Topic: Is my battery DOA?

[mgilvary]

Woke up to a dead battery yesterday, so I bought a Yausa trickle charger. But the charger will not charge the battery. The 'charging' light will not come on. I've double and triple checked my connections. I even tested the charger on my car to make sure it was working.

Is my battery simply kaput? It's only six months old, though I have been having issues with my charging system. Can it really be irreparably dead? If so, why.

[bryanj]

Try the charger on a different battery as just cos its new dont make it any good. If charger ok then battery must have gone open circuit--not common but does happen

[Matt at PSB]

If your Yuasa Battery Tender does not "see" 9 or more volts it will not come on. Try the Yuasa on the cars known good battery. If the Yuasa works then you bikes battery is in need of replacement. Almost all new battery chargers have this 9 volt minimum threshold now because too many clueless folks were blowing them selves up & trying to put the blame on some one else through torts.

A good place to buy batteries asks you to return in several hours after they, take your money, wet & charge your  new battery. A bad place to buy batteries hands you a wet & "pre-charged" battery as soon as they get your money.

Matt at PSB

[keiths]

Check your electrolyte level.

[mgilvary]

The charger works on my car battery. Bike battery electrolyte levels are good. So, looks like the battery is toast (it meters at about 2 volts, so that's well below the 9v threshold). Thanks for the help. Will now pick through sofa cusions to collect money for new battery.

[Matt at PSB]

Warnig what follows could be dangerous if you do stupid things!

Open the seat & hook up the Yuasa Battery tender correct to the battery & plug it into an AC power source. Hook up only the positive jumper cable from the car's battery to the bike's battery. Hook up the negative battery lead only to the car's battery. Take the other end of the negative jumper cable & clip it to the farthest end on the exhaust system as far from the bike's battery as possible. Now you should have fooled the Yuasa into "seeing" more than 9 volts & the charge light should come & stay on. Disconnect the jumper cable from the exhaust system first and the put the jumper cables away. Let it charge on the Yuasa over night. If you leave the jumpers to the car's battery hooked up you will cook the bike's battery in as little just a few minutes. If the Yuasa's charge light will not stay on after the exhaust jumper is remove your bikes battery in a lost cause. If the bike will not start after an over night charge it is a lost cause. If the bike will not start two days later it is a lost cause. It means new battery time.

You have seen the news reel footage of the HindenBurg or a led Zeppelin album cover, correct? Charging batteries emit considerable quantities of hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas has a 544 degrees Fahrenheit flash point. So any sparks at all near a battery is a very bad move!

Matt at PSB