optimate 4 v. OE battery

[Napoleon]

22month old GSA battery dead! Nothing on dash at all when key turned on. Optimate now hooked up (to battery direct) but only shows the first yellow light. No flashing or testing cycle yet. Not sure if it's charging at all.Been on overnight. Multimeter shows battery down to 4.5 volts. Early days but is it time for a new battery? Any advice gratefully received as I would like to ride!!

Cheers

Napoleon

Ps I assume a jump start is a no no!

 

[ianf]

Did you change the mode back to 'direct' rather than canbus? If it's out of the bike you probably should have it in direct mode so it can do its de-sulphate thing.

P.s. The battery will likely need replacing now.

 

[UturnTony]

22month old GSA battery dead! Nothing on dash at all when key turned on. Optimate now hooked up (to battery direct) but only shows the first yellow light. No flashing or testing cycle yet. Not sure if it's charging at all.Been on overnight. Multimeter shows battery down to 4.5 volts. Early days but is it time for a new battery? Any advice gratefully received as I would like to ride!!

Cheers

Napoleon

Ps I assume a jump start is a no no!

There is no problem with jump starting a GS i have done it many times. If the battery that is in place is very low you usually need to connect up and give it 5 mins. so that the jump battery can bring it up a bit before it will start. Sounds to me as though the battery is knacked and not taking a charge so will not try to discharge the jump battery anyway so, give it a go.

 

[Pukmeister]

Batteries don't like full deep discharge cycles and a self-discharging battery is usually due to plate sulphation which will permanently reduce its capacity to store electrical energy, or kill it completely.

An Optimate may be able to desulphate the battery by shock-charging and thus recover it but the damage is probably done to the lead plates already.

If your bike is within warranty I'd be asking for a new battery from the dealership. If not, I'd be fitting a Motobatt battery for about £45.

 

[Napoleon]

Thanks guys - guess I was expecting this but less than two years ??? Will give the rescue charge a go. Do I have to take the battery out to put the optimate in non can-bus mode to protect the bike?

Cheers again.

Napoleon

 

[ianf]

You could disconnect it rather than pull it out, the recovery mode uses a fairly high voltage, and they say to remove (page 5 in case it blows up or pukes acid):-

http://www.accumate.co.uk/Optimate 4 Instructions.pdf

 

[bod]

You could disconnect it rather than pull it out, the recovery mode uses a fairly high voltage, and they say to remove (page 5 in case it blows up or pukes acid):-

http://www.accumate.co.uk/Optimate 4 Instructions.pdf

Well I never!

I never knew about this hidden mode. I tried hooking up the Optimate 4 to a battery off a Suzuki a few months back and it just didn't recognise it at all .. may try again in recovery mode?

But what is wrong with a simple switch to change modes?

 

[MattW]

There is no way a battery in that state can be 'rescued' (at least not reliably enough to depend on it). As others have said, deep discharge permanently damages lead acid batteries and no smart charger can recover the lost capacity.

Buy a Motobatt and when you've fitted it check the charging system with your multimeter.

I just had the battery on the 2012 TC I've just bought replaced by the dealer. It's not actually covered under the approved used warranty but they did it as a good will gesture. The bike has only done 4000 miles in its three year life and my suspicion is that the previous owner didn't use a maintenance charger and flattened the battery (probably more than once).

 

[Greg Masters]

22month old GSA battery dead! Nothing on dash at all when key turned on. Optimate now hooked up (to battery direct)

If you have an Optimate, why wasn't it hooked up before?

 

[JJH]

One question why is battery flat? It might be due to something draining it. And not a faulty battery at all JJH

 

[JJH]

Did you change the mode back to 'direct' rather than canbus? If it's out of the bike you probably should have it in direct mode so it can do its de-sulphate thing.

P.s. The battery will likely need replacing now.

Not nesessarley. I flattend the battery on my 4 year old rt jump started it and it went on for another 3 years. It was still good when I traded it in 15 months ago and for all I know is still going strong. Maby it's because I ride the bike every day. JJH

 

[Napoleon]

It was hooked up periodically but had to share the socket with a plug in hybrid (early adopter!!!!)

 

[bod]

One question why is battery flat? It might be due to something draining it. And not a faulty battery at all JJH

The battery on my CB1300 didn't last 3 years!
The HISS immobiser was a constant drain on the battery through the winter months when it could go weeks without starting.
As has been said, a car/bike battery is a different creature to a deep cycle leisure battery you would connect to say an electric outboard motor.
Present battery is 5 years old & still holding on Optimate life support.

 

[(RIP) Miff]

It was hooked up periodically but had to share the socket with a plug in hybrid (early adopter!!!!)

AN optimate is designed to work when plugged in and connected. It is NOT designed for "plugging in periodically". Get a 4 way mains adapter (less than a fiver) and leave the optimate working on the bike all the time. Also, don't use the can bus setting. Plug it direct to the battery.

 

[Napoleon]

Quick update - turns out optimate was knackered!! Quick charge with a car charger (battery out) enough oomph to get all lights on bike and a clicking on the starter so a bit longer may well ha e her turning over. Thanks for the advice. New optimate or other??

 

[JJH]

I'm not a fan of battery optimers. If you need a cheap carger just cannibalise a cheap toy for the adaptor. JJH

 

[UturnTony]

Quick update - turns out optimate was knackered!! Quick charge with a car charger (battery out) enough oomph to get all lights on bike and a clicking on the starter so a bit longer may well ha e her turning over. Thanks for the advice. New optimate or other??

FFS

 

[Greg Masters]

Quick update - turns out optimate was knackered!! Quick charge with a car charger (battery out) enough oomph to get all lights on bike and a clicking on the starter so a bit longer may well ha e her turning over. Thanks for the advice. New optimate or other??

Earlier Optimates are not designed to be used as a 'charger'. They will charge you battery, but will take some time to do it.

They are for battery maintenance and are designed to be continuously connected indefinitely.

 

[richtel]

The optimates (and any other charger worth its salt) will only enter the desulphate mode if it detects that the battery is disconnected from the host vehicle- presumably so that the high voltage won't damage the electronics. They only chuck out a low current as well which won't charge an AGM battery well (Odyssey for example say that their PC535 needs a charger with at least 5 Amps to charge a discharged battery)- so best suited to maintain a good battery.

Just saying that the Optimate might be OK- but really needs the battery disconnected from the bike- and even then it might not be man enough to give a last-legs battery enough juice.

 

[MattW]

I've used a Ctek charger for the last few years. Always worked well for me.