brand new battery is almost dead? trickle charger

[Mattman88]

I just bought a brand new battery and fully charged it about a month or two ago when it was warmer. It started up and ran great in the warmer temps (30-50 deg). Now that it has been about 0-14 deg I have tried starting it but it wont start and I have all but killed the battery. I heard something about a trickle charger or something and was wondering how it works and if I get some more information about it.

[uspatriot]

A trickle charger - you just disconnect the battery and hook up the charger to the terminals and let it sit over night. If you let a battery sit in the cold they lose there charge. You could also just jump start the quad and take it for a long ride, and that should charge it.

[drew416ex]

There is something that is basically the same as a trickle charger called a battery tender. You dont have to disconnect the battery. Just hook it up and plug it in and leave it. It only puts out a couple of mA which is why it doesnt overcharge the battery.

[Mattman88]

yea, i must have been thinking of the battery tender. So i can just leave the battery hooked up and hook the tender up to my terminals and plug the tender in?

[RaceinCircles]

Yeah, it should come with 2 set ups. One has clips like the pic. The other has the same female plastic end as pictured with the cables split so you can screw them into the battery terminals. Then you can hide that wire when you are riding..mine is tucked up along the frame, completely hidden. I've had the same battery for 2 years now with no problems. I definitely recommend getting one.

[RaceinCircles]

oops heres the pic.

[racenaked_400ex]

when you got the battery did you have to put the batter acid in it? if you did how long did you charge it for before installing it? if you didn't charge it for long then that just decreases the longevity of your battery's life. if none of these then you could have a cracked cell.

[Mattman88]

i charged it for about 6-8 hours after adding the acid

[dunatic]

the bikes stator will NEVER full charge the battery. Only a charger will do that.

[miller821]

A trickle charger will work fine... Black and Decker has some at your local Sears, Wal-Mart, etc... You don't have to take the battery out, just plug it in and let it sit for as long as you want...

[bigredisb]

My good freind also had this same issue. What it was is he was using a 10+ amp charger that was roasting the new battery. On top f the battery should be the charging guidlines on how much amperaget eh battery can take during charging. Make sure you didnt exceed these rates otherwise it will be toast. Trickle charging is always good and safe for a battery. After adding acid you should let teh battery sit for 25 plus mintes before charging because the battery acid needs to get it initial reaction complete.
I just changed mine, trickle charged it, and even in -9 F she cranks and fires great.

[witech]

A good way to ruin a small atv battery is to hook up a car charger or a trickle and let it charge overnight. There is very little water/acid in them and when they are fully charged it takes just a few hours even at a low charge rate to boil the water out. After that the plates are exposed and they sulfate up and short out.
A battery tender unlike a regular charger keeps the voltage just below the point at which the battery will produce gasses which is why they can be left on for months at a time.

[dunatic]

I have a 2 year old Yuasa (sp ?) on my 400ex. I installed the battery tender and it stay plugged in 24/7 when Im not riding it and Ive never had a problem yet.

[Mattman88]

I ended up buying a cheap atv/motorcycle battery maintainer at wal mart. I have been leaving it hooked up at all times and it hasnt roasted my battery yet. As a matter of fact it fully charged the battery but it still wont start because of how cold it is. I think what I may have to do is find a way to warm up the engine/carb. I have tried a hair dryer before and that seemed to work. Since I bought a battery maintainer if I leave it on at all times it shouldnt damage the battery? Is this correct?

[bigredisb]

You shouldnt have to use a hairdryer or anything like that to get it to start. Both my 07 and 08 fire right up in -9f degree weather. Make sure you dont have a fouled plug. My 07 will foul plugs easy if I pump the throttle more than twice with half choke. The 08 pops righ off and coughs and weezes for while until warm.

[Mattman88]

im starting to think that i did foul a plug because this quad will not start. How do I take the plug out after pulling the plug wire off, its way down in the head.

[witech]

On a side note I have been load testing every battery I buy and I would say 1 in 4 will not pass a load test new . Walmart small batteries had a 100 percent failure rate here right out of the box. Even the best of the best yuasa seem to have dropped off in quality .Ive had to return 2 of them in the last few years. It seem to be a crap shoot for a good one nowadays.

[drew416ex]

Originally posted by witech
On a side note I have been load testing every battery I buy and I would say 1 in 4 will not pass a load test new . Walmart small batteries had a 100 percent failure rate here right out of the box. Even the best of the best yuasa seem to have dropped off in quality .Ive had to return 2 of them in the last few years. It seem to be a crap shoot for a good one nowadays.

Yeah, my stock battery lasted about 5 years. Then I replaced it and the new on I got barely lasted 2. After that one went dead, I bought another one, got home and it wouldnt even run my headlights. All of these were yuasa by the way.

[witech]

The worst of them all were the gel cell ones that come precharged and ready to install. Never had a single one of them pass a test. Id stay away from the high output ones as well. They make the plates extra thin to get the cranking amps out of them but that weakens them and they sulfate up a few months after purchase to put out less than the stockers. The best luck has been just buying the stockers which mostly have been good for 3 or more years.

[Mattman88]

on a side note my 400 still wont start and its definately not the battery right now. I have a strong feeling I fouled the plug. What size spark plug wrench do I need to use and will a plug wrench even fit down in the whole where the plug is located?

[CJM]

I bought an 18mm deep socket from sears and ground it down a bit all the way around and it works great.