Battery Maintenance!

twotonevert

twotonevert

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Ok, I have to tell off on myself. I have had the battery that was in my bike since March of 08. I keep my battery charged with a tender and ride it often as I can. Anyway..........last weekend I went to ride my bike and took the battery tender off the bike. Not enough juice to start the bike, but voltmeter checked at 12.1 volts. So I jumped the bike and rode it anyway, got stuck and Juli had to bring my jump starter to me. Got the bike home and got to thinking.......

I took the battery out of Juli's bike and put it in mine, fired right up. Check the stator and voltage regulator per the service manual, all is good. Whats wrong?

I leave the battery out Juli's bike in mine and put it on the charger, wont charge for long before the green light comes on, fully charged. I start my bike tonight, just to see because I want to ride tomorrow. My old battery is on the bench. My father in law and I started talking, and even though the battery is sealed, big, "do not open" decal on top of the battery, we pried it open and sure enough, the old battery was dry as a bone, and still shows 12 volts. There was not one drop of water in it. So that one is ruined, I pulled the top off the battery that was in Juli's bike, it is also dangerously low, filled it back up with water and put it back on the charger. It is taking a charge now and should be good by morning.

Who else knew that a sealed battery was not really sealed and needed to be maintained? Be sure and check your water level guys. :banghead:
 
Thinking my VTX may have that problem, I may have to check that tomorrow.


See you tomorrow James.
 
The battery is maintenance free battery and should not me open. The main reason is, because owners put water in them. When this happens the calcium and minerals in the water stick to the plates in the battery causing sulfaction inside the battery. This is a term for corrosion inside of the battery. If, you battery is only at 12.1v with doesn't have enough juice to activate your ECM, with provides spark. You have to have a minimum of 10.5v to activate the ECM. If, you have a battery load tester this will give you a true reading of have much voltage you have after you press the starter button. Most starting problem start at the battery.


:thumbsup:
 
i hope you used distilled water as that will help with the mineral problems that 1badman15 mentioned :beerchug:
 
The batteries are dry when the dealer gets the bike. Then they put in the electrolyte (acid) and charge the battery. You should check the level in your battery every year or at least every other year...just pry off the caps...only use distilled water.
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Use distilled water if the battery is low. Use new battery electrolytic acid if it is dry. I have two car batteries that went dead from sitting for a couple of years in a cabinet. Half distilled water and half new acid got them both working well again.
 
Don't put water in a dry battery. I did it once and it boiled over and not my bike has acid marks on the swingarm. Sometimes batteries look dry but I've been told it's a spongey material inside than soaks up the acid. Only looks dry. Never never fill up a battery. Buy a new one
 
If the battery is only less than 2 years old and you have kept it on a battery tender then I would start checking the charging system to make sure you're not putting too much voltage out. Sealed batteries are activated at the dealership. Once full and charged that's it. You'll notice stock batteries aren't clear polycarbonate shell. You can't see the liquid level because the acid is absorbed into the glass mat. I would start checking the charging system out. Wardie
 
wardie said:
If the battery is only less than 2 years old and you have kept it on a battery tender then I would start checking the charging system to make sure you're not putting too much voltage out. Sealed batteries are activated at the dealership. Once full and charged that's it. You'll notice stock batteries aren't clear polycarbonate shell. You can't see the liquid level because the acid is absorbed into the glass mat. I would start checking the charging system out. Wardie
Click to expand...

I did a full check on the charging system per the service manual and everything is within spec.
 
celticBandit said:
Don't put water in a dry battery. I did it once and it boiled over and not my bike has acid marks on the swingarm. Sometimes batteries look dry but I've been told it's a spongey material inside than soaks up the acid. Only looks dry. Never never fill up a battery. Buy a new one
Click to expand...

It was dry enough that I could turn it over and have absolutely not moisture whatsoever.
 
TruWrecks said:
Use distilled water if the battery is low. Use new battery electrolytic acid if it is dry. I have two car batteries that went dead from sitting for a couple of years in a cabinet. Half distilled water and half new acid got them both working well again.
Click to expand...

The one that is currently in my bike was not completely dry, but really low. Dont the lead cells have to be under the water/acid to keep from breaking down?
 
This is a good topic--we need more input from our mechanic and engineer members. Why is the warning on the battery?
 
Maintenance Free

Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) Technology is an advanced battery design used in Yuasa's Maintenance Free Batteries that eliminates water loss. Once it's filled with acid the battery is permanently sealed - so you'll never need to fill it with water or check the acid level.

Long Life
Because of its lead calcium design, the AGM battery will hold its specific gravity more than three times longer than conventional lead antimony types. This means much longer periods between charges when the battery is used in a standby mode, like winter storage.

And to remain factory-fresh the AGM battery is shipped dry along with its own pack of high-gravity acid that's added at the time of installation.

Sealed, Non-spillable
Once filled with acid from its special packs, the AGM battery is virtually maintenance free. It's totally sealed and all of the acid is absorbed in the special plates and separators, so there is no need to worry about acid leaks on valuable vehicle parts and accessories.
 
Hey James, the manual on my '08 says 1.2 A for 5 to 10 hours max or 5 A for 1 hour. Overcharging will bake a battery.
 
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