i took the battery out of my bike to store for the winter and noticed that one of the cells is way below the lower limit ... the other cells are fine.
am I SOL?
if i just add distilled water to that cell to bring the level back up am I OK or has damage already been done?
and how does one cell drop so low and all the other cells stay OK all season?? :dunno_white: :dunno_white: :dunno_white:
got me, i just re-fill the lower cells with distilled and ride on. 3 seasons now on the same battery. :)
it's not the one nearest the overflow tube is it? if you lean the bike over, the fluid can leak out of the battery.
Quote from: commuterdude on November 08, 2008, 08:47:36 AM
it's not the one nearest the overflow tube is it? if you lean the bike over, the fluid can leak out of the battery.
the only cell in the battery that dropped below lower limit (and it did by a lot) is the one closest to the sidestand (left side of the bike).
the overflow tube on my battery connects on the opposite side of the bike.
Top up, charge, monitor problem.
thanks. got a jug of distilled water.
filled up all the cells to max. and put the battery on my Battery Float Charger in my basement ...
hopin' for the best next spring!
I won't tell you how much water I put in my battery yesterday.
Couple of days should have it back to normal, I hope. :laugh:
One cell down shouldn't be a problem. Mine was nearly out of electrolyte. I'm suprised the electrics worked. :icon_rolleyes:
i winterized a couple weeks ago, took the battery off the bike after riding it almost daily all season no problems ....
i filled up the low cell top up the others and put it on a my battery tender ...
one week later i check the battery with a multimeter and it reads 11.6VDC
OK
..
so i put i back on the battery tender and wait one more week. today, i check it at the battery reads 10.0VDC
WTF??? :o :o :o
am i slowly killing my battery?
:laugh:
Does your tender have a light to show when it is charging?
Quote from: GeeP on November 23, 2008, 09:14:32 AM
:laugh:
Does your tender have a light to show when it is charging?
nope it just has a red light that goes on when it is connected.
when you connect the clips to the battery and a good connection is made, the red light goes on and stays on.
Hmm. Well, it sounds as though it is properly functioning...
Have a specific gravity tester floating around there? Give that a shot.
10V is low, but voltage is not a good indicator of the state of charge of a lead acid battery. ( Is that a record on the use of the word "of" in a sentence?) :icon_mrgreen:
A lead acid battery with a voltage below 2V/cell has more problems than being discharged, despite the real issues involved in trying to equate voltage with state of charge.
You have a shorted cell if it's down at 10V. Time for a new battery - well, actually, wait and buy one in the spring - remember to save this one for the lead recycling credit (trade it in when you buy the new one).
Batteries are not forever. While it's possible that you might have eked another year out of it if you had caught it earlier, you might not have, too.
Quote from: DoD#i on November 23, 2008, 03:05:21 PM
A lead acid battery with a voltage below 2V/cell has more problems than being discharged, despite the real issues involved in trying to equate voltage with state of charge.
You have a shorted cell if it's down at 10V. Time for a new battery - well, actually, wait and buy one in the spring - remember to save this one for the lead recycling credit (trade it in when you buy the new one).
Batteries are not forever. While it's possible that you might have eked another year out of it if you had caught it earlier, you might not have, too.
F-Me!!!!! it was a new battery just 6 months ago!!! guess i wrecked it by letting the levels in one of the cells get too low below the lower limit. :dunno_white: :dunno_white:
You may also have a charging system problem, if it's that new - then again, it may have a factory defect - if it's 6 months old, there may be a warranty in effect, and you might want to go ahead and replace it now, if that is the case (since they usually have a short period of full replacement, and then a longer period of "pro-rated" partial payment based on expected life.
Yes, if one cell has a specific gravity lower than the other cells, you have a shorted cell. You can charge it all you want, but it won't hold a charge for very long.
oh my, double F-me!!
checked the battery this morning after another 24 hours on the battery tender ....and it now reads 9.0VDC
i also notice now that the battery tender says not to charge the battery
with this if it is below 9.6V!
SHeeeeeeeeeeeeet!
I'll check the SG this evening.
so it goes like this..
11/16 11.6V ... just as i pull it off the bike and top up one cell that was below the lower limit, then PUT ON TENDER.
11/23 10.0V ... reading, then PUT ON TENDER
11/24 9.0V ... reading, then LET IT SIT OFF TENDER
11/25 9.7V ... reading, then LET IT SIT OFF TENDER
11/26 9.81V ... reading, then LET IT SIT OFF TENDER
11/27 9.82V ... reading, am currently letting it sit OFF TENDER
:dunno_white:
is my battery healing itself?
Just for kicks I measure the voltage across the clips of my battery-tender .. it reads 6.7V ....
is this OK???
was I mistakenly given a battery-tender for 6V batteries??? :dunno_white: :dunno_white: :dunno_white:
btw, the dude i got it from off ebay is willing to take it back. i'll send it back and see what happens.
Meh.
Just take it to Advance or that other auto parts store. They run diagnostics and charge car batteries for free; pretty sure they'll do the same with a motorcycle battery. Takes a while, though. The guy told me that the machine drains it all the way down, then recharges it in cycles. Usually the machine's full during the day. Just call them and find out.
I think you have a 6V charger. There might be a switch on the side, though.
so it goes like this..
11/16 11.6V ... just as i pull it off the bike and top up one cell that was below the lower limit, then PUT ON TENDER.
11/23 10.0V ... reading, then PUT ON TENDER
11/24 9.0V ... reading, then LET IT SIT OFF TENDER
11/25 9.7V ... reading, then LET IT SIT OFF TENDER
11/26 9.81V ... reading, am currently letting it sit OFF TENDER
:dunno_white:
is my battery healing itself?
so far every 24 hours it has be OFF the TENDER it is increasing in voltage. :)
Just for kicks I measure the voltage across the clips of my battery-tender .. it reads 6.7V ....
is this OK???
was I mistakenly given a battery-tender for 6V batteries??? :dunno_white: :dunno_white: :dunno_white:
here is the unit i purchased:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160300955588&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:MOTORS:1123
anyone else have a similar experience with this?
Quote from: 905mike on November 26, 2008, 07:30:09 AM
so it goes like this..
11/16 11.6V ... just as i pull it off the bike and top up one cell that was below the lower limit, then PUT ON TENDER.
11/23 10.0V ... reading, then PUT ON TENDER
11/24 9.0V ... reading, then LET IT SIT OFF TENDER
11/25 9.7V ... reading, then LET IT SIT OFF TENDER
11/26 9.81V ... reading, am currently letting it sit OFF TENDER
:dunno_white:
is my battery healing itself?
so far every 24 hours it has be OFF the TENDER it is increasing in voltage. :)
Just for kicks I measure the voltage across the clips of my battery-tender .. it reads 6.7V ....
is this OK???
was I mistakenly given a battery-tender for 6V batteries??? :dunno_white: :dunno_white: :dunno_white:
here is the unit i purchased:
http://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#search/ebay/119e05ad45e1c9bf
anyone else have a similar experience with this?
(what is the voltage reading across the clips of YOUR battery tender when it is plugged in but NOT hooked up to your battery???)
As previously suggested, the best starting point is to have the battery properly tested so that its condition is known.
Quote from: 905mike on November 26, 2008, 07:30:09 AM
Just for kicks I measure the voltage across the clips of my battery-tender .. it reads 6.7V ....
is this OK???
was I mistakenly given a battery-tender for 6V batteries??? :dunno_white: :dunno_white: :dunno_white:
here is the unit i purchased:
http://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#search/ebay/119e05ad45e1c9bf
anyone else have a similar experience with this?
Sorry, the link you provided did not work for me. I am assuming you are using an actual
"Battery Tender". The manufacturer's (Deltran) website gives some information on the charging algorithm:
QuoteThe Battery Tender Plus battery charger delivers 1.25 amperes during bulk charge mode, holds the battery charge voltage constant at 14.4 VDC during absorption charge mode until the battery charge current drops to 0.1 amperes at which time it then automatically switches to a float charge mode. During float charge mode, the output voltage of the Battery Tender Plus battery charger is 13.2 VDC, which is well below the gassing voltage of a lead acid battery. This keeps the battery topped off, while minimizing any detrimental effects to do [sic] gassing. The Battery Tender Plus battery charger is able to perform these complex switching functions because its electronic circuitry is controlled by an on board microprocessor.
source: http://batterytender.com/faqs.php/#4
To summarize:
- (Step 1) Bulk Charge - constant current (voltage increases as required to provide constant 1.25 A)
- (Step 2) Absorption - constant voltage (14.5 VDC), until the current delivered to the battery drops to 0.1 A
- (Step 3) Float - storage condition, constant voltage (13.2 VDC)
On this basis, you should always see voltages above 13 VDC whenever the Battery Tender is connected to the battery. Because there is no feedback to the device, I'm not sure what the reading would be if the Tender is not connected to a battery. I guess that this should be interpreted as a zero current (0 A) condition, in which case the Tender should be in
Float mode and provide 13.2 VDC.
It seemed to me that the readings you provided were with the Tender disconnected. You should try again with the battery connected and see what numbers you get.
Battery Tender Charging Profile(http://batterytender.com/images/largebasics1.gif)
source: http://batterytender.com/battery_basics.php
sorry, this is what i got ...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160300955588&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:MOTORS:1123
Quote from: 905mike on November 26, 2008, 10:54:19 AM
sorry, this is what i got ...
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160300955588&ssPageName=ADME:X:AAQ:MOTORS:1123
Hmmm, the advertisement says (emphasis added):
QuoteThe Float Charger prevents self discharge of the battery, while maintaining and extending the life of rechargeable 12 volt batteries. It maintains battery charge for batteries rated from 5 to 125 amp-hours, by providing constant (min. current) 12.5 VDC regulated output. Other types of chargers provide a strong, rapid charge that can boil out liquids, decay electrodes and reduce overall battery life.
According to the description, this charger should always provide constant voltage of 12.5 VDC. This is a very simplistic approach when compared to the Battery Tender method (described in my previous post).
Because the charger is only providing ~6V, your device sounds defective. I'd return it... and then buy a Battery Tender! :thumb:
Quote from: 905mike on November 26, 2008, 09:22:57 AM
(what is the voltage reading across the clips of YOUR battery tender when it is plugged in but NOT hooked up to your battery???)
I have a Deltran Battery Tender® Jr. It puts out 14 volts when charging. When not charging, but still hooked up to the battery, it is at 13.36 volts. 0 volts when it is not connected to a battery.
OK. Enough of this do-nuthin'-wait-and-see.
I made sure the cell levels were topped up and slapped my new-in-March-2008 battery onto an Optimate4.
(http://www.tecmate.com/optimate4_detail.php)
24 hours later, ... I got all green-lights!! indicating a healthy battery, ... i checked the voltage across the battery with nothing connected to it and it reads 13.15V
:thumb:
Conclusion: my whoas are from usin' a defective battery tender (purchased earlier in the season but never used until storing my bike) which DISCHARGED my battery.
Quote from: 905mike on November 29, 2008, 06:39:28 AM
24 hours later, ... I got all green-lights!! indicating a healthy battery, ... i checked the voltage across the battery with nothing connected to it and it reads 13.15V
:thumb:
Good stuff!
Quote
Conclusion: my whoas are from usin' a defective battery tender (purchased earlier in the season but never used until storing my bike) which DISCHARGED my battery.
Will you be able to exchange the battery charger?
yes. i will be boxing it up a sending it back to the seller for repair/exchange.
then i'll have a spare battery tender.
Glad the problem was discovered inexpensively.
As far as explaining the fluid loss from just one cell (or even a few cells), it could be evaporation. Even during the winter or rainy season. Happens to me often enough, moreso during the summer, though.