P500 Stinger isolator fails in the cold.

[Dave75]

The Stinger battery isolator fails in the cold, 15f or below.
Anyone else have this problem?
Worked great all summer and fall, but failed last week.
Replaced it and the new one fails to turn on. I can hear the isolator click on, but no main power.
Tried 2 different key on power sources. Used a volt meter and everything is good.
I do have it mounted sideways, could this be the problem?
Just bypass it for now.

 

[Admin]

 

[stobiadas]

A lot of times devices like this will have some kind of grease inside. In really cold weather this could create problems

 

[Prntckt]

I have seen others complain about this. Mine hasn’t failed me… yet. The solution most people talk about is a marine constant duty relay like the Cole Hersee marine relay

 

[Hillbillytnt]

I’m running a stinger relay to control my 2nd fuse box. I’ve had it freeze up twice on frosty mornings but it fires up after a few minutes. Its not a major problem in SE Ky.

 

[Scoop]

Cole Hersee is marine rated, so less likely moisture will get inside and freeze

 

[WagginTail]

I had 2 go bad on my 1000 in the summer in South Carolina

 

[LarryAmboy]

Cole Hersee is marine rated, so less likely moisture will get inside and freeze

What Scoop said. I have had the marine rated Cole Hersey since 2016 with NO issues hot, cold, wet or dry. That is what we used on my commercial swordfish boat and they never failed.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Dave75]

Thanks.
Just ordered a Cole Hersey #241117-01 marine continuous duty 65a, 12v.

 

[captainchuck]

I always run a Marine (1-2 All ) manual marine battery switch, Never trust AUTO NOTHING!

Amazon.com

 

[sHoRtBuSseR]

Is there a particular reason you need to run an isolator? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, as there may be a better solution.

 

[MXSparky]

Is there a particular reason you need to run an isolator? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, as there may be a better solution.

You need an isolator to separate the main battery from the aux. so if what ever accessories your using draw your aux battery below a certain voltage, it will disconnect the 2 batteries and only draw down the aux so that the main can still maintain full voltage to run your SXS computer and transmission. The P1K’s don’t do well with low voltage.

 

[Scoop]

You need an isolator to separate the main battery from the aux. so if what ever accessories your using draw your aux battery below a certain voltage, it will disconnect the 2 batteries and only draw down the aux so that the main can still maintain full voltage to run your SXS computer and transmission. The P1K’s don’t do well with low voltage.

That there is a pretty good summary of the primary benefit of employing an isolator.

 

[Justonly]

MXSparky is correct, you just need an isolation diode. Like TRUEAM ISOLATOR sold at the SXS store?
You will not need a relay to turn on your 2nd fuse box. Look at some of the posts on how to hook up a 2nd battery.

 

[Dave75]

Is there a particular reason you need to run an isolator? I'd like to hear your thoughts on this, as there may be a better solution.

I have a Trueam dual battery isolator between the 1st and 2nd batteries. See the Club Store.
This relay / isolator that I was having problems with is just for the 2nd battery to a fuse block for the Aux. lights.
When the key is off, the lights are off. There have been many times I forgot to turn off one of the Aux. lights.
My dad loved it for deer hunting, he would just park it with the light switches on and in the morning he was good to go.

 

[Justonly]

OK, Now it makes sense.! Then just replace the relay with the COLE Hersee marine relay that is a better relay.
Have fun.

 

[Scoop]

I have a Trueam dual battery isolator between the 1st and 2nd batteries. See the Club Store.
This relay / isolator that I was having problems with is just for the 2nd battery to a fuse block for the Aux. lights.
When the key is off, the lights are off. There have been many times I forgot to turn off one of the Aux. lights.
My dad loved it for deer hunting, he would just park it with the light switches on and in the morning he was good to go.

The relay and isolator serve two different purposes.

The isolator simply ensures that your primary battery doesn't get run down if/when your AUX battery does. This assumes that you don't have any accessories that are connected to the primary battery (if you do, you're circumventing the point of installing an isolator).

The relay energizes or shuts down power going to the fuse block or anything downstream from it whenever your "switch", be it key-on power or a 12v unswitched toggle switch) is turned on or off.

Keep in mind that you don't HAVE to put every accessory on the switched fuse block (downstream from the relay).

In fact, many people install BOTH a switched fuse block (e.g., energized by the key-on or switched relay) AND an always hot positive bus bar (or a second fuse block) connected directly to the AUX battery or the always hot post on the relay.

This way, you can hook up accessories that you only want available when the key is on to the switched fuse block AND hook up other accessories that you do want to use when the key is off, while retaining the benefit of the isolator (except for the few accessories you have connected to the always hot side). You just have to be sure that anything hooked up to the "always hot" side is absolutely turned off when you are done, or the AUX battery will certainly run down.

 

[Chancemo]

Since it got cold I've noticed my 2nd battery is always dead so I can't lift my snow plow when I first start my P1K but after a few minutes the battery takes a charge and I'm good to go. Could this be because my Stinger relay is frozen??

 

[Enigma]

I like what CaptainChuck and LarryAmboy suggested. I would even give West Marine a call or email their tech support how marine rating isolater will correct this problem. Thanks for sharing about the Stinger. I do not know they were cold sensitive until I read your post.

 

[Justonly]

What kind of battery do you have? A wet cell battery that was frozen will not hold a charge and is bad and that could of happen when your relay failed. I do not know if a AMG battery is the same when it is frozen. Maybe your relay did not open, and the Battey went dead and froze. It seems that your 1st battery is working alright.
You are going to have to do some testing and fine out what happen, Maybe just a bad battery. Do you know of someone that
knows DC systems. Hope this helped.

 

[Scoop]

Since it got cold I've noticed my 2nd battery is always dead so I can't lift my snow plow when I first start my P1K but after a few minutes the battery takes a charge and I'm good to go. Could this be because my Stinger relay is frozen??

The second battery is dead but your primary has a full charge? That has nothing to do with the (Stinger) relay (assuming it didn't stick open and allow the AUX battery to drain). The relay simply decides when to power the accessories that are downstream from it (i.e., powered by your 2nd battery).

EDIT: If your relay stuck closed and accessories are draining your 2nd battery, then either it's still stuck closed and/or it killed the 2nd battery. Good point, @Justonly .

I started to say (write) that it sounds like your isolator has failed open. Using your accessories attached to (or downstream) will drain the AUX battery because the isolator never closes to connect the two batteries to charge the 2nd one. BUT ... you said the 2nd battery charges and the accessories operate once you've started the machine. That means you're feeding power back through the isolator to charge the second battery!

Sounds to me like a bad 2nd battery - or - you've got something else attached to that second battery that's either draining it or has a short.

The above assumes a typical dual battery installation on your P1K (two batteries, isolator in between, all accessories attached to or downstream from the AUX battery and a Stinger or similar relay that only feeds the accessories when key-on or power on).