Arrgh! battery problems

got back from a 120 mile ride today, pulled up in my garden and then turned the engine off and somthing was whistling! have no alarm, so wasnt that, took the seat off and the battery was smoking, bowing out of the side, and really really hot. brand new battery brought about 4 days ago. had a read in the manual and it says it could be the regulater rectifier. anyone had this problem before or knows what could be wrong?? its a 99 sv 650 as well, if that helps.

cheers

[tigersaw]

Was it a sealed battery that you put the acid in yourself then push in the seals? If so, if you dont allow it a couple of hours after adding the acid before sealing it can do just that. Often dealers don't read the instructions, and simply pour in the acid and seal immediately.
However, your problem sounds a bit dramatic, I'd await advice on how to check your charging circuit.

it was one i done my self. let the acid drain out of the capsuals into the battery for about 40 mins, then about an hour later sealed it. got told from a mechanic to test the voltage and if it is under 11 volts then charge it for a couple of hours. then it should be fine. the manual says it could be the reguolator/rectifier, and my dad seems to think that it should be directly earthed (bolted to the frame) mine is bolted next to my battery in plastic, but the wiring digram shows that it earths off of the loom.

arguing about it isnt solving anything at the moment-

[Biker Biggles]

Assume you changed the battery as a result of the last one going down?If you didn't check the charging system then,you probably have a duff reg/rec.You need a multi metre thing to check it and then have a look on here for the figures,and how to swap to a Honda reg/rec.You will almost certainly need another new battery as your one will be cooked.

yea the other one wasnt charging, thick the plates were buggered. i'll get the rectifier tested tomorrow and see if i can get hold of another one or a honda one. ta

This should answer most of your questions dude.
http://www.geocities.com/750paso/paso/regulate.html

Regulators are very reliable but if they do go phut so does your battery!

[fizzwheel]

Originally Posted by RhythmJunkie

Regulators are very reliable

Its quite a common fault on an SV for its reg / rec to go. I dont know why but they seems quite susceptable to failure.

You're right though if it does go it can toast your battery.

Isn't this why cars used to have a volt meter on the dash? In fact I seem to remember some bikes having volt meters once!!(CX500?) That way you can instantly see there's a fault! Would be a good idea and very cheap to fit your own, just in case, could save a lot of pennies in the long run!

[tigersaw]

Originally Posted by RhythmJunkie

Isn't this why cars used to have a volt meter on the dash? In fact I seem to remember some bikes having volt meters once!!(CX500?) That way you can instantly see there's a fault! Would be a good idea and very cheap to fit your own, just in case, could save a lot of pennies in the long run!

Cars had voltmeters back in the days of dynamo's, which were rubbish. The voltmeter was there to constantly remind you that your battery was going flat.

Just fixed the same problem on my SV -99, my first battery started to smell , bought a new sealed gel batteri wich lasted for about 2 days (same thing, smelled, hot as hell almost melting and smoke coming out). Called the local dealers and asked them what it could be but they wanted the whole bike to do some tests.
I talked to some peopel and looked in Haynes on SV and there it said = "Clues to a faulty regulator are constantly blowing bulbs, with brightness varying considerably with engine speed, and battery overheating", and i experienced everything.

Ordered a new one and bought a new battery and its now ok but they also told me that a faulty regulator can take out the generator so the best thing is to messaure the volts, wich i havent done yet, to fu**ing lazy, shold be around 14v i think.