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ABS faults:Odyssey Battery better?

2K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  Reid 
#1 ·
Not saying there is anything to this, but while perusing the Wunderlich catalog that was mentioned in posts this morning, saw this. Look at the green circle in the middle of the page.
 

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#2 ·
Here it is Dave. For some reason, I couldn't read the one in your *.doc file. All pixelated 'n stuff.



<SWAG>
Any new battery will prevent the dreaded 'ABS flashy' problem. However, due to the increased capacity of the PC680, it'll take more stress to reach the 'flashy' threashold.
</SWAG>
 
#3 ·
Huh?

FWIW, guys:

Isn't the "flashy" problem associated with a running engine? Low battery voltage is only going to occur when the ignition is on and the engine's not running, or idling at low rpm. Soon as you crank her up the alternator/voltage regulator is gonna take over and the low voltage will disappear till you return to a slow idle, regardless of the battery's condition.

I had a case of "ABS flashy" and found it was caused by low brake fluid level in the rear master reservoir. Topped 'er up and never had it since. But I've got to say - getting fluid into that reservoir was a bit of a trick!

I've got an oddysey battery, and think it's fine (so far - just over a year on it). But it had nothing to do with my ABS problems.

I suppose this might be an honest ad. But I suspect it's snake oil.

Cheers,

Don
 
#4 ·
Hey Don,

There's been discussion here of conditions - flat batteries and engines at idle drawing too much current/voltage from the charging system - that'd cause the 'ABS flashy' on a running bike. That ABS pump is one hungry beast. There was a big hoopla in Germany over it - law suits and I think even a limited recall. But, conditions to cause this problem were fairly extreme.

But you're right - even a moderately charged battery and a reasonably operating charging system under normalish conditions should be enough to keep things happy.
 
#5 ·
its true

The ad is not misleading, it's true if the battery voltage drops below a certain value it will trigger an ABS fault, usually on a weak battery or if the bike sits for an extended period of time.
The current used to start the bike may in fact draw the battery down enough (if its weak) to cause this problem.
This is not just LT specific, my K1100LT did it also.
Fortunately once the bike runs for a few minutes and recharges the battery you can usually restart the motor and clear the ABS fault.
 
#6 ·
The way I understand the low battery ABS problem is the ABS computer won't complete the self test if it finds the battery voltage is too low. This is the test it runs when you turn the ignition on but before you push the start button. (You know, the 5 seconds or so where you listen for the pump and watch for the proper light sequence.) Starting the engine and getting the alternator pumping out electrons isn't going to cause the computer to redo it's "before startup self test" because it stopped the test when it faulted the low battery voltage.
 
#7 ·
abs battery level indicator

before replacing my battery a few weeks ago i could always tell when the charge was too low on it by the ABS flashing lights staying on.....

i also learned that, at least on my bike, idling does not really charge the battery but is more inclined to drain it .....

there for a while i was thinking i could just crank it and let it idle a while to keep the battery charged.....

another thing i think i learned <not 100% sure>,,,,,the pc680 battery isnt suppose to be charged for more than 2 hours.....if you put the charger on for lets say overnight.....you can fry your battery which i think is exactly what happened to mine.....i knew the charge was too low.....i put it on the charger.....next morning i took the charger off.....battery seemed totally charged and fine.....2 days later i cranked it......was getting ready to take off .....bike cuts off in the garage......battery reads a dead short.......time for new battery.....the odyssey battery is a different animal from the conventional battery.....

for whatever its worth :)
 
#8 ·
Kip,

You may be right on the charger - I know the Odessey site lists chargers that they say work 'correctly' with their batteries. When I bought my 680, I also bought a new chanrger just to be safe...
 
#9 ·
kip said:
another thing i think i learned <not 100% sure>,,,,,the pc680 battery isnt suppose to be charged for more than 2 hours.....if you put the charger on for lets say overnight.....you can fry your battery which i think is exactly what happened to mine.....i knew the charge was too low.....i put it on the charger.....next morning i took the charger off.....battery seemed totally charged and fine.....2 days later i cranked it......was getting ready to take off .....bike cuts off in the garage......battery reads a dead short.......time for new battery.....the odyssey battery is a different animal from the conventional battery.....
Any battery can be overcharged if one is using the wrong charger. As far as being conventional or not, the Odyssey is a (conventional) AGM battery. These differ from Gel Cells and non-maintenance free lead acid types.

Whenever my bikes are in the garage, they are hooked up to a Battery Tender. IE: All winter long and/or when they are not being ridden.The Odyssey in the LT has had this treatment since new two years ago. It has never missed a beat. :D
 
#10 ·
kip said:
-------another thing i think i learned <not 100% sure>,,,,,the pc680 battery isnt suppose to be charged for more than 2 hours.....if you put the charger on for lets say overnight.....you can fry your battery
That is not true at all. Only if you have a REALLY cheap charger that has too high voltage output would this be true, but would be on ANY battery.
.....the odyssey battery is a different animal from the conventional battery.....

for whatever its worth :)
It is still a lead acid battery, the difference is that the acid electrolyte is absorbed in a glass mat between plates, thus the type AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat)

Remember, the battery is "on charge" the entire time you are riding it, and most of us do that WAY longer than two hours at a time.

The only way you can "fry" a battery on charge is to have a charger that is set at well above normal charging voltage, which should be approx 13.7 volts max. The small "trickle" chargers are normally about 12.5 volts, so the battery will only charge at around 1 amp or so. Some larger battery chargers have a "boost" setting, which is only to be used for very short times to either assist a vehicle to start, or pump a quick charge into a battery for starting.

Any good quality battery charger can be left on a battery for hours with no problem. It will charge at a rate based on the battery's charge level, and taper off to a very low rate as the battery's voltage approaches full charge.

If you have a bad battery, with one cell not producing voltage, then yes, a charger will charge at too high a rate even after the good cells reach full charge, but that was a bad battery already.
 
#11 ·
I say that also.

But, if you believe them, we must change to an unconventional battery if we ride at night.
 
#12 ·
Not battery related, but with regard to topping off the rear brake fluid reservoir, I use a hypodermic needle and it's a piece of cake.
 
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