Odessey PC545 Batteries leaking

[Guzzimax]

Less than 2 years since I installed an Odessey PC545 in my Greenie, i found it has been leaking

Checking the bike over today, whilst getting it ready for the road after winter revealed liquid in the rubber battery tray. I can’t tell if the leak originated from a seam in the plastic casing, or the relief valve. Luckily the battery tray did its job and prevented acid dropping onto the frame, hugger etc etc 

Checked my other bikes over only to find the same issue with the Rosso Corsa - a leaking Odessey battery - less than 3 years old 

I’ve never in 40 years of riding / driving experienced a leak from a sealed battery. This has really shaken my confidence in the Odessey product. 
I’ve read various posts stating that the V11 charging system is tough on the battery, but also others claiming that the Odessey battery is durable & very long lived 

Yet I’ve another V11 still equipped with a very old Spark 500 battery still performing OK and not leaking

Any thoughts before I reach out to Enersys expressing my disappointment with what has been very short lives for these 2 PC545 batteries 

Other suggestions of alternative brands that could be more durable? Yuasa?

[audiomick]

Did you have the batteries on a charger over the winter? Not that the charger is giving the batteries a hard time.

 

Edit: and the really, really obvious question; you are sure it is battery acid, of course?

[docc]

42 minutes ago, audiomick said:

Did you have the batteries on a charger over the winter? Not that the charger is giving the batteries a hard time.

 

Edit: and the really, really obvious question; you are sure it is battery acid, of course?

@Guzzimax, This my be the critical question. Have these PC545 been on "trickle chargers" or a "Battery Tender?"

[audiomick]

A suggestion:

I had a leaking battery once in one of my bikes. I think I probably put it down too hard, maybe on a little stone on the garage floor or something. Anyway, I confirmed the leak, a barely visible crack in the base, by simply drying off the battery thoroughly and leaving it stand in an acid resistant tray for a week or so.

If you do that, and yours really have a leak in the casing, they will be at least moist after that.

[Guzzimax]

The liquid is definitely battery acid, and they haven’t been connected to a battery tender over winter. I did some previous on line research and found this wasn’t recommended with Odyssey batteries unless it was a specific type of AGM compatible tender. They have been recharged once during winter using an Optimate 4 (which is AGM compatible) this was then disconnected when the battery was recharged (after around 1 hr) and not left on permanent standby 

It’s a big concern that this has occurred to 2 relatively new Odesseys whereas another bike fitted with a >12 year old Spark 500 is fine. 
I won’t be getting another Odessey after this experience, as my trust in the product has gone, so I guess the default choice will have to be Yuasa

[Emeraldv11]

Hi to all,

Oddyseys, Hawkers and top of the range Yuasa's are made in the same US factory. I got 10 years of use with a US made yuasa in my Stelvio, reselling the bike with its original battery still installed.

Now, on the V11, a generic lawnmower battery (70 euros) is on its 4th year without trickle charging it.

Battery life is a lottery and price has no relation to lifespan ,in my own experience anyway...

[80CX100]

My Odysseys have always served me well; I have had other batteries expand & crack from freezing solid in frigid cold;I don't think that's a probability in your climate.

If you've had 2 batteries of the same design go bad, I'd look hard at the common element, your smart charger.

I use a CTek charger on the appropriate setting for my AGM batteries and it has been rock solid on almost continuous rotation duty.

But recently, I've read of a few guzzi owners who have had malfunctioning smart chargers destroy batteries, a few horror stories of batteries blowing up or very close to it.

fwiw idk

[audiomick]

4 hours ago, 80CX100 said:

...the common element, your smart charger.
 

That seems like a logical place to go looking...

[GuzziMoto]

If you had one battery leak, it could have been an issue with the battery being bad. Having two of the same brand leaking moves the likely fault to something you are doing with your batteries. The odds of one failing, slim but possible. The odds of two having the same failure reduces the odds that it was an issue with the battery and increases the odds that it is something external to the batteries, like the way they are being charged or treated.

Also, my money is on the Sparker being the exact same battery as the Odyssey. Only the sticker on the battery is different as I recall. While I get basing your purchasing choices on your experiences, I don't see Yuasa as being any better than Odyssey. If anything, Yuasa is a lower grade battery.

Besides, I thought everyone was going to Lithium batteries now. Even I bought a lithium battery when the wife's Monster needed a new battery. Likely the same choice will be made for the other bikes when it is time. Not sure the weight savings matter on a bike as heavy as a Guzzi. But the ability to sit for a long time and not discharge is a good thing. Some brands even have a reserve capacity you can activate so a bike with a "dead battery" can start itself.

[docc]

It would be telling to record the voltage progression of that charger using a quality voltmeter....

Primary charge should not exceed 15.0v and the "float" >13.2 . . .

[gstallons]

ANY time you have a discharged battery go through freezing temps you are promised troubles. Keep the battery on a tender throughout the winter / when you are not riding . I am going to say this is what happened to these batteries. Also , get the bike running and check the charging system output V and then check the battery V after riding .

[docc]

Keeping the Odyssey PC545 on a charger is fine as long as the voltage is high enough and the initial charge is performed to specifiction. Most "trickle chargers", including the seemingly ubiquitous "Battery Tender" brand, charge at around 13.10-13.15v.

Odyssey is clear that their battery will be damaged with "float" charging below 13.2. The specified range is 13.5-13.8.  AGM specific chargers should be configured for this, but I have had them fail to meet this specification. I always monitor with a voltmeter to be certain what the charger is actually doing.

Odyssey (EnerSys) also states the battery cannot actually be charged with less than 6 amps . . .