Tried my new battery this morning, its a 12V 14ah lead acid job and the fuel pump or a relay clicked but that was it. So I tried my bike battery which is a 12V 12ah gel type and this started it fine. Whats wrong with t'other one? Is it too highly powered or summat. The ZX9 standard battery is a 12V 8ah.

Sounds like it is dead or duff.

the extra 2ah shouldn't stop it starting (?) so I would go with Nitram's guess first...

Steve

No its brand new, just got it from the battery factory and filled it up with acid, charged it on the unfeasibly expensive Oximiser thing and the voltage and everything is there and full.

or it's not charging, if it's 12v see if it gets to 14v likewise if it's a 6v should be about 7 or 8.

Winter is usually when folk find the alternator isn't working properly due to the lights being on more.

Nah the lights are still in the box they arrived in. I've just banged it on the Oximiser again and it's showing 13.7/8 V. Wierd innit.

I never heard of a battery being too big, so long as the voltage is enough and there's enough current available it makes no difference. Maybe it's just a sticky starter and the motor's cogs getting stuck, it will still click.

[Edited on 1/12/07 by Mr Whippy]

Nah because it starts fine on my bikes' battery. Come to think I first trial started the engine ages ago off a big Fiesta diesel battery. This battery I have now is for a Harley.

I reckon you've got a knackered battery or its been filled with the wrong acid solution.

A larger battery can only give more current if asked - how are the connections?

Connections are fine. I can't see how its knackered though when it reads 13+Volts on the multi meter and its holding a charge fine.

Try a quick but savage test - short out the terminals with some THICK wire for a second or two. 6mm wire should become very hot, very quickly.
That should give you an idea of the cranking amps available. The terminal voltage is not always a good indicator of the condition of the battery.

hmm big sparks, glowing wires and hydrogen gas...

I think the battery voltage will plummet when cranking and the battery is not delivering the required current. I’m still favouring the starter

1) Shorting out battery is NOT a very safe thing to do - the wire could weld itself to the battery terminals so you can't get it off in which case - run cos the battery will probably explode.

2) he tried with new battery and got nothing, THEN tried with bike battery and it started. So it's unlikely to be the starter.

I would put voltmeter across new battery to give 13V reading then connect a reasonably-heavy load like a headlamp bulb across it and watch battery voltage. If it dives, then battery has high internal resistance and is duff.

Other than that, only thing I can think of is the obvious - do the battery connectors give a tight grip on the new battery ?

quote:

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Originally posted by Mr Whippy
I’m still favouring the starter

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Ah right. I did put the multimeter across and it did have an unreasonably high resistance but I dismissed this as it still had 13 odd volts and its brand new. This better not be duff, its the second one in two weeks from the same place.

You need to do a voltage test under load ---- in car version of this is the cranking voltage test .

However to me it sounds like you had a duff connection.

Mr BT you may be right. I've just gone and tried the battery yet again and for some reason it started first time. I'm not complaining now, first time with my new exhaust on as well. Woo hoo, just got to sort that leak but I've got to go to work. Boo