rezsst
XS650 Addict
i use to replace the battery acid with new acid (electrolyte from auto store) then recharge. if you top your battery off with electrolyte instead of water your battery will last longer.
-
Enjoy XS650.com? Consider making a donation to help support the site.
XS650.com receives a small share of sales from some links on this page, but direct donations have a much greater impact on keeping this site going.
Resurrecting a battery
- Thread starter tshadow6
- Start date
-
- Tags
- battery battery charger
Scrambled
Motorcycle Man
I heard that using electrolyte for refilling batteries is bad , something to do with the water evaporating leaves the electrolytes in the battery and when you add more you mess up the chemistry some how . Distilled water and a good charger should be all you need , just don't let the fluid level get so low in the first place is the best thing you can do.
( Electrolytes are used on initial fill of a lead acid battery, after that just use distilled water )
Last edited:
rezsst
XS650 Addict
not sure, but my understanding is adding water makes more acid, adding water to bad acid makes more bad acid, adding to much water will dilute acid (weaken). so if you drain and flush then add new acid aslong as the lead is good.
Scrambled is correct....................only add distilled water to lead/acid batteries.
rezsst, I think you need to do more research on batteries. The fluid in a battery is a mixture of water and sulfuric acid. The mixture give the fluid a specific gravcuty of 1.265 in afully charged battery. As the water evaparates out of the mix Adding more water is the right thing to do. This returns the mix to the proper specific gravity.
Adding more acid won't. Draining and flushing a battery and refilling with fresh mix is ok.
When in the Air Force A friend worked in the laed acid battery shop. He would take our batteries in and do that and prolong the life of the batteries.
Even with that if the level in the battery got below the plates long enough to let the plates dry out will destroy a battery.
Another way to help a totally dead battery get enough charge so a smart charger will work is to take the battrery out of the bike, hook it to your car battery with jumper cables for awhile. Don't start the car, that can damage the bike battery.
Leo
Adding more acid won't. Draining and flushing a battery and refilling with fresh mix is ok.
When in the Air Force A friend worked in the laed acid battery shop. He would take our batteries in and do that and prolong the life of the batteries.
Even with that if the level in the battery got below the plates long enough to let the plates dry out will destroy a battery.
Another way to help a totally dead battery get enough charge so a smart charger will work is to take the battrery out of the bike, hook it to your car battery with jumper cables for awhile. Don't start the car, that can damage the bike battery.
Leo
rezsst
XS650 Addict
jd750ace
Front Toward Enemy
The specific gravity thing. The only way I would add acid would be if I had an imbalance in the SG that called for it, but with an AGM, you never have to screw with that stuff and get holes in your 40 dollar jeans to save a 36 dollar battery.
Marvelicious
Naturally Aggravated
I'm no luddite, I like new technology and I wanted to like AGM's, but they just didn't hold up to my particular brand of abuse. My next battery will be using A123 LiFePo4 cells. Ballistic mybe or diy with some Ebay cells... The Shorai batteries are nice as well, but they're a bit expensive. Something appealing about a battery that weighs under two pounds and puts out over 200 cranking amps.
We should not cause confusion to this thread, by talking about procedures, that the average guy does not do. The average guy is not draining batteries and adding acid. It can cause burns and should be avoided.
I'm referring to normal home type maintenance of a lead/acid battery.
The Specific Gravity does not indicate an imbalance that requires the addition of acid. The SG indicates the state of charge/discharge, which then may call for a normal float charge, or possibly an equalization charge.
The electrolyte level indicates the need to add fluid, with that fluid being water.
From Popular Mechanics:
"Low electrolyte levels caused by normal electrolysis in the battery should be topped off with nothing else except distilled or demineralized water".
Marvelicious. The Ballistic 8 cell battery weighs 1.7 pounds and has 275 cca's. depending on the stock battery it has from 180-210 cca's This makes the 275 an increase of 52%-30%.
This is a signifagant increase in cranking power. On my 75 with the 750 kit and 195 lbs of compression cold, it turn a bit hard both on the kick start and electric start. Once warmed up it starts much easier. Even warm you need a god firm kick, no wimpy half hearted kicks. On the stock battery it stsarted ok but not really good.
With the Ballistic battery and 4 ga cables from the battery to starter relay to the starter and from one of the starter mount bolts to battery ground, It starts much better cold and warm.
Leo
This is a signifagant increase in cranking power. On my 75 with the 750 kit and 195 lbs of compression cold, it turn a bit hard both on the kick start and electric start. Once warmed up it starts much easier. Even warm you need a god firm kick, no wimpy half hearted kicks. On the stock battery it stsarted ok but not really good.
With the Ballistic battery and 4 ga cables from the battery to starter relay to the starter and from one of the starter mount bolts to battery ground, It starts much better cold and warm.
Leo
Marvelicious
Naturally Aggravated
Nice, thanks for the review.
I wonder how the A123 buyout (for any who don't know, A123 builds the cells that Ballistic and several other similar batteries use) is going to affect the prices on these in the long run. It has to be a bad deal for the tax payer: we fronted the money, helped them develop a fledgling technology and now some China company buys it when it is proven! Well, we can't afford to spend money helping technology companies stay solvent in this country, we're too busy pumping billions into our banks while their own CEO's suck them dry.
Sorry, got sidetracked! Rant over...
I wonder how the A123 buyout (for any who don't know, A123 builds the cells that Ballistic and several other similar batteries use) is going to affect the prices on these in the long run. It has to be a bad deal for the tax payer: we fronted the money, helped them develop a fledgling technology and now some China company buys it when it is proven! Well, we can't afford to spend money helping technology companies stay solvent in this country, we're too busy pumping billions into our banks while their own CEO's suck them dry.
Sorry, got sidetracked! Rant over...
jd750ace
Front Toward Enemy
OK, jacked that up, was thinking Ph level when writing above. Thanks for fixing me up there SG.
As far as that battery cell maker whatever being "bought out": As long as people keep bitching about how much technology costs, while our own country creates a hostile business environment for dealing with that issue with taxation, regulation, and mandated benefits for workers, expect everything that's worth the fuel bill to haul back over here to keep on being made in China. If I could cash in on my investment to a satisfactory profit, I don't give a shit where it goes from there. People that can afford to invest millions, and have the infrastructure in a company for R&D that can get you tax dollar grants to develop something, it's not about heart and soul, it's about a profit from the ground up. That's business. Since battery technology is a mass produced technology, it was big money and big business from the start.
If it was all about heart and soul, you'd never sell.
As far as that battery cell maker whatever being "bought out": As long as people keep bitching about how much technology costs, while our own country creates a hostile business environment for dealing with that issue with taxation, regulation, and mandated benefits for workers, expect everything that's worth the fuel bill to haul back over here to keep on being made in China. If I could cash in on my investment to a satisfactory profit, I don't give a shit where it goes from there. People that can afford to invest millions, and have the infrastructure in a company for R&D that can get you tax dollar grants to develop something, it's not about heart and soul, it's about a profit from the ground up. That's business. Since battery technology is a mass produced technology, it was big money and big business from the start.
If it was all about heart and soul, you'd never sell.
