Battery Overflow

[Boxboy100]

I have noticed a few little puddles of battery acid that my 86 R65 is leaving when parked.. How bad is this? Does it indicate an overcharging battery boiling problem? Should I get a new sealed type battery.. I'd hate to ruin the finish on my wheels/swingarm etc...

[20774]

I think your analysis is correct...overheating the battery due to overcharging can really create a problem. Measure the voltage at the battery terminals with the engine running at say 3K RPM. If approaching 15v or more, then that would indicate a voltage regulator failure.

[Boxboy100]

thanks for that info Kurt.. It seemed to start when my carbs have been adjusted (balanced). The idle now sits much higher than it used to.. I am thinking that 1200-1500 rpm is a little high. I was thinking of trying to get it down to under 1000.

Could this be the cause? (I will also check the output via the 3k RPM test)

[20774]

I doubt a carb adjustment would have anything to do with the battery overcharging. Your high idle may be due to the fact that the bike/carbs were not up to operating temperature before performing the synch. But likely the overcharging is coincidental at this point.

[skiteach]

I would look at battery and charging- voltage regulator is supposed to do just that. Not sure of what max reading should be, somewhere around 14.7 - 15v as I remember. If you see higher it's the regulator. If voltage is good say goodbye to battery, as it is warning you.

[AnnapolisAirhead]

Voltage regulators are relatively cheap (and electronic at this point) to replace.

Unless finances are ultra-tight, I'd consider a sealed battery as a replacement if it comes to that. Odyssey or WestCo are solid choices.

[Boxboy100]

well, did a voltage check on my system.. at 3500-4500 rpms it was charging at 13.8. So seems that the battery is probably not overcharging.. I am thinking that the battery could of been over filled because the problem seems to have gone away.

All systems fine... for now! ha..

thanks for the replies.

cheers,

g