Hi folks. My bike suddenly died on my way to work. I've managed to cure the symptom, it's now running again, but I need help finding the cause so it doesn't happen again.
It runs on 3x12v SLA batteries. I connected the wires by feeding them through the holes in the tabs & securing them with the silicone sheaves provided with the batteries.
When I opened the battery compartment up there were 2 areas of concern: A small amount of clear odourless liquid which I thought was water, but after wiping there was light erosion to the plastic battery box so I'm assuming it's battery acid. Secondly (and what caused the breakdown), The silicone sheaf on the '+' terminal of the 1st battery in the series had melted. The wire was still hooked onto the tab but obviously not securely enough to keep a good connection.
My main questions are:
If a battery has leaked would that be a likely cause for the overheating terminal?
If this is the case, how can I tell which battery has leaked? There's no visible sign of damage on any of them, and the amount of seepage was tiny - much less than a teaspoonful so I don't think weighing on normal scales will be an option.
Assuming I find a faulty battery, I have an unused spare. If I were to use the spare would it need charging separately to match the charge of the other 2 or do they balance themselves out?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm in a new job so being late for work isn't good. I'm wary about using the bike again until I can fix the cause of the problem, even though it costs £2 a month to run - £73 less than a bus pass! Even more importantly it has reduced my daily travelling time from 2-3hrs (depending on shift) to under an hour, so for obvious reasons I would like to feel confident about using it again ASAP.
PS: It looks as though somebody has tried to steal the batteries. The battery box locks into the footplate & has folding plastic handles. Both handles have snapped at the hinge on 1 side. I can't see how this would damage the batteries inside but I thought I should mention it in case it is relevant.
It runs on 3x12v SLA batteries. I connected the wires by feeding them through the holes in the tabs & securing them with the silicone sheaves provided with the batteries.
When I opened the battery compartment up there were 2 areas of concern: A small amount of clear odourless liquid which I thought was water, but after wiping there was light erosion to the plastic battery box so I'm assuming it's battery acid. Secondly (and what caused the breakdown), The silicone sheaf on the '+' terminal of the 1st battery in the series had melted. The wire was still hooked onto the tab but obviously not securely enough to keep a good connection.
My main questions are:
If a battery has leaked would that be a likely cause for the overheating terminal?
If this is the case, how can I tell which battery has leaked? There's no visible sign of damage on any of them, and the amount of seepage was tiny - much less than a teaspoonful so I don't think weighing on normal scales will be an option.
Assuming I find a faulty battery, I have an unused spare. If I were to use the spare would it need charging separately to match the charge of the other 2 or do they balance themselves out?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm in a new job so being late for work isn't good. I'm wary about using the bike again until I can fix the cause of the problem, even though it costs £2 a month to run - £73 less than a bus pass! Even more importantly it has reduced my daily travelling time from 2-3hrs (depending on shift) to under an hour, so for obvious reasons I would like to feel confident about using it again ASAP.
PS: It looks as though somebody has tried to steal the batteries. The battery box locks into the footplate & has folding plastic handles. Both handles have snapped at the hinge on 1 side. I can't see how this would damage the batteries inside but I thought I should mention it in case it is relevant.
