Battery just died?

[Force4000]

Hello all,

I recently went on a trip this weekend and on the last day my battery physically just died. We were about 150 miles into the ride this day and we pulled over to take a break on the trail. After about 5 minutes I went to start my sled and just nothing. I get the speedo and A error-1 flashing and I can hear the starter relay just clicking. I grabbed a spare battery on another sled and it fired right up but once we disconnected the good battery it just died again. At the time I couldn't pull the airbox off so we had to tow it to a road (the good battery was connected to the external connection). Has anyone ever heard of a battery just dying on the trail? It was starting great up to that point, no sign of weakening.

 

[steiner]

It happens. A plate can break loose in a cell of the battery causing it to die.

 

[ebockus]

agreed. plates break and if it doesn't have a good battery it won't run. not like a car when it runs off alternator. apex will stall even after boosted. from my experience. measure the volts across your booster wires. if its anything below 12 your battery is probably toast. usually they read like 10 when a plate shorts

 

[Force4000]

Thanks for the response. At the time we took a 12v light bulb and put it across the cables and when the key was just in accessories the bulb had little juice and when I would turn to start the bulb had no power. I guess I dont understand how the charging works on an apex, I would assume it to be similar to a alternator but I guess I was wrong

 

[steiner]

Well if a plate breaks it breaks the electrical circuit. It's like cutting the battery wire off the battery. Sled won't run at all. The system needs to be a complete loop.

 

[TBay Sledhead]

Well if a plate breaks it breaks the electrical circuit. It's like cutting the battery wire off the battery. Sled won't run at all. The system needs to be a complete loop.

I disagree, there is no actual physical connection between the positive and negative inside a battery. The negative plate (anode) and the positive plate have a separator between them. When a plate breaks of it will sometimes short the pos and neg causing a dead battery.
How do Wet Cell Batteries Work?

• 
  A lead acid battery is a secondary wet cell battery that contains lead, lead oxide, plates and an electrolyte solution that contains a mixture of water and acid. The plates in this type of wet cell battery can be anodes that are attached to a negative battery terminal or cathodes attached to a positive battery terminal. To operate the battery a load is attached to the terminals and a chemical reaction between the electrolyte solution, lead, and lead oxide. The chemical reaction causes electricity to flow through the terminals to the load attached. Some of the acid in the battery remains on the plates as it flows through. When the battery is recharged the acid is returned to the liquid solution to provide more power later.
  

How long do Wet Cell Batteries Last?

• After time, the bits of acid that have been bonded to the plates begins to flake off during normal use of the battery. This leaves less acid that can be transferred back to the electrolyte solution and results in the battery having less power. Heat, vibration and overcharging will also deplete the battery's power.
  

 

[steiner]

Yes, the plates don't actually touch. If you boost a vehicle that has a dead battery it will staying running when the boost leads are removed.
With a "broken" battery the vehicle will die as soon as the leads are removed.