[TRX2fiveO]

Feel free to add to this.

I have noticed that alot of people are having issues with batteries, eg. dying prematurely, drainage, how to install ect,ect. I am not an expert in this field but I will add my two lincolns for any insight. First of all if you purchase a new motorcycle battery I believe it tells you that the battery needs to be charged before use, they are not ready to go like a car battery, technically a car battery needs to be charged to but since the AH rating and reserve capacity is much higher than a motorcycle battery it will start your car. Anyways, new batteries...charge them. Now an easy method to check for a draw on quads with fuse panels... remove the + batt. terminal connect a test light or a multimeter set to amps to the + wire and stick the point to the + batt terminal if the test light is glowing or the meter is reading anything other than zero then there is a draw, start pulling fuses one at a time until the light goes out, once it does check to see what the fuse operates, chances are that the culprit will more than likely be a accessory port (cigarette lighter) or a corroded headlamp bulb socket, because we all never ride our quads in the mud,water or snow. the last thing I would like to mention is cleanliness: make sure your terminals are all cleaned and sealed (die-electric grease) then pick yourself up a can of battery terminal cleaner, the yellow foaming spray that turns pink when it comes in contact with acid. spray the entire battery let it set for a few min and spray it off with water. before you do that heres a test to prove a battery will draw itself down. get your trusty multimeter out select the proper voltage for your battery now clip the ground lead to the - battery terminal then take the positive meter lead touch the battery + then touch the top of the DIRTY battery by the + post slide the meter lead towards the - terminal I think you will be amazed that the top of your battery is carrying voltage. Cleaning will not totally eliminate this but it will help a great deal. Feel free to add anything to this for I know I haven't covered everything. I hope this helps out

ADDED:Also guys if you are charging your battery make sure you unhook it from your quad. power surges and spikes are not good for you bikes electrical system, jumping is fine just don't switch it to the 200 amp boost setting you may burn up a starter or solenoid.

 

[tomgodd]

Good Post Moose!

 

[69quadracer]

Agreed, great post Moose.

 

[Saber6]

Good post moose..You get a cookie and a star for the day!

 

[mud99]

That is some great info.

 

[TRX2fiveO]

No bake chocolate oatmeal cookies please..(otherwise known as preacher cookies) my fav. as for the star I'm giving it to you Saber for showing up to class today...

 

[Saber6]

Copy that on the "PREACHER COOKIES" I will sent chocolate chip. Thanks for the star.. it was a delectable treat.

 

[grouser]

great info,,,,i would just add a battery minder is a great way to keep things charged and not frozen:icon_ peace:

 

[Saber6]

Good addition^^^^^^

 

[bustamove]

There are many things that KILL any battery. BUT...One thing that kills more batteries than people realise is, Over-charging. And being winter is upon us means a few of us take the batteries out of our ATV's and put them on a charger.

If you do this? Make sure you have the battery cells filled up (and the Battery Manufacturers say not to use more acid to do this) Use distilled water unless there is some other type of water the Manufacturer of your battery specifically says you should use. The distilled water I said to use is what I've always used, it doesn't mean it's the best or only thing to use. The way times change, there may be something newer and better. I don't know?
This is just what I use.

A battery minder Grouser pointed out should have these two features. The first being a trickle charge type charger (gives the battery a very slow charge which is the best charge for a battery) The second feature is make sure the charger has newer technology that will shut off any charging once the battery is completely charged. If the charger you use does not have this feature? Means it will over-charge your battery and render it useless.

One Charger that has been around for a while and meets these charging requirements is called a "Battery Tender". They cost around $30.00 for their cheap model (I would spend a little more to get something that will last you), all you need to do is plug your Battery Tender in, and then go check the battery once in a while to make sure the cells are up to the level they are supposed to be. It's that simple! If the charge goes down while the Tender is attached? The charger will automatically turn itself back on, charge the battery, and turn itself off again.

Even if you don't remove the battery from your ATV (when charging acid fumes and a little acid does leak. So if you don't want this on or near your ATV? Remove the battery and put it someplace safe and dry when it is charging) Most chargers come with a small plug-in adaptor that attaches to the battery terminals and hooks back into the charger itself. So you can leave the battery in place, and use the plug-in pigtail to maintain the charge when the ATV isn't in use.

These are a few ways I keep the batteries in my equipment and just about everything else I own in good shape. If we take care of the battery? The battery won't let us down when we need it. Usually :>)