Topic: Electrolyte levels?

[Jim Shea]

I checked my battery today, for no other reason than it suddenly occured to me to do it: there does not appear to be any fluid in there, when you shine a torch in to the cells, the 'fins' (not the correct technical term!) are visible and not covered by electrolyte.
How much electrolyte should there be? do you almost fill the cells to the top, or halfway etc?
Jim.

[Bob Wessner]

The plates (fins) should be covered with electrolyte. If it has been this way for a while, you may be looking for a new battery. Use ONLY distilled water to bring the fluid levels up. There should be some lines on the side of the battery case indicating an upper and lower limit. The fluid level should be somewhere in between the lines. It is a good idea to periodically check the fluid level in your battery.

[Jim Shea]

Bob,
Of course when I looked properly I saw the filll level indicator, just where you said! For others interested, the max line is just below the top of the battery and the min line is only 1/2 inch below that, not much tolerance there!
Jim.

[Jim Shea]

For those inexperienced chaps(like me); when you top up the cells, make sure you keep letting the fluid settle as it looks like you have topped it up, but that is just an air bubble. I had to top it up 6-7 times before it was properly filled up.

[Bob Wessner]

If the batt. is out of the bike, gently rocking from side to side helps get the air bubbles out.

[SteveD CB500F]

I just tap mine as I fill.

Has anyone found / invented / made / bought distilled water in a dispenser that allows you to top up these teeny weeny batteries without spilling it all down the side?

[Jim Shea]

Steve,
I bought a litre of fluid at Halfords today, it comes with a thin pour spout and I didn't spill any.
Jim.

[eldar]

Use a small air bulb or a turkey baster.

[JonnyHonda]

I've been using the odyessy, sealed batteries. I had one on me BMW k100. fit and forget.

The PC310 is the same foot print as the yuasa for the cb750, but about half the height.

[Jim Shea]

John,
Good to see you here.
I think sealed is the way to go, although, with so many things to check regularly on these bikes, does one more matter?
Cheers,
JIm.

[26.2]

Has anyone found / invented / made / bought distilled water in a dispenser that allows you to top up these teeny weeny batteries without spilling it all down the side?

I found a large general duty syringe (no needle) that was package with a clear flexable tube at the local Walmart in their Automotive section.  The syringe was approx. 1 inch in diameter x 3 inches long.  Very easy to suck up a volume of distilled water, attach the tube (the tube fits into the battery cell openning), and move from cell to cell topping up each.

- Tom

[JonnyHonda]

John,
Good to see you here.
I think sealed is the way to go, although, with so many things to check regularly on these bikes, does one more matter?
Cheers,
JIm.

From my humble understanding, within the next few years the old lead acid batteries will be obsolete, certainly in Europe, I know the like of yuasa are now making sealed ones as well.