Blown-up battery

[Liz]

Well, I've broken my 'little' Monster as I thought I would! Out the other night when there was a loud 'bang' from under the tank! On getting home realised that the battery had exploded! (Yes, I know now that it's something that should be checked but didn't as a 'mechanical novice'!) So, I am going to get a new battery but, is no fluid in the battery the cause or are there any underlying M600 electrical problems that I should know about that may have caused the battery to 'explode'?

[Albie]

no liqiud means very hot i'm afraid.it needs it to make current.

[kneedown]

well i had second dead one in 8 weeks since i got this bike '''''3 days after it came here dead they replaced battery and rec '''''now today same '''''aa man said must be something in the wires '

[Pedro]

It sounds like the battery has been boiled dry so I would have someone with electrical skills take a look at the charging circuits and rectifier/regulator before just fitting a new battery - if the rectifier is fooked then it'll do the same again to the new battery.

Oh, and be sure to give the bike a good wash to get rid of the acid residues that will have come from the dead battery when it went pop - it'll corrode like a bastard otherwise

[kneedown]

i thought you mean mine but i had new rectifier/regulator .after having it 3 days

[Liz]

well i had second dead one in 8 weeks since i got this bike '''''3 days after it came here dead they replaced battery and rec '''''now today same '''''aa man said must be something in the wires '


Well I'm hoping it's only the battery - so will see when I get a new one next week! Hopefully there are no underlying electrical problems - any extra advice would be very appreciated, thanks!

'Slob' says, at seeing him on Saturday, that this is not an unusual occurance for 'old' Monsters?!!

[Pedro]

Liz

don't just bolt a new battery on, if the old one has boiled dry, then there's a reason and that's usually the regulator rectifier causing probs - at the least, give Louigi a call and see what he thinks before cooking off the new battery too

Ped

[Nickj]

As Pedro says the on;y reason for a battery to split open like that is getting hot, very hot. You often get a lovely rotten egg aroma. The plates distort, the acid starts to boil and as it's a sealed unit it fills up with a mix of helium and oxygen. The plates get close and even touch, go spark and the gas explodes.
Usual cause is far too many volts getting in to the battery, which is probably the regulator. It might also be caused by the connectors from the alternator getting a bit corroded and the resistance going high. This will dump enough power into the alternator to cook it which then takes out the battery

[Liz]

It sounds like the battery has been boiled dry so I would have someone with electrical skills take a look at the charging circuits and rectifier/regulator before just fitting a new battery - if the rectifier is fooked then it'll do the same again to the new battery.

Oh, and be sure to give the bike a good wash to get rid of the acid residues that will have come from the dead battery when it went pop - it'll corrode like a bastard otherwise

Thanks Pedro, it was certainly boiled dry (s**t, bloody woman, can't look after the bike, yes, I admit it!). Unfortunately, the 'washing off' is a bit too late and now the engine cases (yes, I so know what they are) look awful due to the burnt on battery acid! Rectifier?!! I'm hoping it's only the battery boiled dry (which I know is bad enough) anything else - completely over my head! Yes, I know I shouldn't be responsible for a Ducati but I am and need any advice going! Sorry!

[Liz]

As Pedro says the on;y reason for a battery to split open like that is getting hot, very hot. You often get a lovely rotten egg aroma. The plates distort, the acid starts to boil and as it's a sealed unit it fills up with a mix of helium and oxygen. The plates get close and even touch, go spark and the gas explodes.
Usual cause is far too many volts getting in to the battery, which is probably the regulator. It might also be caused by the connectors from the alternator getting a bit corroded and the resistance going high. This will dump enough power into the alternator to cook it which then takes out the battery

So, is this anywhere a COMPLETE idiot/novice should start? The battery wasn't a sealed unit (even I know tha!). It has/had 6 plastic lugs on the top for 'refilling'? But I didn't know!

[Pedro]

Hey Liz

you're gonna need to get someone to take a look to be safe - if the rectifier has gone, a company called Electrex do one for about half what Ducati charge and it's much better - ping Crust a note as he has their details.

You should still give the bike a decent wash off - the acid will have dried and will reactivate if it gets damp so a good wash off will limit damage.

Louigi should be able to help on checking stuff or at least point you in the right direction

[Liz]

Hey Liz

you're gonna need to get someone to take a look to be safe - if the rectifier has gone, a company called Electrex do one for about half what Ducati charge and it's much better - ping Crust a note as he has their details.

You should still give the bike a decent wash off - the acid will have dried and will reactivate if it gets damp so a good wash off will limit damage.

Louigi should be able to help on checking stuff or at least point you in the right direction

Oh feck! How would I know if the rectifier has gone? How do blokes learn this stuff - it's beyond me?! At least I can give the bike a wash! :(

[Paivi]

How do blokes learn this stuff - it's beyond me?!
We girlies don't need to know this stuff, therefore, we can let the guys impress us with their knowledge. It's either that or be hit over the head with a club and dragged into the cave by our hair. :) Not that there's anything wrong with a bit of caveman action...

[David Matthews]

When the rectifier went on my last bike, it just caused the battery to randomly go flat.

Looking on the bright side, your battery may have boiled because the fluid was low. I think they checked the rectifier with a multimeter on mine. The duff one gave slightly different reading than the new one. It should be straight forward to get it checked once you've put a new battery on the bike.

[Trent]

When the regulator / rectifier unit (2 different devices built into 1 "box") goes bad, you usually get 1 of 2 symptoms:

1. The battery goes flat and won't charge - IE the reg/rec unit is not allowing the alternator to charge the battery.

2. The battery boils dry (and can explode) - this happens because the reg / rec unit is not limiting the amount of charge that the alternator is pushing into the battery - IE The battery is being overcharged and the acid starts boiling. The acid gets pushed out the overflow pipe and presumably also evaporates.

It sounds like the regulator has gone on yours...

To check the Regulator, put a voltmeter across the battery and check how much voltage is being pushed into the battery - more than 14v will tell you the reg has packed up.

If you take the reg / rec unit off, you can sometimes see the black epoxy resin they use to seal the unit is "cooked" from the heat of the faulty components inside

Sometimes the reg / rec unit can catch fire if you don't see / fix the problem in time.

[Liz]

We girlies don't need to know this stuff, therefore, we can let the guys impress us with their knowledge. It's either that or be hit over the head with a club and dragged into the cave by our hair. :) Not that there's anything wrong with a bit of caveman action...

LOL! They do impress me with their knowledge!

[Liz]

When the regulator / rectifier unit (2 different devices built into 1 "box") goes bad, you usually get 1 of 2 symptoms:

1. The battery goes flat and won't charge - IE the reg/rec unit is not allowing the alternator to charge the battery.

2. The battery boils dry (and can explode) - this happens because the reg / rec unit is not limiting the amount of charge that the alternator is pushing into the battery - IE The battery is being overcharged and the acid starts boiling. The acid gets pushed out the overflow pipe and presumably also evaporates.

It sounds like the regulator has gone on yours...

To check the Regulator, put a voltmeter across the battery and check how much voltage is being pushed into the battery - more than 14v will tell you the reg has packed up.

If you take the reg / rec unit off, you can sometimes see the black epoxy resin they use to seal the unit is "cooked" from the heat of the faulty components inside

Sometimes the reg / rec unit can catch fire if you don't see / fix the problem in time.

I don't have a voltmeter either! I think I may have to actually open my Haynes manual today and have a look at the pictures - that'll be a start!
Thanks guys.

[desmo]

As others have said, this could be either that the battery hasn't been topped up for ages & because of the very low elecrolight fluid level has just got hotter & hotter until it split or your regulator has failed.
Get another battery & get someone with a multimeter to check the voltage at the battery with the engine running, if it's more than 14.2 volts then the regulator is probably duff.
If you are really stuck & don't know anyone who can help you, give me a shout once you have a new battery, I can always pop up to Calne with a multimeter & test it for you.

[Liz]

As others have said, this could be either that the battery hasn't been topped up for ages & because of the very low elecrolight fluid level has just got hotter & hotter until it split or your regulator has failed.
Get another battery & get someone with a multimeter to check the voltage at the battery with the engine running, if it's more than 14.2 volts then the regulator is probably duff.
If you are really stuck & don't know anyone who can help you, give me a shout once you have a new battery, I can always pop up to Calne with a multimeter & test it for you.

Thanks for the offer Desmo - I'll post how I get on! A friend's husband has got a voltmeter so will try and borrow this to test the new battery when I get it and I'll get him to tell me how to use it! I'm still hoping it was due to the fact I didn't know the battery had to be topped up and therefore this was the cause - so, have def learnt one thing!!

Any tips on really basic 'complete novice' Ducati looking-after would be appreciated guys! I do check the oil, clutch, brake fluids and the tyres. But even had to be enlightened about the fact that the original book gave the tyre pressures as 'bar' not 'psi' - they were much better once I'd pumped them up to the correct pressures then the battery went!

Pathetic really!!

[uksurfer]

if it helps at all, i got a 600 monnie battery down in southampton you could borrow or buy if you want, i bought it for mine and then sold the bike, kept the battery and there different ones on the s4
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[Liz]

if it helps at all, i got a 600 monnie battery down in southampton you could borrow or buy if you want, i bought it for mine and then sold the bike, kept the battery and there different ones on the s4

The one I have taken out was a Yuasa YB16AL-A2 - I haven't looked into how much a new one will cost yet! May take you up on the offer - how much would you want for it?

[kneedown]

:yoparty:i am glad i put something on this thread

[Liz]

:yoparty:i am glad i put something on this thread

Are you going to enlighten us?

[uksurfer]

how does ?20 sound, i paid 60 for it, if you wanna borrow it first, feel free, if its happy on your red machine, then send me the money whenever?
(if you put it on and it blows up, don't worry about it)
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[Liz]

how does £20 sound, i paid 60 for it, if you wanna borrow it first, feel free, if its happy on your red machine, then send me the money whenever?
(if you put it on and it blows up, don't worry about it)

Sounds like a bargain for me but not for you! If I take it and it blows up I'd pay you anyway as that wouldn't be at all fair! £60 - feck, is that how much they really are?

[AndyP]

"A loud bang" was probably an excess of hydrogen gas caused by the overcharging exploding.
Make sure the vent pipe is present and correct and check for dodgey wireing that could spark near the battery.

[Unit 18]

For the life of me (I've had a hard weekend) I'm having trouble remembering the location of the starter solenoid, if its located under the battery, very close to the cylinder head (as in the early SS's) please check that the rubber cover over the terminal hasn't chafed through allowing the positive lead from the battery to touch the head, this will cause the battery to explode. If its not located there its worth making sure the wiring is intact and hasn't chafed against a metal part.
Regards, Al.

[kneedown]

well it would be nice to think you get some responce '
i know a lot of people on here know each other well

[gary tompkins]

A solution of bicarbonate of soda will neutralise the battery acid

As Pedro said it'll eat through the bike if left to rot

[giler]

It's either that or be hit over the head with a club and dragged into the cave by our hair. :) Not that there's anything wrong with a bit of caveman action...

Very well said!

[Liz]

I'll get the bicarb - at least I can do that, knowing how to use it in cooking etc LOL!

[Gilps]

Liz, let me know when you get the new battery and I'll come over and take a look if you want.

[Liz]

Hi guys, thanks for all the advice. Got the new battery from Martin (uksurfer) yesterday. Not quite enough charge to start the bike yestereday, so charged it overnight. Put it on this morning (yep, managed that!), lots of bright lights on the control panel, bike started first time - yay! Stafford had offered to check the voltage stuff - all ok but then discovered that the chain is so knackered that the bike is condemned until new chain and sprockets have been fitted! Oh dear!
Maybe I should write a weekly column along the lines of 'How a woman shouldn't be in charge of a Ducati and what can go wrong?'!!

[uksurfer]

glad the battery came in useful Liz, good luck with the chain and sprockets and i'm sure you'll be on the road soon
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