Topic: no power anywheres.battery arced but has 12.10v

[NealDeal]

after a mild wipeout a wrench under my seat landed on top of battery posts and arced my battery on my 77 cb750f. im not very experienced with my voltmeter but with some research i've determined that my battery is damaged. after toping up the fluid and charging it has a volt reading of 12.10v. regardless shouldn't i atleast have dim cluster lights. theres nothing when i turn on the key. i inspected the connections in the headlight and the wiring harness. their all snug and nothing looks cooked. battery cables have continuity as well. the ignition switch has continuity when key is on. i think that means it has continuity. the reading on my starter solenoid when disconnected from the bike is infinite. i have no idea how to test my regulator or rectifier. .o yeah i should also mention the 3 fuses in the fuse box have continuity.does anybody know  whats most likly to be fried when the battery shorts out on these bikes and if its too hard to know how can i test my regulator rectifier and starter solenoid?

                                                                                                                              thanks,
                                                                                                                              newb

[Vinhead1957]

Did you pull the fuses to check them? If you read them installed you could be reading the other end of the circuit.

[chickenman_26]

12.1 volts is a dead battery. Turn on the key, and I'd bet the voltage drops off to less than  6 volts. You likely toasted that battery. The dead short across the terminals allowed max current flow which warped the plates and created an internal short.

Stu

[NealDeal]

alright, i do plan on replacing the battery. i just didn't think it was completly dead and there should atleast be a dim light. then again i guess i should keep it simple and just go ahead and do that first.

[MRieck]

12.1 volts is a dead battery. Turn on the key, and I'd bet the voltage drops off to less than  6 volts. You likely toasted that battery. The dead short across the terminals allowed max current flow which warped the plates and created an internal short.

Stu

Right. Put a load on it and I bet it goes to 1 volt. Not laughing at your situation....just seen it many times.

[NealDeal]

alright i've gone and ordered a new one. my next question is can i put the old acid in a new battery granted it isn't discolored?

[ekpent]

You should get a new fresh acid pack/container with your 'new' battery.

[chickenman_26]

alright i've gone and ordered a new one. my next question is can i put the old acid in a new battery granted it isn't discolored?

The short answer is NO. The color of the electrolyte doesn't mean anything. This stuff isn't like brake fluid (which also shouldn't be reused). That "acid" isn't much more than water at this point. And no, it can't be refurbished. What you actually should have done is ordered a sealed battery from Batterystuff.com or bought an old style battery at Walmart (they come with electrolyte), because I doubt an old skool flooded type ordered online will come with electrolyte. They aren't shippable.

The more you know, the better it gets. Read these, and I hope you get better soon.
http://yuasabatteries.com/motor_battery.php
http://yuasabatteries.com/electricity.php

Stu

[NealDeal]

i called a local battery supplier and they said they'd fill it with acid for free.

[chickenman_26]

i called a local battery supplier and they said they'd fill it with acid for free.

Free acid and free labor for a product you bought elsewhere? Nice guys. Take it home and top charge it afterward.