Unit powers off when motor runs.

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Unit powers off when motor runs. by waterfish9090 on 17 Mar, 2015 15:34
I have a helix down imaging unit on my trolling motor it works great however when I run the outboard motor it shuts off and I have to The power cable from the helix and plug it back up and then it works fine until I run the big motor again. Does anyone have any idea how I can remedy this?
Reply #1 by Jrsmith_80 on 17 Mar, 2015 15:48
Does it shut off only when you start the big motor?? If so, Im gonna guess that the power loss from starting the big motor drops the voltage to low and kills the unit. Mine used to do that until I switched it over to the trolling motor batteries. Just a thought @waterfish9090
Reply #2 by waterfish9090 on 17 Mar, 2015 16:16
It doesn't shut off when I crank the motor but as the motor idles some then it shuts off
Reply #3 by waterfish9090 on 17 Mar, 2015 16:16
Thank you for the input.
Reply #4 by Curt on 17 Mar, 2015 16:56
Loose wire somewhere? Maybe the vibration from the outboard running is triggering it.
Reply #5 by clvalent on 17 Mar, 2015 17:36
I was told this can happen if your cranking battery doesnt have enough amps. It can cause the unit to power off when you start the big motor. I guess this is only true if your unit is wired to your cranking battery. Just a guess
Reply #6 by Eric Low on 17 Mar, 2015 18:17
Diehard Platinum group 31 will fix that. One of these days after a lot of fishing and not much running your outboard isn't going to start.
Reply #7 by GotMyAlly on 19 Mar, 2015 11:46
Is it powered off of your cranking batt (voltage draw causing it to cut out)?

Or is it powered off of your trolling motor batteries (loose wire causing a break in the circuit from the vibration)?

I'm betting it's the former. I'd look at a weak batt first. If not that, i'd check out the alternator with an electrical tester.

With all of the electronics on todays outboards, just about all of the alternators output at idle is consumed to by the outboard itself. There isn't much output above that to charge the cranking batt until the RPMs come up. Factor in the voltage draw from hydraulics (trim and jackplate) and you can sap the charge out of a batt pretty quick even with the engine idling. That's why most of the new motors require 1000 MCA minimum.