Battery leak

[Guest brianash]

hi... i posted something a few months ago about this...

2000 V11 Sport...

my stock battery leaked acid, so i bought a replacement... the place that i ordered it from said that i should get the yuasa ytx15l-bs. it is about the same size as the stock battery, but slightly deeper (it sits on its side, so i guess that makes it taller - closer to the seat)

i installed it, and went for a ride.

the next day, i went for another ride. when i got where i was going, i noticed that acid had spilled all over again. the brand new battery leaked!

i suspected it being caused by the seat pressing against the battery, squeezing acid out. i looked at the bottom of the seat, and it looked like it had been rubbing a little bit against the stock battery. so i coated the top of the yuasa with some grease, and put the seat back on. when i take the seat off, i notice that there is grease on a couple of spots on the seat, so it is touching. the bottom of the seat looks like there is a small cutout where the corner of the battery is supposed to sit... it rubs right on the edge of that. so i think that the battery did leak because of being pressed down on. has anyone else experienced this with the stock or yuasa battery?

i called a MG dealer, and they said that oddysey makes a dry-cell battery, and westco makes a gel-cell. the westco dimensions are slightly smaller than the yuasa, and the oddysey is slightly bigger. if it is the seat pressing on the battery that caused it to leak, then bigger will not work.

what battery should i use? someone on this forum said that they use a yuasa ytx9bs.. is this right? the shop i bought from said that this one is a 9ah battery, which probably would not be good enough.. is he wrong?

 

i checked my charging system, and the voltage regulator cuts off charging at about 14.25V, so i don't think that it is getting overcharged. is there something that could be installed crooked, or something, that would make the battery touch the seat?

[docc]

I'm surprised the stock battery would spill acid. I thought they were gel affairs?

 

Still, the 2000 sport's seats do contact the battery. In fact they will cut the retention strap in half. I used my Dremel rather liberally to relieve all the contact points. The seat snaps on with ease and there is no more pressure on vital parts below.

[callison]

They'll spill alright. Done it twice. Pressure from the seat. The batteries used in the Sport models starting in 1997 and eventually in all USA MG's (because dealers kept overfilling the lead acid ones and doing expensive warranty damage) are "dry cell" batteries only in the sense that there isn't fluid sloshing around. They are "starved electrolyte" batteries, meaning that there is electrolyte in there, but not much and it is normally confined by the case in the dampened material between the plates. Crack the case though, and the electrolyte will find it's way out. Stick with the Odyssey or Westco and try to remedy the pressure on the case problem.

[Guest brianash]

if i shave away at the bottom of the seat with a dremel, won't i cut right through the seat pan? or is it pretty thick? what the heck was guzzi thinking, making the seat contact the battery? what about elongating the holes for mounting the battery box, and drop it down a little? or would that risk contacting the shock?

[docc]

The pan is really pretty thick. I did zip through it in one spot where I was removing the sharp edge that cuts the strap. Mine still touches the battery but hasn't ever sqizzed any juice out.

 

I never thought of droping the box. Since I don't currently have a swingarm in place someone else will have to look at the clearance.

[Guest brianash]

according to the info i have read, the odyssey is actually larger than the yuasa, but the westco is smaller... it seems that the odyssey might have a problem with cracking, if it actually bigger. maybe i could put a metal plate on the top of it to distribute the force across the whole battery, or better yet, to the battery box. the only reason i don't just buy the westco, is the guy that sold me the yuasa, and is nice enough to take it back, doesn't have a source for westco, only odyssey... bummer... i think i might just go with the odyssey, though.

[Paul Minnaert]

I'm the 9 ah yuasha user. I have the same one 8 years in my daytona. If it starts a daytona, it will do a V11. And there is plenty of power left after starting.

 

Dimensions: 150mm x 87mm x 105mm

Weight: 2.5Kg

 

 

It's now laying on it's side under the tank.

[dlaing]

I took a look at the battery cage this weekend and it looks like it can be safely lowered about a half inch.

Lower Center of Gravity

[docc]

I'm working on mounting the battery basket below the subframe at the front instead of on top. Had to file off the outer edges but it looks like it will angle the front of the battery down 0.335" ( about 5/16" or 8 mm).

 

I believe this is enough to clear the seat fully although the early seats may still require a little 'relieving' especially the sharp corner that cuts the strap.

[docc]

The battery does look substantially lower with the basket mounted under the subframe. I'm certain the seat will not be on it now ( although I haven't gotten that far along yet).

 

The battery does have a pair of closed cell foam bumpers to cushion it from the subframe where it conacts it at the front. I had to peel those off and rubber cement them a little higher. Since the back of the battery is still in the same mounts the terminals are still as easily accessed.