chirorobacord
Member
I tried to crank my rv6 and it wouldn't turn over. Boost pump was fine. I tried a 12v 50 amp charge. Now completely dead when master is on. No blown fuse or breakers. Did I fry pc680?
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- Thread starter chirorobacord
- Start date
rv7charlie
Well Known Member
Basics:
Do you have a volt meter? What does it tell you when you measure battery voltage *on the actual battery terminals*, not the wire lugs or anywhere else?
Do you have a volt meter? What does it tell you when you measure battery voltage *on the actual battery terminals*, not the wire lugs or anywhere else?
50 amps is not recommended for charging that battery, but it should not have fried it. Put a meter on the battery and see if you get around 13 volts. If that checks good, put some kind of load directly on the battery to be sure it hasn't failed. I would then be looking at your master contactor. Also a failed battery cable (positive or ground) could be an issue.
Larry
Larry
Carl Froehlich
Well Known Member
More likely you killed your battery awhile ago but the funeral was delayed.
An Odyssey battery is, in my opinion, the best option for our airplanes. If you abuse it however (like running it flat), trying to bring it back to life is not a great idea. You might get a start out of it but capacity has been implanted.
Replace the battery.
Carl
An Odyssey battery is, in my opinion, the best option for our airplanes. If you abuse it however (like running it flat), trying to bring it back to life is not a great idea. You might get a start out of it but capacity has been implanted.
Replace the battery.
Carl
Larry is correct that 50 amps will not fry the battery. However, voltages higher than 15 volts will. Especially at high amps.
You mention 12v at 50 amps, if your charger is actually only putting out 12v, it will not charge any 12v battery. You probably have a charger that puts out 50 amps at a voltage appropriate for 12v batteries. To charge any well maintained 12v battery requires at least 13.8v. Our aircraft alternators usually put out about 14.1 - 14.4 (like a car) which is just fine for your battery
It is much more important to have a charger that will not exceed 15 volts than any specific amperage rating. It will start cooking the batteries electrolyte above 15v. Then the valve will open releasing the cooked off gasses.
As to charging amperage with a charger at 14.7v, the Odyssey batteries have no express limits on in rush current. They will easily handle 50 amps or more. In fact your battery (per Odyssey's charts will completely recharge in a little over 30 minutes at 50 amps from a minimum depth of discharge).
Per Carl's note, this makes Odyssey's ideal for our aircraft. With a 60 amp alternator, and a normal load of 20 amps for all your fancy gizmos, the Odyssey will take all the excess juice your alternator can put out and quickly recharge. If you have an amp meter in your aircraft, you can see this happening with a very high amp load that quickly drops to normal as the battery quickly recharges and demands less current.
As per the other comments, check the voltage across the battery terminals to determine the depth of discharge. Also check your battery around the label area for signs of vented gas. If the valve has opened and vented gas, there should be visible evidence.
Also check the output of your battery charger. This needs to be done with a least a minimum amperage load or you will get erratic readings. If you have a battery that will accept at least 6amps of charge, test it with that amp load and make sure it doesn't exceed 15v. A car battery won't be hurt much at 15v but your Odyssey will.
One last comment in case you get your battery back to life. As Carl notes, the battery may actually need to be retired. I test my batteries on a load tester from Harbor Freight. Do that with your recovered battery and do it every year. They do wear out. Heat under the cowl can put quite a strain on any battery. For our batteries you need the 500 amp tester not the 100 amp.
Here is a link to Odyssey's most recent technical manual. I have been using their batteries for 10 years over two different aircraft and they have always performed exactly as specified in their documents
http://www.odysseybattery.com/documents/US-ODY-TM.pdf
You mention 12v at 50 amps, if your charger is actually only putting out 12v, it will not charge any 12v battery. You probably have a charger that puts out 50 amps at a voltage appropriate for 12v batteries. To charge any well maintained 12v battery requires at least 13.8v. Our aircraft alternators usually put out about 14.1 - 14.4 (like a car) which is just fine for your battery
It is much more important to have a charger that will not exceed 15 volts than any specific amperage rating. It will start cooking the batteries electrolyte above 15v. Then the valve will open releasing the cooked off gasses.
As to charging amperage with a charger at 14.7v, the Odyssey batteries have no express limits on in rush current. They will easily handle 50 amps or more. In fact your battery (per Odyssey's charts will completely recharge in a little over 30 minutes at 50 amps from a minimum depth of discharge).
Per Carl's note, this makes Odyssey's ideal for our aircraft. With a 60 amp alternator, and a normal load of 20 amps for all your fancy gizmos, the Odyssey will take all the excess juice your alternator can put out and quickly recharge. If you have an amp meter in your aircraft, you can see this happening with a very high amp load that quickly drops to normal as the battery quickly recharges and demands less current.
As per the other comments, check the voltage across the battery terminals to determine the depth of discharge. Also check your battery around the label area for signs of vented gas. If the valve has opened and vented gas, there should be visible evidence.
Also check the output of your battery charger. This needs to be done with a least a minimum amperage load or you will get erratic readings. If you have a battery that will accept at least 6amps of charge, test it with that amp load and make sure it doesn't exceed 15v. A car battery won't be hurt much at 15v but your Odyssey will.
One last comment in case you get your battery back to life. As Carl notes, the battery may actually need to be retired. I test my batteries on a load tester from Harbor Freight. Do that with your recovered battery and do it every year. They do wear out. Heat under the cowl can put quite a strain on any battery. For our batteries you need the 500 amp tester not the 100 amp.
Here is a link to Odyssey's most recent technical manual. I have been using their batteries for 10 years over two different aircraft and they have always performed exactly as specified in their documents
http://www.odysseybattery.com/documents/US-ODY-TM.pdf
Last edited:
rv7charlie
Well Known Member
Got some feedback for us yet? Everything posted *could* be relevant, but you need to get some actual data to begin actual troubleshooting. It's quite possible that something completely unrelated to the battery is causing your problem; the symptoms you describe could have several different causes.
chirorobacord
Member
So the voltage read 0. The battery was extremely hot, damp,and slightly bulged even an hour after removing. I bought a new one and made my trip. I bought the old one online last may and it never seemed as strong as everyone says. I think today was the funeral...so much for saving a buck on internet. Lesson learned. Thank you for all the feedback.
