Maintainance free?? Lets get to the bottom of this!

The rest of the internet has so many answers that contradict each other to this question, I decided I'd get to the bottom of it n-o-w. On a maintainance free battery, do you add distilled water? If so, to what point (just below the top of the plates?)?

I ask because I pulled the top of my battery off and looked in and the plates look like they are coated with paper or something fiber-like. No visible liquids, although the paper does seem to be moist. Also (possibly related) I have been having charging problems and bought a new regulator already. If that finally gets here and I find out all I needed was distilled water in my battery, I'm gonna kick myself. I know it's not a bad battery because it's a week old.

 

If I remember right, Chacal said that maint-free batteries occasionally need a top off.

He'll prob be here in a sec to explain. lol

 

Well, some MF batteries....that's Maintenace Free, kids........do not come charged, and you need to add water/acid to them before you use them.

Then you put the "sealed" caps on them and then should not need re-filling, unless your charging system is so badly over-charging the battery that it is boiling the fluid and making fluid puke out of the over-flow tube.

In which case it will eventually need re-filling. If the battery isn't being overcharged, then a MF battery should not ever need re-filling.

 

Thanks, Chacal!

 

You have a week old "maintenance free" battery and it looks dry in there?

Was it maybe shipped "dry" and you missed a step?

The liquid should COVER the plates. Did you read whatever instructions might have come with it? Didn't it come with a small sealed container of acid that needed to be added? It definitely ought not be dry in there, but it MAY need more than just distilled water.

 

+1 fitz. Just about every battery I've bought has needed to be, first, filled with acid, second, topped off with distilled water if I under filled a tube.

 

If your battery is an AGM ( Absorbed Glass Mat) it was shipped to you ready to use. The Mat absorbs the liquid and they can be mounted in any position. I don't know why you would open up one of these. Also there is no vent tube. These AGMs are becoming more common place for our old bikes and are really the only way to go. More power, more durable, more reliable, and no acid spills to ruin our exhausts and hard work. They are truly maintenance free. Yes they are more expensive, but how much is an exhaust or frame repaint worth? Is this what you have?

 

Quite a lot more expensive. I didn't know you could "take the top off" an AGM battery which is why I assumed we were talking about a conventional battery claiming to be "maintenance free" like most car batteries and the one in my lawn tractor. You can still pop the caps off those.

 

I priced a replacement for mine from xs650direct ind it almost the same as a normal lead/acid batt.... only diff would be shipping...

 

Mikes XS is now offering AGMs for quite a few bikes. VERY reasonable prices. I am in no way affiliated. I just prefer AGMs. I now run one in my Seca Turbo and life is much better with that bike. The old acid batteries were a real pain to keep serviced on it. Installed the AGM, bypassed the sensor and away we go!

 

fitz, there was a thing that came with it that had the acid in it, you just turn it over and it fills all them up, then put the plastic strip that covers the holes in... That didn't fill them up all the way though. Was I supposed to put distilled water in??? lol should've read the instructions, I'm an idiot.

 

ya, maybe a little. i just put a batt. in mine and the directions read to add acid and let stand for about 30min to an hour with the caps just sitting on it. then to check the levels and add as neccesarry. after adding i think it said to wait like 20 min or so then check again. in mine the level did settle a decent amount and required adding some water to cover the tops of the plates, or mine has a line on it.