New Battery Dries Up in Only 4 Weeks?

[Buffalo Bill]

Hi Folks,
That says it all. My new NAPA battery was dry after only 4 weeks and 1000 miles of casual riding. Is this a sign of stator or regulator failure?
Thanks!

[GavinJuice]

you would have to see what the charging voltage is above ~3000RPM. Overcharging would boil out the acid tho...

[BassCliff]

Cooking with electrons!

Hi Mr. Buffalo Bill,

Yes, you seem to be overcharging. My first suspect would be the regulator/rectifier. But "The Stator Papers"-type troubleshooting will be necessary to verify. Keep us informed.

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[argonsagas]

Only overcharging can cause the fluids to boil away.

You definitely need a new regulator/rectifier, but it boiled dry you may also have toasted the nice, new, battery.

You can refill the battery, give it a twelve-hour trickle charge...max one amp per hour..... which will hopefully restore it, let it rest for an hour, then give it a load test.

You need a proper tester for that, and if you do not have one you can ask any garage/mechanic. You may have to spot them a couple of bucks for the one-minute test, but it will tell you instantly if the battery is still good.

[77 gs550]

Same thing happened to me

After consulting the Stator Papers found on this website. (Please do that first, It's the only thing that will tell you what's going on...)

First I had a bad positive cable leaking current from the battery, and the bigger issue was a bad Regulator/Rectifier unit.
I ordered one from another member named Duaneage, and Presto, Problem solved....WAY cheaper than ordering stock parts...

Also cleaned up some ground cables and such while I was at it, and that took care of it!!

[Steve]

You can refill the battery, ...

and when you refill the battery, do NOT put in any acid you might have left over from filling it the first time. ACID does not boil off, just the water, making it a stronger concentration of acid. Only add DISTILLED water, shake it a bit and tap it on the bench a couple of times to dislodge any air bubbles that are stuck to the surfaces of the plates, then do the slow charge thing.

.