Old Skool Battery

[coffee_brake]

Battery has been "iffy" lately, and yesterday it pooped out on me. I don't have time to wait to order a battery to get to the Deal's Gap gathering this weekend, I just bought an old-fashioned, have-to-maintain-it battery (that I could afford).

This one is funny. They all bubble when you put the electrolyte in them, but this one, the bubbles aren't going away. I've been tapping on it every few hours, still bubbles I can see in between the lead plates. And the lead plates don't look straight in all the cells. When I tap on it some bubbles come up, but most are still in there betwen the plates.

I can't charge it with bubbles still in it, can I?

Last--there's about a cup of electrolyte left over. How do I properly dispose of it?

 

[4gasem]

Poor some baking soda into the acid to neutralize it and then poor it out!

I always charged my batteries right after filling them. Low and slow leaving the caps off and the battery out of the bike.

Chris

 

[naughtyG]

Didn't it come dry charged? Most batteries do these days - you just pour acid in and you're usually good to go.

 

[coffee_brake]

Instructions said it was best to put it on a slow charge before using.

It's been sitting for 20 hours and still has bubbles. I'm gonna hook it on up to the the charger on the low setting.

Thanks folks....

 

[one2dmax]

If you are charging at a level more then 1.5-2.0 amps then you are going to overcharge the battery. Specific gravity of each cell when fully charged is 2.1 volts. Most don't have the right equipment to check it that way (this is how you find a bad cell). So, look for the battery to have 12.6 volts when fully charged.

Keep in mind that a battery can hold a surface charge and show higher voltage then the 12.6 right after running or charging.

There are other tests like load testing where you watch the voltage drop under cranking loads (typically nothing under say 10volts or higher).

You can do as they noted and neutralize the acid or take it back to the store you got the battery from (or about any auto parts store that sells batteries and accepts cores).

Sean

 

[coffee_brake]

OK after charging it's at 12.9 volts.
The other new battery that I had to buy this week (grrrrrr!) is in the Kawasaki and it too shows 12.9 volts. So I guess it's OK. I'm installing it now and taking it for a run, to return the other battery for a core charge. May as well let them deal with the leftover electrolyte too.

Thanks...I sure wish they had a sealed one, getting at this battery is a few more steps than for my other bikes...which have sealed batteries...grrrrrrr....

 

[RagingMain]

Just a word of caution.
Any time you mix a base, baking soda, with an acid, batttery acid...
There will be a reaction so please be careful. Minimum wear some eye protection and gloves with long sleeves.
Might be over kill but better safe than sorry.
Cheers

 

[one2dmax]

They have a sealed one in the larger battery we run (have to modify the battery box but it fits well). There is a thread out here that documents the mod. I know we put one in Fargo's bike.

Sean