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What would cause a battery to dry out?

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Guest

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so, i check the electrolyte level in my battery every so often...
last i checked it it needed to be topped up only a little
since then i've done maybe 20-30 hours of driving

the other day the bike wouldnt start when cold, so i had to jump it with a car battery (car engine off)
this was after the bike sat unused for a week or so
but it would still start no problem when engine warm

i thought my battery was just old and that i would have to replace it soon

then today i discover that the battery is totally dry :eek:

now, what would cause the battery to go dry like that? :-k


i tested the charging system a few months back and it was in spec
i also have a honda rr

thanks for any help
 
The only thing that I know of is overcharging.I was having trouble with my old girl starting when the weather was really cold(down to around 5 or 6 degrees) and if I warmed the battery with a heat gun,she would start just fine.Same when she was warmed up.My battery was good.Changed it for one of those absorbed gel mat types and have had no trouble since.Not cheap.About $200 but more gooderer.Cheers,Simon.:)
 
Yep, it's being cooked through over charging via the regulator. You might have to check the charge in whilst running. Battery voltage about 14.5v I think when using a multimeter across the +ve and -ve terminals when running. Don't quote me on this but it is normal to be in the range of 12-14v.
 
Just thought of something else.I was boiling my old battery and found that by taking the earth from my R/R straight to the -ve of the battery instead of to the earth on my fuse block,the charge voltage dropped from around 15.5v down to 14.7v.Fixed the boil and stopped blowing headlight bulbs.Cheers.Simon.:)
 
Boiled one dry on an optimate over winter before.

Can only be one thing, you've checked that and other have suggested it also.

Suzuki mad
 
simon, i just recalled that on the last ride my headlight went out too :idea:

the concensus is: overcharging :-k

i have the battery on the tricklecharger at the moment and after that it seems i will have to re-check the charging system
 
psyguy said:
simon, i just recalled that on the last ride my headlight went out too :idea:

the concensus is: overcharging :-k

i have the battery on the tricklecharger at the moment and after that it seems i will have to re-check the charging system
Click to expand...

Yup Simon gave the most goodest advice.


You check the voltage into the battery while the engine is running.

(note that before running th engine the battery fluid level should be checked to be sure it is where it should be)

For battery holding ability you check the battery immediately after charging stops, record the number, wait an hour, check and record agai, then leave it for 12 hours and do it again.

Immediately after charging stop the voltage will drop, and within one hour should be within desired specification...roughly 12.8 volts. It should drop another couple of points overnight, but not more, as it should stabilize there..

If you find it continues to drop then it is time to replace the battery
 
psyguy said:
i tested the charging system a few months back and it was in spec
i also have a honda rr

thanks for any help
Click to expand...
Is the R/R, that you have, installed on the bike. or is it something you have, waiting to be installed?
if it is installed, is the sense wire hooked up properly?
 
rustybronco said:
Is the R/R, that you have, installed on the bike. or is it something you have, waiting to be installed?
if it is installed, is the sense wire hooked up properly?
Click to expand...

The sense wire for the Honda RR needs to be hooked up to a switched 12 vdc wire. Hot (12vdc) only when the key is on. The rear brake light switch supply wire works good. My brake light wire has some voltage drop and only reads about 10vdc which made my honda RR work harder and put out 16 vdc. I couldnt find where the voltage was dropping so I did a relay mod for the brake light. Now my brake light switch wire is battery voltage and Im charging a solid 14.5vdc.
 
rustybronco said:
Is the R/R, that you have, installed on the bike. or is it something you have, waiting to be installed?
if it is installed, is the sense wire hooked up properly?
Click to expand...

th rr is installed
theres three wires comming out of the rr
two go to the battery (+ & - respectively) and the third wire is spliced into the orange wire going to the fuse box
the wiring diagram shows this orange wire to be comming from the ignition switch (and is switched)
is this ok? :-k
 
Last edited:
psyguy said:
th rr is installed
theres three wires comming out of the rr
two go to the battery (+ & - respectively) and the third wire is spliced into the orange wire going to the fuse box
the wiring diagram shows this orange wire to be comming from the ignition switch (and is switched)
is this ok? :-k
Click to expand...
three wires from the stator, that is the easy part. the question is, what colors are the other three.

how long ago, did you install the R/R?

if at one time it did work correctly, and the voltage has been checked more than a few times, with the results being, the correct charging voltage at the battery.
I would check the sense wire for proper voltage, compared to the battery (voltage drop), and a electrically good connection.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/
Regulator/Rectifier replacement....... page 6

get the part number off the installed R/R, find the application, and double check the wiring for the bike it was originally installed on.
http://www.bucketsnbits.co.nz/list-regulators.html
 
Last edited:
thanks rusty

it's funny that you'd send me a link to "buckets n bits" which is a new zealand bike wreckers yard :)

the rr comes with a male 6-prong female connector as part of the housing and no original wires

the rr was instaled by the po, so at least 2 years ago (thats how long i've had the bike for)
i have checked the charging voltage on two separate ocassions and it was in spec

i'll take the rr off and check if theres a part number on it

i'll also check for the voltage drop at the sense wire compared to at the battery and report back

btw, the stator puts out more than 80V at 5000 rpm so thats fine according to the service manual



rustybronco said:
three wires from the stator, that is the easy part. the question is, what colors are the other three.

how long ago, did you install the R/R?

if at one time it did work correctly, and the voltage has been checked more than a few times, with the results being, the correct charging voltage at the battery.
I would check the sense wire for proper voltage, compared to the battery (voltage drop), and a electrically good connection.

http://members.dslextreme.com/users/bikecliff/
Regulator/Rectifier replacement....... page 6

get the part number off the installed R/R, find the application, and double check the wiring for the bike it was originally installed on.
http://www.bucketsnbits.co.nz/list-regulators.html
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
psyguy said:
thanks rusty
it's funny that you'd send me a link to "buckets n bits" which is a new zealand bike wreckers yard :)
Click to expand...
Funny or not, it's one of the only sites I've found, that has good information on regulators
 
oh, i meant "funny" in a positive way :)

my rr is marked: sh548-12

i found it on that link you provided, under the suzuki heading, but not related to any particular model

a quick google search comes up with various kawasaki models using that rr, so that's more likely the correct info

i also found that this rr is the oem part on a TRX and found a wiring diagram for that bike but i'm not sure how to read that diagram
 
Last edited:
small world indeed!

my search came up with that same link and im a member on that forum
i have just had a reply with a wiring diagram for my rr (as found in an italian catalogue...)

so, the rr is hooked up ok
all the connections are clean and greased
the stator tested ok

still need to confirm the voltage drop at the sense wire :-k

i had the battery filled with new acid and it's on the charger now
i was told this wouldnt really work but it's a cheap fix so i wanted to try it first :oops:



rustybronco said:
Small world.
Click to expand...
 
Voltage drop at the sense wire

Voltage drop at the sense wire

i get a 0.6V drop at the rr sense wire as compared to the voltage at the battery (this is with the ignition ON and the lights OFF, and the engine OFF)

is this acceptable?

i cleaned all the connections that i could get to, but there's still the fuse box and the ignition switch that i cant do anything about (can i?)

i've heard it recomended to attach the sense wire to the battery positive so to avoid the overcharging due to the voltage loss at the sense wire

is that what i should do?
 
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