Battery Drain

[kajamo240 3]

Last year my horse worked just fine. This winter I put in a new battery since the other one was old and frozen and was not usable anymore. Needless to say, I replaced the battery but now, after letting it run for a long time, it still isnt charging the battery as much as it should be.

The "Amp" gage is working and doesnt seem to be acting any different than before

I checked the wiring and it all seems to be ok. Any thoughts? Am I missing something small?

:omg:

[Duff 206]

Matt, the only thing I can think of is to make sure the battery terminal connections are very, very clean. Doesn't take much resistance to "block" the relatively small amount of current involved in charging.

I clean mine and then apply a little grease to them after reattaching things to keep corrosion at bay.

Duff :omg:

[kajamo240 3]

Good idea with the grease. I will take a look at that and see if that helps any!

Thanks.

[wfopete 15]

Also double check your ground. I sometimes put a big star washer with lots of teeth to where the cable meets the chassis to get a good bite for a ground.

[gwgdog66 23]

Also double check your ground. I sometimes put a big star washer with lots of teeth to where the cable meets the chassis to get a good bite for a ground.

I'll second this. Mine wasn't charging many years ago. It wasn't grounding well, and the star washer biting into the frame, and the ground cable fixed the problem.

[rmaynard 15,535]

Even though the battery is "new", it may have a weak or dead cell. I purchased a Wal-Mart battery for an John Deere a couple years ago, and before the summer was over, the battery would not hold a charge. I found one very weak cell.

If you have a hydrometer, and if the battery has filler caps, check the specific gravity of each cell. You might just find that one is weaker than the rest. If so, it might still have warranty.

Here is an old trick my late father used to do. After checking the water level in each cell, and after making sure that all caps were on tight, he would turn the battery up-side-down. After all the acid and other debris settled to the "top", he would turn it back. This took about a minute. He would then put the charger on it and more times than not, it would take and hold a charge. I'm not recommending this as any time you deal with a battery, you are risking injury to yourself. I always thought it was amusing that it worked.

Good luck!

Bob

[bmuone 15]

I know one time I turned the key to off which killed the motor. Pulled the key out and as I got off I glanced back and noticed one of the lights with a faint glow. I put the key back in, wiggled it and the light went out. It may have been a slow drain if I had not noticed the light.

[Curmudgeon 28]

I've never had a Wal-Mart battery last more than a year. Save yourself some money, and buy a good one to start with. Wal-Mart is one giant rip off.

There are still vents on batteries. Turning them upside down is a good way to dump water and battery acid all over something. I'd discourage that, and instead recommend a battery cell tester. The accurate way of checking individual cells.

Is it charged when you shut it off, but dead later? If so, you got a slow discharge somewhere. If not, check those connections. If you still have problems, use a multi-meter to check the output of your generator or stator, whichever you have.