I fitted a new 30ha Exide battery just over 6 months ago and have had nothing but grief with it.I have taken to leaving hooked up to a smart charger but still more often than not the bike wont start if it has been left for any length of time.

When i checked it today there was very little liquid in it so i am wondering if i have overcharged it or if there is a problem with the charging system on the bike, any thoughts would be appreciated, i bought it from Motobins but doubt they would be interested in replacing it.

Lou

Lucky Lou wrote:I fitted a new 30ha Exide battery just over 6 months ago and have had nothing but grief with it.I have taken to leaving hooked up to a smart charger but still more often than not the bike wont start if it has been left for any length of time.

When i checked it today there was very little liquid in it so i am wondering if i have overcharged it or if there is a problem with the charging system on the bike, any thoughts would be appreciated, i bought it from Motobins but doubt they would be interested in replacing it.

Lou

Hi Lou, here in Zagreb Exide for 53030 30 Ah battery offers 2 years warranty. I have one for a year now and its starts strong

Lucky Lou wrote:When i checked it today there was very little liquid in it so i am wondering if i have overcharged it or if there is a problem with the charging system on the bike, any thoughts would be appreciated, i bought it from Motobins but doubt they would be interested in replacing it.

As the acid level is very low, the capacity is greatly reduced.
Also when the plates have been exposed above the acid level the battery lifetime have been reduced.

It would shure be a good idea to check the charging voltage (both bike and charger), ....and use a smart charger, if connected over a longer period.

Inge K. wrote:
It would shure be a good idea to check the charging voltage (both bike and charger), ....and use a smart charger, if connected over a longer period.

It was reading 13.6 on the smart charger and 13.2 without it, any idea what it should be when charging from the bike ??

Ta Lou

On the bike it should be 13,8 - 14,2 volts.

Are you shure that the battery was correctly filled from the start?

Inge K. wrote:On the bike it should be 13,8 - 14,2 volts.

Are you shure that the battery was correctly filled from the start?

I think so but its the first time i have checked the level since i installed it, it was supplied dry and i filled it as instructed...

I will not get chance to try it untill Saturday i will let you know what the voltage is when its running thanks.

Lou

I had a similar problem on my last bike. I used to remove the battery during the winter
to keep it inside but I got a house with a walk in cellar. So I stored it inside and didn't
bother to remove the battery, I just left it on the charger. Upon starting this year it had
some trouble. I finally removed it to find it virtually dry! Not sure if my charger did that
or the bike. I refilled it and charged it but it was never the same...

Often when a battery is supplied dry then filled you need to check it after the inital charge because bubbles get trapped in the mesh of the plates and make for low levels when they disperse. Fill it with distilled water to just above the plates not to the full line and give it a charge then check the SG with a hydrometer it should be 1260 but may need adjusting using acid if it is low. If all else fails take it back and tell them it's shagged and get a replacement.

Not looking good, after charging overnight i disconected the charger and checked the voltage it was 13.4 two hours later it has dropped to 12.1 i dont have a sg meter to check the fluid i may invest in one, i have a gel battery on the old Airhead which i fitted 3 years ago and have never had a problem with despite only intermittent use, i may bite the bullet and get one for the K.

Lou

thats what I did with my K. No more troubles.

A AGM battery is the way to go, no more topping off or worrying about spills.

lou ...the battery should return to near 12 volts ...not stay up high in the 13 volt region ( the volts you measured straight from charging ) but you already new this ?

i would expect around 12.,2 or something like that after a few hours off the charger .

but if there was some leakage in the electrical system ...it would drag the volts down ...in fact we have seen this a few times ,,,where there was either an accessory device added to the system (drawing slight power load) ...or even some fault in the ignition switch assembly , letting some leakage of the battery happen ,

but from what you describe with low electrolite in the cells of the battery ...there is some serious overcharging going on . and thus boiling off the water/acid content of the battery fluids . this has to be looked at with a view of a longer term fix .

under charge of the battery by the altenator ,,,,given that you havent been doing some incredible miles . i cant see how this loss of fluids can happen under normal conditions as it takes some time before the boil off starts to happen , so i have to suspect the charger not operating correctly , and backing off to a super low charge rate.as the battery aproaches full charge .

having said that ..if the connections to the battery from the charger were corroded to some degree it wouldnt see a good reference to adjust itself ...ie it would still bump the battery up to max charge rate (just a loss of some fractions of volts could affect this ) . thus boiling the battery for the duration of the connection and power supplied

as inge said above ...as the fluid boils off oxidisation of the leaded plates occurs especially as they become exposed to air from low levels in the cell . which in turn is disaster for the battery as the anodes and cathodes material becomes suspended in the acid , causing internal discharge of the battery cell . beyond normal .

some things to check .....make sure that the terminals that connect the charger to the battery are clean and conduct well ...(dont forget that there are some trully junk aligator clips out there which corrode at the first signs of electrolysis (durring the charging process and disimilar metals ) many of the conections between the wires and the clips are often poorly crimped with a high content of plastic and little copper making the connection ) if the clips look corroded ...replace them straight away and check the cable to clips conductivity (often overlooked )

but i fear that there is no way back for this battery that you have at the moment ....replacement is recommended ...but do the home work first ..make sure you have everything right before you start the same process happening again .

hope you get a solve happening ...cheers !

Boiled off electrolyte in the whole battery says to me your charger is is overcharging the battery BTDT and destroyed a battery just like that. I bought a new Yuasa 30 Ah battery and now have CTEK chargers from Sweden and since then no more problems. I keep the bike permanently on one of the 800 mA versions.
Regards,
K-BIKE

charlie99 wrote:lou ...the battery should return to near 12 volts ...not stay up high in the 13 volt region ( the volts you measured straight from charging ) but you already new this ?

I do now... checked it this morning 24 hours off the charger and getting 12v i am going to call in on a pal who has a SG meter to check it and i will put the battery back on the bike this afternoon to try it, suns shining so i feel the need for speed.

Lou

Well called in at my pals garage, he doesnt have a SG meter but the latest bit of wizz bang kit from Snap On, he attached the meter (Drop tester i think) the voltage was steady which was good but the available capacity was only 42% not that good but he thought that that was a good enough reading for the battery to recover on the smart charger.I must admit most of what he said was gibberish to me but the upshot was put it back on the bike and see if it works.

Back home put the battery one and hey presto started first touch, the voltage across the terminals was 14v at 2000 revs and 13.6 on tickover i have left the bike on the charger and hope to get out for a blast tomorrow i did however find something that bothered me which i will start a new thread on, thanks for all the input.

Lou

Had similar problems with a German bike not too long ago (as in the other threat - look at your alternator). I think that when one of the diodes goes it will drain your battery (as always connected).