I'm afraid I may have killed my battery on my '09 650 Outlander Max XT. I left the key in it, in the "on" position, and drained the battery right dead. Since these batteries are likely not deep cycle batteries, will my now fully discharged battery ever hold a charge again? I had read somewhere that, if you completely discharge a non-deep cycle battery, you have basically ruined it. Or, is that just true if you then leave it out in the freezing cold?

I only discovered the problem today, just as I was leaving the cottage (for a week), so I am also worried about leaving a discharged battery up there for 4 or 5 days, even though it may not go down below freezing this week.

Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

you may have killed it, you may not have. That i do not know. Either way...one way to find out, Throw a tender on there and then test it.

 

Bout all you can do is SLOWLY charge it and see. Most auto parts stores can test it by putting a load on it. If you have a battery hydrometer you can check the specific gravity of each cell to see its health.

 

Some of the newer chargers (Vector makes one) have a desulfation feature that can really aid in bringing back a battery. I have had really good success with batteries that are less than 3 years old. 1st thing, check the electrolyte levels in each cell and be sure that they are between the 2 lines.

Once you bring the battery up with a tender or other 1.5-2 amp charger. Then (Assuming that it fully charges), find a way to put a heavy load on it for a short while (30 or so amps for 15 seconds). Then charge it at a good rate (2-10 amps). When charged, let the battery sit overnight. Then repeat 2 more times. The cycling really helps the battery come back. Keep a close eye on the electrolyte - especially when using higher charge rates (like 10amp). If you complete this, then you shouldn't have any long term issues with your battery.

 

Thanks a lot, folks - I will try all of these things. It sure is good to have this forum!

 

i have a battery tender and it brings my battery back to full charge everytime. they now have a quick connect sort of thing that you screw onto your terminals with a connection that you plug into a power cable when charging your battery. very simple

 

"using higher charge rates (like 10amp)."
Unless your battery is an Odyssey battery, using a 10 amp charge WILL DESTROY THE BATTERY, and it will NEVER RECOVER.
Powersports batteries are to small for that high of a charge rate--the battery will heat up excessively, the internal plates will warp, and the battery is destroyed.
Odyssey Batteries are unique, in that they are both a deep cycle and a high amp battery. They cost about twice as much as your basic powersports battery, but can handle a long shelf life, high discharge/discharge rates, and last two to three times as long.

 

Well, I tried trickle charging with 1.5 amps overnight. Nothing. Starting AND ending voltage was about 5.5 volts. Then the instructions from a new battery (from YUASA in Pa.) aid if the voltage is really low ther may be too much resistance in the battery for it to take a low-amperage charge (which they stated as "low voltage"). Then the instruction said try charging for 5 mins. at a high voltage (25 volts or so), and if no current flowed after 5 mins. it was dead. However my charger was rated in amps. So, I tried using 12 amps, which I left on for 5-10 minutes, and felt the battery - still cold. Also, the voltage was up[ a bit in the battery, so I continued charging at 12 amps for an hour or so, until it started to get hot (but not too hot to touch). The I disconnected it, and it was up over 12 volts by that time. Now, a day later, it is still a bit over 12 volts (about 12.25), which is down again but just a bit. I'll try trickle charging from here, but of course I haven't done a load test yet. Will report back when I do, but at least I'm no longer stuck at 5 1/2 volts, and hope fully I didn't warp the lead plates.

Amd thanks for the heads-up regarding Odyssey baterries, KQ400Pilot - I will look into it. (I need batteries for my smaller machines, because they are cheap and don't even last the winter.)

6:00 P.M. today: battery was down to 11.47 volts, which is supposedly the normally discharged state.

 

Shoot, then I guess all of my small batteries are destroyed then. If that is the case, then why can I keep starting my powersports toys? I have a basic Yuasa battery in my Zx1100 Ninja - 4 years old (have had it go completely dead 3 times). I have a Murrays special in my Polaris Sport 400 - 3 Years Old (Has gone dead with a load on it twice from not disconnecting a snow plow lift). My Ds650 has a Walmart battery (Almost 2 years old) has gone completely dead twice. I also have a Walmart battery (barely bigger than a lantern battery) in my kids' Chinese 90 (Has gone dead once and is 8 months old).

I have charged all of these at a 10 amp rate. None of them have gotten more than warm. The 90 battery is the only one that I do not leave charging for an extended period of time.

Having a rather extensive background in remote control, it is typically accepted that 1C (1xCapacity) is a universally acceptable charge rate for almost any battery type (Even the tempermental Lithium Polymer batteries). Seeing how the typical capacity of a Battery for the DS650 is 13 Amp/Hours, it would be perfectly safe to charge it at 13 amps. The Outlander in question most likely has even a larger battery with greater capacity as it is a Utility Quad and therefore charging it at 10amps would pose absolutely no threat.

The reason for higher amperage and voltage charging is to break up any sulfation crystals that may have formed and turn them back into lead sulfate. If the crystals have not gotten too large, this process can indeed "bring back" a dead battery.

 

If you have any really small machines (Like the Chinese 90's or 110's), add a battery disconnect of some sort. I added a set of Powerpole connectors to my kids 90. When they are done riding, we disconnect the battery. That way, there isn't ANY parasitic load on that little battery.

Our 90 has a "security system" that allows me to lock or unlock the ignition with a keyless remote. This is nothing more than a battery drain mechanism. It would kill the battery dead in a week or 2. Nothing is more disappointing than telling your kids they can't ride because their battery is dead...again.

Since we have been disconnecting the battery (About 4 months), I have not had to charge it once! We connect the connector and it fires right up - even after 3 or 4 weeks!