I have a ZX10 engine in my car and I'm running it off my car battery at 70amp. The battery ever since i first turned the bike engine on with out
even driving, drains quickly. When you charge it, the charger says its charged in about half hour max but then discharges after a few simultaneous
starts (start then stop then start etc)
When the bike is started the lights are bright and the bike never stops and the battery never dies
Is it safe to run a car battery i.e will the battery die?
Thanks for any replies
i ran a small car battery on my CBR1000F engined car because it was a pain to start and i would always require a push start once a week.
The car batt was fine, just added weight but when i upgraded to a ZX12R engine it was really easy to start so i went for a bike battery.
Is the bike battery you have old? they are easier to break from running them flat and if you have starting problems then i would go car battery BUT if
you start ok then it sounds like the battery is old or knackered or youre charging system on the car is not working right.
Not sure what you are actually asking, only advice I can give is to think logically, it could be battery or alternator or current drain or any
combination of them so you have to eliminate which.
(1) Charge the battery to at least 3/4 charge allow it to rest for at least 2 hours and do a high current voltage drop test, if it shows less the
9volts the battery is toast.
(2) Check your alternator is actually charging ie showing at least 13.4 volts with engine running.
(3) Check for current drain with the ignition off.
Basically... is it safe to run a car battery with a bike engine firstly. If so I'll go out and buy a new car battery
Many thanks for your replies
A 12v battery is a 12v battery ---- but get the old battery tested (after charging and allowing it to rest off charge) before paying out for a new battery.
quote:
Originally posted by TIMHICKS1983
Basically... is it safe to run a car battery with a bike engine firstly. If so I'll go out and buy a new car battery
Many thanks for your replies
A battery is a battery, long as 12v. I run a odyssey Pc680 on my r1 fury. Stonking little battery, small and very powerful. Plus it's sealed dry cell. Sounds like any battery will be better than the one on your car though. As already mentioned I'd check if anything else is amiss. Alternator charging ok? Anything drawing current when ignition is off?
get the smallest car battery you can find....bike battery's are expensive and dont last as long
My alternator charges at 10amp , the battery I should have in my car is 30amp/hour
Having used an Odyssey battery for the last 5 years with no problem I will always recommend them. They are totally sealed, lightweight and will turn
over practically any engine including a 7 litre V8 !
If your alternator is only pushing out 10A then it is surely knackered. That won't even keep the headlamps lit - are you sure it is only 10A? I
would have expected around 30-40A to be the normal spec
[Edited on 5-1-11 by RazMan]
Having bought a red top sealed battery 5 years ago for my build i'll never buy a normal car battery again.it was about £30 more than the recommended 200sx battery at the time,half the size and quarter the weight.it spent the first 3 years churning engine over and over,hours of ignition on testing,getting run til it was dead using the 12v lamp.since the cars been on the road its only ever started the car after weeks of standing and had short blasts!After the month cold spell i tried to start the v8 rangie with it,till it wouldn't turn over,then put it on the striker which just about rolled over and fired,then jumped the rangie.no battery i've ever had be, it nicked off a 6l diesel truck has put up with that!
i have got an optima yellow top on mine, cracking battery cant kill them again over 5 years old and been on 3 cars cow lol
Which model of zx10 do you have? Early bike engines (i.e. carbs) have very weedy alternators which can be inadequate to handle the demands of car
use.
In you case it sounds like your battery is buggered.
If you don't mind the weight penalty just get another one like you have got.
Worth checking your electrics are working properly (i.e. no power drain).
Matt
Sounds like a knackered battery to me. Yes it's safe to run a car battery on a bike engine however I'd avoid running with either a kackered or discharged battery. The charging circuit is only designed to top up the battery and trying to recharge will soon knacker the system (applies to all alternators). We often see knackered batteries soon followed by knackered alternators and visa-versa.
Thanks for every ones help. It was the battery. Checked the drain and that was only 0.03amp so was safe to fit a new one.