LocostUSA.com

JD, I think in your case the battery was over drawing current from your charger and that's what shut it down. If the charger has a lower current setting you can use that until it has some charge then move to higher current for awhile. The charger has a little piece of metal that warps and breaks the connection when it heats up from too much current. That protects it from overload. That's why it cycles, it cools off after a few seconds or minute or two.

Normal car batteries can get in a state where they won't charge or at least not appear to make progress for some time when they are totally run down. It's bad for them and they become damaged and may not really recover. The other thing normal batteries do is over time shed material from the plates which builds up in the bottom of the battery. When that stuff reaches some of the plates there's nothing you can do, the plates are shorted out. Deep cycle batteries have more room in the bottom for crap to build up, so they take more abuse.

The really good batteries that use a damp fiberglass cloth for the electrolyte hold a charge for a really long time and have very high currents. I am still using batteries from the 80's in my race car and sometimes forget to charge it for years, if I haven't been running the car. So probably worth it for cars that get parked for the winter etc.

_________________
Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

Hi Marcus-
Yes, that could have been the case... I certainly don't know, so I'll go with your theory, after all, you's de enga-neer!

JDK

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

I've been following the interaction here, and then got to wondering when I bought the Miata battery. April 2010.

It's now the end of summer 2013 and the battery is holding up perfectly fine.

Last winter I left the battery in the car, with a trickle charger set to charge only one hour per day. I don't remember what I did with it in the winter of 2010 or the winter of 2011. The lawn tractor batteries I pulled out and kept in the warm basement over winter, then a fresh charge in the spring. I may have done that with the Miata battery. I don't recall. I've since bought a Battery Tender from Canadian tire the last time they went on sale. I quite like that.

Still working off the second tank of gas this year. I doubt I will insure it next year (I have a project truck that has to prove itself and will need plates) or the following (hoping to have the V8 Chevy Sprint completed).

So yeah - happy with the Miata battery.

_________________
The Lethal Locost
The Lethal Locost 2 - Even More Lethalerer

Years ago I had a 1946 Chevy truck and no money. One thing to do when you get a battery that is full of gunk on the bottom, is pour the acid out in a clean container, put water in and slosh it around real good to break up the deposits, then pour the acid back in.

You can top it up with distilled water and battery is like new!

And vibration. The pictures not very clear but it looks solidly mounted, throw strips of leather or rubber in there to isolate some of the vibes.

Um, no. I've owned and ridden motorcycles for 38 years, and if you treat their batteries well, they'll last as long as any car battery. you can't charge them at an amperage rate beyond their capacity to receive, or their life will diminish precipitously.

If I'm not mistaken, batteries should be charged at a rate one-tenth of their rated amp-hour capacity, so, my 14 amp-hour Yuasa in the B-3 (which is operating on the same motorcycle electrical system as it was. gets charged at 1.4 amps (my plug-in charger has a 2 amp setting. and that's the most the bike battery gets when I'm maintaining it during the winter), whereas the 60 A/H battery in my car can take the 6 Amp setting on the charger.

if you are using a motorcycle battery in an automotive electrical system, and the car alternator is putting more amperage into the battery than the battery has capacity for, you'll definitely shorten the life of the battery.

Currently the 14 A/H motorbike Yuasa in the B-3 has been in use since the spring of 2010 and shows no signs of quitting.

_________________
The B-3 build log: http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=13941 unfortunately, all the pictures were lost in the massive server crash

The beginnings of the Jag Special,
https://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19012
Again, all pictures were lost.

Started out with an Optima Red Top. Great battery, but heavy:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery ... temId=7012

Now using a lighter weight AGM Braille and a CTEK AGM battery tender. Great battery. No issues with starting my LS6.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery ... emId=21864

does your alternator have a voltage sensing wire?

if there is some resistance between the point where the sensing wire connects in the harness and the alternator, it will over charge the battery, many modern cars have this wire, most hot rodders just connect it to the + terminal at the alternator, this may cause the head lights to pulsate.

if the load on the 12.5 volt circuit is sensed at 12.0 volts by the sensing wire then the alternator will output additional volts to raise the output felt by the sensing wire until it reaches 12.5 volts, i.e. when all the electrical systems are on

if by chance the battery is already recieving 12.5 volts because it is being fed by a big wire, then the battery will receive additional volts and cause an overcharge.

likewise, if the battery terminals are poor, then the battery may not be receiving the correct voltage and be discharging even though the alternator is pumping out the right voltage

_________________
this story shall the good man teach his son,
and chrispin chrispian shall ne'er go by,
from this day to the end of the world.
but we in it shall be remembered.