarity is correct.
(Can you guess now how I know this?)

[RTB]

Dang Caleb, sounds like you are pretty talented regarding electrics!

I just replaced 3 group 27 batteries a week ago. I was freaking a bit, thinking about getting everything back together properly. I made my own drawings, and even took pics with the digital camera. Hey, it ain't rocket science afterall, but Murphy is always sitting on my shoulder laughing. I actually caught one mistake in time, after wondering why one cable seemed short after connecting it. Checked my drawings and sure enough, that cable was connected to the wrong post.

Now where is the OP? What was the problem?

Ralph

[CalebD]

RTB,
Murphy was an optimist, not the sail boat but... you know what I mean.
If you can't learn from your own mistakes then try to learn from the mistakes of others.
I was on a friends new to him boat when I learned this little tidbit. I even saw the smoke from the diodes in the alternator as the starting battery was set up with the wrong polarity.
Note to self: don't do this.