AGM battery run down to zero, recharged, misbehaved...

[normzone]

More fool me, left the driving lights on about three hours and came out of the shop to a stone dead bike (not to be confused with a dead Stone Guzzi).

My Harley engineer trickled off his truck battery for a quarter hour and we started up. I made it to the grocery store on the way home and it restarted there no problem.

This morning it wanted to start but failed and clicked out. I live on a slope and used it to start. The bike seemed a little shaky before the freeway but I revved it all the way to work (more revs is more juice? My mind is still in the generator era).

So now I'm at work. Hoping for the best. Did I damage my battery ? I have resolved not to worry about the ECU / ECM. My ego will heal someday.

[atavar]

When you get home put the battery on a slow charge overnight.  With AGM's I have found that an initial fast charge at high amps (like when riding) followed by an  overnight trickle at 2 amps or less to top it off seems to work best. 

[Wayne Orwig]

And wire the driving light relay to turn off with the ignition.

[canuguzzi]

The battery is toast. The damage has been done. You can try to restore the battery and here is the likely result:

It will work for a while. Then one day, when you need it most, it will fail completely.

Look at it this way, a new battery will cost about the same as you next oil change plus a beer or two and for that is it worth the risk? Do we filter and then reuse oil?

Fast charge, slow charge, it doesn't matter, a battery run to zero has been damaged.

If you don't depend on the bike then no worries, use the battery until it fails and then replace it. However, if you depend on the bike starting, get a new battery.

[Sasquatch Jim]

  Misbehaving batteries are not to be trusted.  They may trick you into thinking they are all right just to get you to take a long trip out into the desert or some other wasteland.  Then when you are furthest from help, they go , "AH HA, I GOT HIM NOW."

[normzone]

Sigh. And it WAS a new battery.

Somewhere around here is the thread where you guys recommended where I should order one for a good price. Of course, while you were making those suggestions I was already ordering one from a high priced source, which has additionally offended me in other matters, so I'm pretty certain I won't be going back there. Now I'll go look for that thread.

Wire the driving lights through the ignition on circuit... I knew that the day I had to go beyond (counting on fingers, only using one hand) gas, oil, tires, brakes, windshield, (EDIT: Oh yeah, and battery. Now into the fingers on the second hand, but with no real room to complain) on this bike would come sooner or later, and I guess it's in sight now.

(returns from looking for thread, edits this one) Here's the recommendations in my breakdown tale.

http://wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=72137.40

I've just got to get the bike home tonight and drive to L.A. for a consulting gig for a couple of days. I guess I know where my battery money is going to come from. A young outfit is about to go through their first short notice FDA Level II audit, and I've been asked to lend moral support.

EDIT: I replaced the battery the first week of October, so it's got just over seven months on it.

[rodekyll]

What kind of warranty did the new battery come with?  What brand?

[Kiwi_Roy]

I don't believe that running a battery to zero is instant death, give it a trickle charge over night.

If you don't have a charger look around for an old 12 Volt wall wart rated at 250 milliamp or more, they make great trickle chargers and unlike a smart battery tender they will bring up a battery from zero.

[Carlo DeSantis]

My experience is that the battery will need more than a trickle charge at home.  We have an Interstate Battery store nearby, and I have taken AGM batteries there to be renewed.  They come back good as new.  Seriously.  Free.  (I was gonna say "No Charge," but ya know . . .)  This is one reason I am a fan of Interstate batteries.

I'd take your battery to a knowledgeable battery shop to see what they can do.  Don't give up on it just yet.

Best,

Carlo

[Wayne Orwig]

AGM batteries are much more capable of taking deep discharges. I left my key on at work one day in my EV years ago, and still got 11 years from that AGM. I simply attached a small desulfating charger to it for a few days. With a try, but that doesn't mean it will work.

[Triple Jim]

I don't believe that running a battery to zero is instant death...

That's my experience as well.  I find that you can usually get away with once unless it's very old.  Sometimes two or three times, but then you're pushing your luck.

[acogoff]

     Get yourself one of these and put it on overnight or walk away for a week or two, Makes no difference. It has a brain and has a position for agm batteries. I own two and are the best darned thing since sliced bread around the farm, very adaptable to most any battery type. It is not a trickle charger

http://www.amazon.com/CTEK-56-864-MUS-12-VoltBattery-Charger/dp/B006G14FK8

[wymple]

"Do we filter and then reuse oil?"

They always have in industry. And I used a lot of reprocessed oil in my cars back in the day when I was just a poor kid. I retired 4 years ago and we were reprocessing oil for huge multi-million dollar presses.

[lorazepam]

"Do we filter and then reuse oil?"

They always have in industry. And I used a lot of reprocessed oil in my cars back in the day when I was just a poor kid. I retired 4 years ago and we were reprocessing oil for huge multi-million dollar presses.

Wolf's Head oil for the win!!