So my battery's almost dead.
I read some conflicting things about getting it to the point where i can attach a charger.
Should I top it up with:
1) Battery Acid
2) Distilled Water
3) Distilled Water + Epsom Salts
4) Something else
Thanks.
2) distilled water, then charge and test, let it sit and test again,
but if the bottom of the lead plates are solid with white sediment, then the battery has a serious problem.
If it was left at that voltage for any longer than 24 hours or so, it's almost certainly garbage. Even 24 hours at that low of a voltage will have caused damage.
You may be able to revive it enough to hold a surface charge that might start the bike most of the time, but that surface charge will fall off super fast, so the first time you pull into a parking lot and hit the killswitch to shut the bike off and leave your headlight on for a few minutes still drawing power before turning off the key, or the bike sits for a few days without being used....you're going to find out in short order why it's called a "surface charge" - your bike won't start.
As for refilling...acid if you can get it, distilled water if not. Fixed rate (non smart) 2A charge for about 24 hours on that size of battery, and then load test it.
You can still buy batteries with those sorts of caps. Personally IMHO they're a far better design as it allows you to actually check and top off the cells if necessary versus the newer style caps where it more or less becomes a sealed unit once you snap the "strip cover" into place - they're extremely difficult to remove and you usually end up damaging them.
FEATURES Our Wolftech batteries are a high quality, low cost alternative to OEM. All Wolftech batteries are built to withstand the abuse power-sports can exert. Available in standard conventional and maintenance free. Acid is included with every crank ba
You can still buy batteries with those sorts of caps. Personally IMHO they're a far better design as it allows you to actually check and top off the cells if necessary versus the newer style caps where it more or less becomes a sealed unit once you snap the "strip cover" into place - they're extremely difficult to remove and you usually end up damaging them.
FEATURES Our Wolftech batteries are a high quality, low cost alternative to OEM. All Wolftech batteries are built to withstand the abuse power-sports can exert. Available in standard conventional and maintenance free. Acid is included with every crank ba
If it was left at that voltage for any longer than 24 hours or so, it's almost certainly garbage. Even 24 hours at that low of a voltage will have caused damage.
You may be able to revive it enough to hold a surface charge that might start the bike most of the time, but that surface charge will fall off super fast, so the first time you pull into a parking lot and hit the killswitch to shut the bike off and leave your headlight on for a few minutes still drawing power before turning off the key, or the bike sits for a few days without being used....you're going to find out in short order why it's called a "surface charge" - your bike won't start.
As for refilling...acid if you can get it, distilled water if not. Fixed rate (non smart) 2A charge for about 24 hours on that size of battery, and then load test it.
I'd charge it at a lot less than 2A if you want to recover it. That's a 9AH battery, the most I'd charge it at is .9A if you have any chance of recovery. You can't do this with a smart charger -- use an old school charger or connect it to a car battery with jumpers for 24 hours.
As a last resort, empty the acid into a clean plastic pail. Flush the battery with tap water a few times to clear any sediments, refill using the acid in the bucket, use a $1 store baster to collect the acid for refilling -- be sure you don't pickup the smegma off the bottom of the pail. I did this yesterday to recover an 8 year old 16Ah battery on my XV920 that decided to retire itself over the winter. Fired the bike after being treated - should last another year.
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