Team Apex
Newbie
Just picked up a 2005 Vector for my wife and seam to be have a problem with the battery. It was starting the sled fine when I picked it up, but after sitting about 3 weeks it was all but dead. I put my littlr battery tender junior on for 3 days and it is still showing that it needs charging. The sled starts fine now. I put the charger on for another 3 days but its still saying it needs charging. When I use the charger on other sleds it works fine. So do you think I need a new battery or is there another problem causeing a draw on the battery? How long do the stock batteries last? 
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twomorestrokes
TY 4 Stroke God
My sled is over two years old and I have never charged, jumped or removed the battery. It has always cranked fine even after sitting all summer.
Handy
Expert
- Joined
- May 12, 2005
- Messages
- 374
- Location
- Anola Manitoba
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- 1983 Bravo, 1988 XLV, 1991 Pazer II, 2005 Vector, 2006 Apex Super Charged, 2017 Viper STX DX 137, 2018 SR Venture DX
Make sure you turn the key off and not only the kill switch. With the key on your carb heaters are on also.
Battery voltage please ?
What kind of amps this "charge keeper" will throw on "need charge" mode ?
Do a voltage reading at 24h interval. If there is a little drop, disconnect the negative pole completely then do the same procedure again. That way you can troubleshoot if it leaks out to the sled somewhere. If not, then this might be that your "tender" can only be used as a keeper, not as a charger. Or worst, the battery got into storage partially discharged (for some other reasons) and then the negative plate inside got sulfated; which means you need a new battery. Or another worst, it got in storage with a battery keeper connected that was set to keep a too high of a voltage so in inside positive plate got oxidated; which also means that you need a new battery.
What kind of amps this "charge keeper" will throw on "need charge" mode ?
Do a voltage reading at 24h interval. If there is a little drop, disconnect the negative pole completely then do the same procedure again. That way you can troubleshoot if it leaks out to the sled somewhere. If not, then this might be that your "tender" can only be used as a keeper, not as a charger. Or worst, the battery got into storage partially discharged (for some other reasons) and then the negative plate inside got sulfated; which means you need a new battery. Or another worst, it got in storage with a battery keeper connected that was set to keep a too high of a voltage so in inside positive plate got oxidated; which also means that you need a new battery.
AVenture is on to something but I have a quicker way of doing it. Get an Automotive test light. Disconnet one of the battery cables and hook the test light in series with it. If the light comes on that means there is current being drawn. Then you go to the fuse box and pull fuses until the light goes off. That will tell you which circuit is drawing down the battery.
If that light never lights then you likely have a bad battery that won't hold charge.
If that light never lights then you likely have a bad battery that won't hold charge.
twomorestrokes
TY 4 Stroke God
PAMikeC said:
Good advice. That's how it's done in the automotive field. Use a testlight or voltmeter. If the draw is enough to light the test light, it will run the battery down.
If you have salt bridge inside, outside measurement does not tell. I have nothing against the automotive industry but in the electronic industry when we need a current measurement, we plug an amp meter. It takes quite a lot of current drain before your test light be visible !
