problems with new battery

Spalato · 02-11-2013, 03:11 PM

After three years of service my original battery died so it was time to get new one original BMW seemed little expensive to me around 180€ so I bought replacement one from Varta for 50€.
Installed battery and it was good first day second day it was already reluctant to start I mean it was not instant firing but with short delay third day it refuses to start the bike. Got back to the diler and after some bla bla he said that it needs recharging??
Ok so after charging bike starts ok first day second day same as above third day it refuses to start.
I have no extra gadgets connected except HID lights and GPS power supply which is connected to original socket under instruments and I am pretty sure that this is automatically disconnected after 15 seconds of turning ignition key off. Anyway this gave me no troubles before so why should it start giving all of the sudden.
Checked power on cables when engine is running and it is charging the battery 14.5v so alternator is OK.
Now I’m thinking that something is draining my battery.
Is there a way to check if something is draining juice from the battery?

It'sNotTheBike · 02-11-2013, 04:39 PM

To check for a current draw in your bike, follow the instructions in post #1 in the thread below :

http://www.d-series.org/forums/audio...tml#post665906

The current draw cited in the post as "ok" is excessive for your bike battery because the bike battery is much
smaller than a car battery, but the principles of the test are correct and the methodology used in the test
can be used to check your bike. Note that you can pinpoint the source of the current draw by removing
one fuse at a time and checking for changes in the current draw.

It is also possible that your voltage regulator is misbehaving and that though it produces adequate
charging voltage at one engine speed the voltage may be insufficient to charge the battery at
other engine speeds. You should test the charging system voltage from idle speed to at least 3500
rpm to verify the system voltage is not dropping off at higher rpm, as can happen with a malfunctioning
voltage regulator.

Finally, the possibility the battery is defective cannot yet be ruled out. You could
charge the battery fully and remove it ( or at least disconnect all wiring from the battery terminals )
from the bike and check the state of charge after a week. Don't place the battery on concrete
during this time because a battery can discharge when left sitting on concrete.

Trust none of the components in the entire electrical system until you have verified they are
performing according to specifications. This is important because if there is a fault somewhere
in the system and you assume that part of the system is working properly you can waste a lot
of time searching elsewhere for the problem.

Good luck !

.

Spalato · 02-11-2013, 10:57 PM

Thanks for reply exactly what I was looking for.
Last night disconnected battery lead already to check if it will lose charge.

Dan Cãta · 02-12-2013, 06:29 AM

You can also let it charge overnight, disconnected from the bike, then put it back in and see to what voltage does it drop while cranking. If it's below 10V, it's a bad battery. For 50 eur I am assuming it is Pb + acid, right?

Dan.

Spalato · 02-12-2013, 03:30 PM

No it isn’t its AGM specs are 12v 14Ah last measurement when bike refuse to start shoved 12 .20v on multimeter. I will see tomorrow what is exact name of manufacturer of battery anyway bike spent almost three days fully charged with disconnected leads three days of rain will check tomorrow condition of battery and if it will start the bike.

Mudcat · 02-12-2013, 09:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spalato

No it isn’t its AGM specs are 12v 14Ah last measurement when bike refuse to start shoved 12 .20v on multimeter. .

That is a bad battery.
You should have 12.8v or higher after charging.
My 3 ½ year old Yuasa is weak but, still, 8 hr’s after charging it reads 12.76V. 5 hr’s after that it will drop another .10 of a volt. As a reference 12,5v indicates the battery is at 75%. !2.2v indicates the battery is near 50% and the engine will not start.
When I push the starter button the voltage drops to 9.1 and the engine starts right up. I think if the voltage dropped to 8 it would not start.

Dan Cãta · 02-13-2013, 06:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spalato

No it isn’t its AGM specs are 12v 14Ah last measurement when bike refuse to start shoved 12 .20v on multimeter. I will see tomorrow what is exact name of manufacturer of battery anyway bike spent almost three days fully charged with disconnected leads three days of rain will check tomorrow condition of battery and if it will start the bike.

How come you have a 14 Ah battery. AFAIK, the spec is 19Ah or higher.

Btw, you live in a very nice zone, in Split. Been there last summer, best trip I ever did.

Dan.

Mudcat · 02-13-2013, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dan Cãta

How come you have a 14 Ah battery. Dan.

That is standard for a 1200

Below is a link to a battery tutorial, if anyone is interested.
http://www.batterystuff.com/kb/artic...ry-basics.html

Spalato · 02-13-2013, 10:19 AM

Still raining today so no chance to connect leads and test battery. Battery manufacturer is UNIBAT and type is CBTX14-BS checked on their web site and it is AGM although specs are
Cranking power CCA: 200 Ampere
Capacity AH (10hr): 12
Volt: 12
here is the link to their site http://www.unibat.it/en/webpage/info_tecniche
Dan nice to hear that you liked riding through Croatia.

Mudcat · 02-13-2013, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spalato

Capacity AH (10hr)
Volt: 12.

You have the wrong battery for the bike. You want a 14ah battery.
This Yuasa battery I bought 3 ½ years ago has been good and they are inexpensive, in the $70 range on line. Fits right in the 1200
I have the Yuasa YTX14-BS
There is a high output version, YTX14H-BS, that puts out 240 cca for about the same money.

Spalato · 02-16-2013, 02:28 AM

Battery as a problem ruled out because after three days spent disconnected it was as good as new start looking elsewhere
noticed that USB connector for GPS is corroded not corroded but slightly greenish in color between leads so I unplugged it from connector under instruments and three days after bike is starting every time without problems.

Strange because I thought that it is cutting off power after turning ignition key off. I was sure of it because with GPS connected and ignition turned off after 15 seconds it will show on display - power supply lost do you want to keep running GPS on battery.

02-11-2013, 04:39 PM	#2
It'sNotTheBike Banned Joined: Jul 2011 Oddometer: 704	To check for a current draw in your bike, follow the instructions in post #1 in the thread below : http://www.d-series.org/forums/audio...tml#post665906 The current draw cited in the post as "ok" is excessive for your bike battery because the bike battery is much smaller than a car battery, but the principles of the test are correct and the methodology used in the test can be used to check your bike. Note that you can pinpoint the source of the current draw by removing one fuse at a time and checking for changes in the current draw. It is also possible that your voltage regulator is misbehaving and that though it produces adequate charging voltage at one engine speed the voltage may be insufficient to charge the battery at other engine speeds. You should test the charging system voltage from idle speed to at least 3500 rpm to verify the system voltage is not dropping off at higher rpm, as can happen with a malfunctioning voltage regulator. Finally, the possibility the battery is defective cannot yet be ruled out. You could charge the battery fully and remove it ( or at least disconnect all wiring from the battery terminals ) from the bike and check the state of charge after a week. Don't place the battery on concrete during this time because a battery can discharge when left sitting on concrete. Trust none of the components in the entire electrical system until you have verified they are performing according to specifications. This is important because if there is a fault somewhere in the system and you assume that part of the system is working properly you can waste a lot of time searching elsewhere for the problem. Good luck ! . It'sNotTheBike screwed with this post 02-11-2013 at 04:54 PM

02-12-2013, 06:29 AM	#4
Dan Cãta Beastly Adventurer Joined: Jun 2008 Location: Cluj, Romania Oddometer: 1,467	You can also let it charge overnight, disconnected from the bike, then put it back in and see to what voltage does it drop while cranking. If it's below 10V, it's a bad battery. For 50 eur I am assuming it is Pb + acid, right? Dan. __________________ R 1100/1150 Intake(Throttle body) repair kits - Now with nstructions!!! Waterproof HES (Hall effect plates) for R 850/1100/1150 beemers boxer-upgrades/webstore

02-13-2013, 10:19 AM	#9
Spalato ^OP Adventurer Joined: May 2010 Location: Split, Croatia Oddometer: 29	Still raining today so no chance to connect leads and test battery. Battery manufacturer is UNIBAT and type is CBTX14-BS checked on their web site and it is AGM although specs are Cranking power CCA: 200 Ampere Capacity AH (10hr): 12 Volt: 12 here is the link to their site http://www.unibat.it/en/webpage/info_tecniche Dan nice to hear that you liked riding through Croatia. Spalato screwed with this post 02-13-2013 at 10:48 AM

02-16-2013, 02:28 AM	#11
Spalato ^OP Adventurer Joined: May 2010 Location: Split, Croatia Oddometer: 29	Battery as a problem ruled out because after three days spent disconnected it was as good as new start looking elsewhere noticed that USB connector for GPS is corroded not corroded but slightly greenish in color between leads so I unplugged it from connector under instruments and three days after bike is starting every time without problems. Strange because I thought that it is cutting off power after turning ignition key off. I was sure of it because with GPS connected and ignition turned off after 15 seconds it will show on display - power supply lost do you want to keep running GPS on battery. Spalato screwed with this post 02-16-2013 at 10:30 AM

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: .
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

02-11-2013, 03:11 PM	#1
Spalato ^OP Adventurer Joined: May 2010 Location: Split, Croatia Oddometer: 29	problems with new battery After three years of service my original battery died so it was time to get new one original BMW seemed little expensive to me around 180€ so I bought replacement one from Varta for 50€. Installed battery and it was good first day second day it was already reluctant to start I mean it was not instant firing but with short delay third day it refuses to start the bike. Got back to the diler and after some bla bla he said that it needs recharging?? Ok so after charging bike starts ok first day second day same as above third day it refuses to start. I have no extra gadgets connected except HID lights and GPS power supply which is connected to original socket under instruments and I am pretty sure that this is automatically disconnected after 15 seconds of turning ignition key off. Anyway this gave me no troubles before so why should it start giving all of the sudden. Checked power on cables when engine is running and it is charging the battery 14.5v so alternator is OK. Now I’m thinking that something is draining my battery. Is there a way to check if something is draining juice from the battery?

02-11-2013, 10:57 PM	#3
Spalato ^OP Adventurer Joined: May 2010 Location: Split, Croatia Oddometer: 29	Thanks for reply exactly what I was looking for. Last night disconnected battery lead already to check if it will lose charge.

02-12-2013, 03:30 PM	#5
Spalato ^OP Adventurer Joined: May 2010 Location: Split, Croatia Oddometer: 29	No it isn’t its AGM specs are 12v 14Ah last measurement when bike refuse to start shoved 12 .20v on multimeter. I will see tomorrow what is exact name of manufacturer of battery anyway bike spent almost three days fully charged with disconnected leads three days of rain will check tomorrow condition of battery and if it will start the bike.