Need help with new battery

[Borracho]

Hello All,

So...I'm having electrical issues with my 82 Heritage (no spark). Purchased a new battery, filled the cells with acid, let it sit for an hour, got the air bubbles out and then charged it for 14 hours as instructed. Now I see that a couple of the cells are below the minimum line. Not sure how it happened. Question is do I just add more acid or switch to distilled water considering that I went through the whole charging process. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer. BTW bike still has no spark

 

[ANLAF]

Contact the battery dealer if it is new.

Not sparking, here we go. Let's work through. Well, you've got a duff battery and a new one.

What readings are you getting from your multimeter? A good charge is required (I take it you are on the stock charging system).

Anlaf

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

Hey, Borracho, top it off with the acid, then from this point on use distilled water.

 

[jd750ace]

The instructions on mine said to top with distulled water if the level was down after the topping charge. Yuasa.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

The instructions on mine said to top with distulled water if the level was down after the topping charge. Yuasa.

Boy, things have changed over the last 40 years. Better follow jd750ace's instructions.

Next somebody's gonna tell me I can have a phone that shows pictures, ha!

 

[Borracho]

Thanks for your input folks! Guess I'll go with the distilled water. Could it be that the battery did not charge properly because of the two low cells? This no spark thing is driving me nuts. I'm a noob as it is...give me electric problems and I'm in serious trouble.

 

[jd750ace]

It's not uncommon for some cells to drop during the initial charge. If the level dropped below the top of the plates, top it up to the full line and put it on the smart charger again. Mine took nearly 12 hours to top up, and 3 of my cells were near the low level line, but not quite there. The battery is working like a champ. It's a Wal-Mart battery (Pro-Start) They are made by GS Yuasa for Wal-Mart. They are made in Taiwan, but this size battery for Yuasa are ALL made in Taiwan, regardless of who's label they land with, Pro-Start, EverStart, Parts Unlimited, or Yuasa. Don't know of any others they supply for, but if you see "GS" on the battery between the terminals, it's made by Yuasa.

Here you can also see my tip for making the nuts sit up under the lug so the screws reach. Cut off a drinking straw and place it under the nut to push it up to the bottom side of the lug. This is especially handy if you are installing a battery tender, or other additional lugs on the battery. BTW, these pics are my SV650 battery, an AGM, not the XS, but all applies except there is no "topping up" on an AGM. They don't loose electrolyte during charging due to the mat.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

The instructions on mine said to top with distulled water if the level was down after the topping charge. Yuasa.

Thinking about this, it makes sense. 40 years ago, battery construction was mostly flat-plate, like deep-cycle batteries. Modern batteries, with their high CCA cold crank amps, constructed with larger surface area 'sponge' lead plates, would likely demonstrate a greater consumption of acid during 'top-off' charge, and would need final fluid top off with distilled water...

 

[jd750ace]

I suppose if you took it to the highest degree of the science, checking the specific gravity of the electrolyte would be the ultimate answer.

 

[TwoManyXS1Bs]

I suppose if you took it to the highest degree of the science, checking the specific gravity of the electrolyte would be the ultimate answer.

Good idea! Here's some battery links with specific gravity info:

Lead/acid battery ref:
http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/maintenance/battery.htm
http://matchlessclueless.com/electrical/general/battery-voltages/
http://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/charging-articles/how-do-i-pick-a-battery-charger.html
http://www.yuasabatteries.com/literature.php

 

[Borracho]

Wow...that's a whole lot of info. Thanks again y'all.