Battery drain

Lithium batteries may be the future and the size of a large matchbox!One on my mates Norton Commando

LJ
 
I ll check Spider and get back,got mine from Motorworks with the Odyssey.

Shaun
 
drikko said:
They can and do. The point about using the correct charger is valid as is the point that the charging system can damage the battery, which is one reason why I try and talk people out of using the Odyssel battery to begin with. They just seem to be too fussy a battery, the interwebs is full of stories of dead Odyssey batteries, just go for a Deka, Lifeline, Motobatt or generic AGM battery in future.

However before you go replacing it test as per Rob instructions above for current leakage when everything is off, there will be several wires coming off the vattery, either the positive terminal or the negative terminal, disconnect one at a time and see if there's any drain on the battery. The most common culprit is the regulator itself, which may have faulty diodes draining current back through the alternator. Use the most sensitive setting on the ammeter.

FWIW I use a Battery Fighter charger for all my AGMs including the boat one which is now 7 years old and still works like new. The one I use is the second last one here:-

http://www.batteryfighter.com/product.html

But I'm no auto-electrician.....
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I'm with Drikko, Odyssey batteries are temperamental as hell.  Bought loads of batteries over the years, used all sorts of chargers and never a problem. Bought and Odyssey and did what I always have done (it's a battery, right?). Put it on the 3C and used it. a bit later, battery dead and wouldn't charge. Told by retailer "I have to read the small print" (on the web!  :o ) and it was MY fault. Yeah, right...

It's like buying a bike and being told you have used the wrong fuel, or filled the tank at the wrong rate. As has been said - the 3C has no regulator - how do you get over that? Yes, you've guessed it - you buy a proper battery.

I used golf cart batteries before that - work perfectly for years and take any kind of charge.  Just need to stay topped up. That's it.

Only reason I bought the Oddity was because my favoured golf cart battery was discontinued. Found another and happy as Larry. It's an AGM and not at all temperamental. 3 months old and lasted longer than the Odyssey already.

Pete

 
I'm with poffer. Just because they've got a bit of orange on them doesn't make them a must have  :D
 
Bloody long guarantee with Odysseys, 2yrs so can t see the problemo.
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Which is worth didley squat when they throw throw small print at you  ::)

The only benefit I can see is weight - with a pretty poor trade-off on the price + the fact you have to buy a special charger.

Buy a golf cart AGM - cheaper, charge it how you like. Lasts ages, just a bit heavy. Since I am only 155 - 160 lbs, the extra battery weight is not an issue  ;)

I bought one of these, as my original golf cart battery was discontinued (that gives you an idea of how long it lasted!):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YUASA-YU-POWER-36-HOLE-33Ah-GOLF-BATTERY-FITS-POWAKADDY-/130663819113?pt=UK_Golf_Trolleys&hash=item1e6c2ba769&_uhb=1#ht_2521wt_984

Fits a 1977 Jota a treat and great so far.

Pete
 
An Optimate II killed my new, never been used AGM Yuasa battery. The voltage was low as it had been sitting unused for 12 months or so, and after a day or so.
I currently (boom boom) has 5 Odyssey PC 680s on the go and the bikes start willingly. The oldest of the batteries is over 18 months old.

One man's meat...
 
An Oddesey battery is not suitable for use with the early triple charging system. The charging requirements for the battery are clearly writen in the instructions that come with it, in normal sized print  ::) It is not the battery at fault the early charging system simply does not have the power to keep an Oddesey conditioned.



  Keith
 
Well that's what I was using it on Keith so to me they are an expensive failure.
Maybe my fault but I can do without the hassle.
I'd rather have the half ton certainty of a golf cart battery.
 
The charging requirements for the battery are clearly writen in the instructions that come with it, in normal sized print  ::)
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Hmm, just looked in the box for my battery and nothing there that says anything about care.....methinks the dealer may have spirited it away ("we charge all our batteries before sale" may mean "we take out all the information you need"  ::)  ). I had to go on the web to find the "small print" (it's actually quite large, but quite a shock when you see it after your battery has died... a 0.3v range for the charger and a 0.7v range for the alternator  :o

"Trickle chargers that do not have a regulated trickle charge voltage between 13.5V and 13.8V (no lower than 13.5V and no higher than 13.8V) will cause early failure of the Battery. Use of such chargers with the Battery will also void the Battery?s warranty. For applications where an alternator is present, the alternator must deliver between 14.0V and 14.7V"

The manufacturer's response:

Please review the ODYSSEY Limited warranty located on the ODYSSEY website Literature page. If you still feel that your ODYSSEY PC680 battery has failed due to a manufacturing defect in workmanship or material after reviewing the warranty, please return it to the point of purchase for possible recovery, evaluation and warranty support.

If that is not feasible, you can take it to a local dealer or distributor with the understanding that they are not ?required? by EnerSys to warranty any battery not purchased through them or one of their locations. They are also authorized to charge a processing fee for charging, testing, and possibly warranting the battery. Please note that Batteries Plus has a corporate policy (not our policy) of not warranting any product not purchased from one of there locations. I would highly suggest contacting any local dealer or distributor prior to visiting them to confirm that they can and will offer product support.

Please understand that due to our production facilities diligence to quality, EnerSys/ODYSSEY has a less than 0.5% return rate due to manufacturing defects and it is a requirement that the battery be evaluated and recovery attempted prior to warranting any battery. There is a two year full replacement warranty for the PC680 powersports battery for manufacturing defects that have caused failure. In most cases, premature failure of the ODYSSEY battery is caused by sulfation caused by consistent undercharging or consistently maintaining the battery in an undercharged condition.

Due to the Thin Plate Pure Lead technology of the battery and the high grade acid used in the manufacturing process, the ODYSSEY battery requires a slightly more aggressive charge and maintenance at a slightly higher voltage than most other battery brands on the market. Please note that the recommended charge voltage ranges are printed on the top label of the battery for your reference and that if you are using a maintainer/charger that floats at less than 13.5V that it is maintaining the battery in an undercharged condition and will cause premature failure due to sulfation. Failure due to consistent undercharging typically occurs within one to two years with a gradual decrease in capacity until the battery will not maintain voltage or will not take a charge.

We recommend any charger listed on the ODYSSEY approved 12V charger listing linked on the ODYSSEY website FAQ page or the ODYSSEY Ultimizer 6A OMAX-6A-1B charger which is programmed specifically for ODYSSEY batteries to maintain this battery. You can view the ODYSSEY line of chargers on the ODYSSEY charger page which contains the 3-step charging profile recommended to maximize the life and performance of the ODYSSEY battery. Unfortunately, most maintainer/chargers on the market float at 13.2V to 13.4V which is just enough undercharge to contribute to the sulfation of the battery and cause premature failure. This is not considered a manufacturing defect. With proper charge maintenance, the battery has a service life of 2 to 3 times that of standard wet flooded batteries in the same application with the same usage.

The ODYSSEY battery is not like every other battery on the market and therefore cannot be treated like any other battery on the market and still get the service life and performance that is possible to get from these batteries. In some cases we can provide warranty support from the factory if local support is not feasible. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you for contacting EnerSys/ODYSSEY. Sincerely,


The web is full of reports of failure from people with cars/bikes/boats - most particularly for the red top batteries.

Moral of the tale seems to be to buy from people who know Laverdas ;)

Grant - yep, the one thing those Yuasas don't like is being left unused for long periods - that's what I meant in my earlier post that says "Just need to stay topped up.". Like you say - "one man's meat.." it is what we are accustomed to that matters  ;)

Maybe I should go for one of those new fangled lead acid batteries  :-*



Pete
 
3patC said:
Well that's what I was using it on Keith so to me they are an expensive failure.
Maybe my fault but I can do without the hassle.
I'd rather have the half ton certainty of a golf cart battery.
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They don't work with Diesel in them either, is that the faut of the fuel or the guy operating the pump?

  RTFM  :D




    Keith
 
Sent my Odyssey back after my 120 alternator fault destroyed it,no qualms,
 
I use a normal lead acid battery on my '75 3C with original charging system and rectifier, always starts and chucks out 13.5 vollts as long as you keep it above 5000 r.p.m.  No problem especially through heavy traffic......
 
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