Did I destroy my battery trying to charge it?

[Chris B.]

I put my motorcycle(2006 Harley Sportster 1200) in storage so I removed the battery and put it on a charger. The charger is a 6 and 12 volt charger. When I hooked it up and had the charger on "6 volts" it did nothing. So I flippd it to "12 volts" and the read out meter went up to 2 amps. I forgot it for 4 days and then remembered to check it. The battery was almost to hot to touch! It was not leaking or anything, just really, really hot!!!

Do you guys think it is ok or did I damage it? I have a trickel charger I will hook it up to to keep it charged while it is not in use. Thanks for any input!

 

[finnautti]

My bet is it is dead battery now. I guess you know when next season starts, does the bike start too.

Usually lead acid batteries dont really like overcharge or deep discharge.

 

[tonycarguy]

Is it a sealed battery? Can you check if the water boiled off?

 

[paul246]

The battery is likely a gel cell unit. I would suspect that the battery is permanently damaged and would be prepared to buy I replacement.

 

[JHZR2]

So first lesson is that you need to have a smart charger, so this doesn't hapen. A smart 12V charger could be left on all times.

 

[Ausfahrt]

Its probably fried, especially if its a sealed unit. I hate sealed batteries!

Sealed batteries will lose fluid just like old fashioned non-sealed ones. Maybe not quite as fast but in situations like this when overcharged or in sustained hi-speed, hi-temp driving you can run the suckers dry.

The trickle charger is a great recommendation and unfortunately non-sealed batteries can be hard to find these days.

 

[wapacz]

I would think you would want something like a float charger that shuts off when the battery is full.

 

[mechtech2]

What charger did you use?
It may be OK.
I don't like to see a lot of heat in a battery after charging, but there are no laws written in stone saying it is puked.
If you can check/add water, do that of course.

 

[paul246]

He said it was a 12v charger, left on for 4 days, charging at 2amps. The fact that the battery was "really,really hot" is NOT a good thing. Most likely the plates are warped and will now shed, leading to a dead short down the road. Best to replace it, now.

 

[Eddie]

You will not know untill you get it tested under load at Advanced Auto or other place.

 

[The_Jeff]

Well the worst case scenario, you could just roll start it. I like to think of the heat as being some seriously strong internal resistance, maybe the sign of a good battery! IOW instead of boing itself dry it converted the extra energy into heat.

Not a fan of the trickle chargers, (just because they might flake out and give full current months on end) maybe run a small charger a couple hours a month. I parked my bike for winter in Nov, put a 2 amp charge on it for 2 hours on Valentine's day, and another right before starting it in March.

 

[onion]

Just replace the thing and consider yourself lucky that you didn't burn your house down.

 

[jimvegas]

I wouldn't trust it even if it works for now because it will leave you stranded.

Go to your local motorcycle dealer/parts store and buy a Battery Tender to go with your new battery. The Battery Tender can be left on continuously. Be careful of trickle chargers as they never stop charging and can boil the battery dry.

 

[grease_monkey]

 

[mechtech2]

It was at 2 amps when he left it.
I don't know if it was at 2 amps the whole time.

 

[Mr_Incredible]

Another vote for replace and buy a Battery Tender while you're at it.

My first BT just died this year. I got it back in '89, I think. Not bad. I bet the one I got to replace it lasts longer.

As with anything electrical, hooking up and walking away for months is not recommended. Occasional checks are good business.