EVO All Evo Model Discussion

Is my battery toast?

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Old Jul 16, 2021 | 11:23 AM
  #11  
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Originally Posted by CoolBreeze3646
Good Job, make sure you charge the new battery fully before using it, gives it a base line to charge back to. Sitting on a shelf for a month or two does not hurt them but they are not at their full potential when you buy them.
The new battery read 13v out of the box so after hooking it up (what a pain that was) I turned her over and she fired right up. A 100% improvement from yesterday. She's now sitting on the tender.
While installing it I noticed another issue to keep an eye on. The negative terminal was DEFINITELY overheating. Doesn't look like the wires were singed, only the outer insulation.

 
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Old Jul 16, 2021 | 11:42 AM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by massmisanthrope
While installing it I noticed another issue to keep an eye on. The negative terminal was DEFINITELY overheating. Doesn't look like the wires were singed, only the outer insulation.
That looks to be worth fixing.

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Old Jul 16, 2021 | 11:46 AM
  #13  
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As Yankee Dog said, you probably need to look at your cables and ground connections, the internal part of the cable could be corroded and causing the over heat issue (resistance). Time to get into the maintenance mode and check everything out good. May be time for new cables. Check connections, clean and put some anti-corrosive on there if they are in good shape.

On a 24 year old motorcycle I would say it probably needs new battery cables. May want to go over all your connections and check for corrosion.
 
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Old Jul 16, 2021 | 11:53 AM
  #14  
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Originally Posted by CoolBreeze3646
As Yankee Dog said, you probably need to look at your cables and ground connections, the internal part of the cable could be corroded and causing the over heat issue (resistance). Time to get into the maintenance mode and check everything out good. May be time for new cables. Check connections, clean and put some anti-corrosive on there if they are in good shape.

On a 24 year old motorcycle I would say it probably needs new battery cables. May want to go over all your connections and check for corrosion.
Ok. I bought this bike used in January. It was pretty well taken care of. I also inherited all the paper work that went along with it. There's a lot of aftermarket parts on it so I'll see if I can find anything about battery cables being replaced. They didn't look too bad today. I hit them with a brass brush before re-installing. The other battery didn't have a copper spacer like one I just bought does so I'm betting it was a loose connection.
 
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Old Jul 16, 2021 | 12:00 PM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by massmisanthrope
Ok. I bought this bike used in January. It was pretty well taken care of. I also inherited all the paper work that went along with it. There's a lot of aftermarket parts on it so I'll see if I can find anything about battery cables being replaced. They didn't look too bad today. I hit them with a brass brush before re-installing. The other battery didn't have a copper spacer like one I just bought does so I'm betting it was a loose connection.
Could be just a loose connection, the copper spacer is a good clue, check it all over and if good, ride on. Check the ground on the other end of the negative cable also just to be sure.
 
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Old Jul 16, 2021 | 12:09 PM
  #16  
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RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!
voltage drop test, new cables, pristine ground
loose or corroded = resistance = heat etc...
Stick with it!
 
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Old Jul 16, 2021 | 05:59 PM
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Originally Posted by CoolBreeze3646
Could be just a loose connection, the copper spacer is a good clue, check it all over and if good, ride on. Check the ground on the other end of the negative cable also just to be sure.
checked the volts at both the negative battery terminal and the negative ground to the frame and got the same reading. So that’s good
 
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Old Jul 16, 2021 | 08:07 PM
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Originally Posted by massmisanthrope
checked the volts at both the negative battery terminal and the negative ground to the frame and got the same reading. So that’s good
There is a difference in getting the same voltage and having proper ground. A cable with 1 good strand will get the voltage, but when you load it you may either let the smoke out or just won't get the amps you need.
 
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Old Jul 16, 2021 | 08:51 PM
  #19  
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Originally Posted by massmisanthrope
checked the volts at both the negative battery terminal and the negative ground to the frame and got the same reading. So that’s good
Originally Posted by TSheff
There is a difference in getting the same voltage and having proper ground. A cable with 1 good strand will get the voltage, but when you load it you may either let the smoke out or just won't get the amps you need.
What your looking for is resistance, use the OHMs setting on your VOM and measure resistance from one end of the cable to the other end. As long as you have low resistance (close to 0 ohms) all is good and a visual check for corrosion on the cable to fame should be good enough. Put some anti-corrosion spray or compound on the ends of your cables.
 
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Old Jul 16, 2021 | 08:56 PM
  #20  
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Originally Posted by massmisanthrope
The new battery read 13v out of the box so after hooking it up (what a pain that was) I turned her over and she fired right up. A 100% improvement from yesterday. She's now sitting on the tender.
While installing it I noticed another issue to keep an eye on. The negative terminal was DEFINITELY overheating. Doesn't look like the wires were singed, only the outer insulation.
That's a sign of a bad cable and dirty loose connections. Funky grounds are common with battery issues like yours.
 
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