Battery making boiling/sizzling sounds...

I took my battery off and hooked it up to a 6/12 volt charger that charges at either 2 or 6 amps. As I hook it up to charge I hear a boiling/sizzling noise coming from the battery. I did a little research on it but got no clear answers. I think it means one of two things. Either the battery is fully charged and by hooking it up to the charger I am over-charging it <OR> I have a bad battery. I read online that it might mean that one cell went out so now it is over-charging the other cells. Anyone have any ideas?? I had a previous topic about buying my bike, having it run great, then when I got home I turned off the bike and when I went to turn it on again it wouldn't start. I charged the battery that night and the next morning it fired right up. Later that day I went to start it again and it wouldn't start. I jumped it with my car battery, drove it around for awhile, and its been working pretty good ever since (about 2 days). What do you guys think?

 

Or i guess there is a third option, and that is that this is normal?

 

Oh and one more thing. I found a clear tube that wasn't attached to anything under the panel by my battery...anyone know what this is and what its suppose to be attached to? I don't like random tubes not attached to anything, it scares me!

 

The clear tube is the breather tube for the battery.

If you look on the side of the battery, parallel with where the filler caps are, you'll see a small nipple on the side pointing down. That's where that tube attaches too. The idea is for when the battery is gassing under charge/load (as they all do to an extent), it dispels the fumes away from that enclosed space.


As for the battery gassing on charge, yep they all do that when fully charged, especially when the charger is a bit too beefy, or not one of those electronic ones that automatically drop to a low trickle charge for the last 5% or so of the charge, for the size of the battery.

They do that with a dead cell, too. So, the answer is either 1 and 3, or 2!

Best bet, take it to a battery specialist and they can put a load clamp on the battery and test it for you. You'll know for sure then. Or, just buy a new battery. They're quite cheap and the last thing you need on a bike with a field coil generator is a dodgy battery...

 

Snowridr,
It sounds to me like your battery is way over charged if it's making a hissing sound and boiling. Be careful not to get it near any sparks or open flames (no smoking) they give off fumes that can ignite and explode!! ( I had a truck battery explode and it took the entire side off a steel box off when it exploded) So don't hook it up to your bike until it cools down.
After it sits for a while and cools down, take the caps off each cell and check the acid level. If it's been boiling, chances are it needs to be topped off with distilled water in each cell. Then you can check it with a voltmeter to see if it's still good or not.
The clear tube you are referring to on the side is the vent tube. It should hang down so it vents the gases out under the bike. Make sure you route it down so it hangs under the frame/engine of the bike incase there is a slight acid spill. It's also a good idea to use an electrical tie or tape it to the frame down by the frame so it doesn't come lose and fall off or fly around. Make sure you don't tie it off too tight or collapse it so it's able to vent properly. If there's a problem, don't hesitate to ask. PD

 

When charging batteries give off hydrogen gas which is explosive.

If you have a short in a cell it can cause a spark that lights off the explosion.

My neighbor had his golf cart on it's charger. He took it off the charger, hit the accelerator and KABOOM. Best way to protect against that is to make sure cells always have the proper amount of electrolyte. That way if you do have a bad cell it's not exposed to the gas/air pocket.

 

Hissing/Boiling is not necessarily an indicator of a bad battery or overcharging. Every battery we ever charge at work, hisses and bubbles some. If its a real big rolling boil, like a put on the stove then thats bad, but a little hiss and bubbles is normal. Always make sure you charge motorcycle batteries on the lowest setting possible, that will lessen the chance of damage.

 

Well I was out ridding my bike on this beautiful day and it was running great. But then I stopped to talk to a friend, turned off the bike...then when I went to leave and start my bike....nothing happened when I press the starter again! I jumped it, drove it home, turned it off, go to turn it on again and it fired right up....??? What do you think guys, TIME FOR ME TO GET A NEW BATTERY??

 

It sounds to me like some kind of wiring problem. If it's irratic like you stated, it's more than likely not always the battery that's at fault. I would do some research on your charging system (wires, plastic connectors and stator brushes, etc.) and see if you can track it down there first. I fit only starts sometimes, that tells me the battery is probably not the culprit.

 

Well why does it start right up when I jump it then?

 

I guess I must have misinterpereted your statement. You stated when yo got it home, it started right up (didn't mention jumping it that time) so I thought it isan't the battery then. All I am saying is if it starts sometimes, then it's not the battery. If it never starts without jumping it, it's the battery or what is suppose to charge the battery, ie: the stator or the wire coming from the stator is bad? Just my 2 cents. PD

 

No you were right, I jumped it when it was dead then when I got home I turned it off then started it again with out the jump with no problems. I hope its not a big problem, don't kill my dream of it only being the battery man!! lol, just joking, I appreciate the input.

 

The only reason I say that is because these XJs have a history of poor plastic connectors thruout the entire bike. When they get a little moisture in them, they tend to corrode and make poor contact, which in turn. makes them heat up and even melt in some cases. Especially with higher miles on the bike or if it sits outside, they need to be tended to or they will give you all kinds of problems down the road (or ON the road!)
As long as your going thru the electrical department, you may as well go thru all the connectors and clean them, and use a little die-electric grease on them to keep them from failing in the future. If the connector from the stator is brown (burnt) I would suggest replacing it with separate electrical connectors or by cutting the connector out completely and soldering the wires together and use heat shrink to seal off the wires good.
The brushes on the stator could be wore beyond their limit and not charging the battery all the time, somaybe that's some thing to be looked at also. Just giving you some ideas to look into incase the problem is still there. PD

 

Oh ya, you may also want to look at the starter switch and kill switch. They have a tendency of getting corroded or wore out too!

 

if you have a shorted cell, that cell won't bubble
if you have to turn up the radio while you charge the battery, the battery's bad