Liquid on top of battery

[Searide]

I noticed some liquid on top of my battery and Im not sure if that is indicative of a problem. I don't know much about these batteries. The battery was on a trickle charger and I decided to unplug it and noticed the liquid. Please see the photo below and let me know what you think. Thanks.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

either a) your battery boiled up/over a little ? (cheap trickle charger or a good one. ?)

b) water in the bilge left over from your last ride ?

does ski start ?

maybe its time to invest $80 in a good AGM battery.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Like Spim said it could be just some spillage ......whatever you do Don't taste it to find out

If the battery works this year then use it until it dies. After that buy a good AGM battery.....it doesn't have vents and no need to add :water" to it.
Advance Auto has coupons online, you may need to register with them but I got $30 off a $80 battery.

How long did you leave the charger on the battery?

 

[Searide]

I don't think it was water in the bilge. I believe that I would have noticed it before. I didn't try starting the ski. The battery is unhooked. I'm taking it in to be de-winterized on Friday so I will know then. I assume that its water that boiled up based on a few searches that I did after posting here. The charger is the Yuasa Smartshott 900. Im not sure if its good or bad. I got it along with my PWC. IS there a charger that you recommend?

 

[Searide]

Like Spim said it could be just some spillage ......whatever you do Don't taste it to find out

If the battery works this year then use it until it dies. After that buy a good AGM battery.....it doesn't have vents and no need to add :water" to it.
Advance Auto has coupons online, you may need to register with them but I got $30 off a $80 battery.

How long did you leave the charger on the battery?

Thanks for the recommendation on the AGM battery. I will definitely buy one when it's time. I left the charger on for several days. I thought that it would be ok since I thought it would stop charging when the battery was full. This is my second year of owning the PWC so I have a lot to learn.
What happens if the battery dies while I'm riding? I'm assuming that I will be ok since the engine would still be running but Im not sure how the electrical system ties into the overall functionality of the ski.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

if battery dies, your getting towed... at least that's the way I understand it.

looks like a decent charger that trickles and stops when full (quick google search, so don't quote me)

advanced auto has decent batteries, and like SDB said they run online specials
batteries plus is also a great option, they sell quality AGM's that will alleviate any concerns, and offer 1 yr and 2 yr warranty options.
I generally elected the 1 year and got 3+ seasons out of them.

 

[Searide]

if battery dies, your getting towed... at least that's the way I understand it.

Thats not what I wanted to hear. LOL.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

Thats not what I wanted to hear. LOL.

FWIW, your car has the same problem (ask me how I know that lol)...so its not a real big deal honestly,

I've been on the water maybe 300 times, i've never been towed due to battery related issues... and nobody that I know has either... (but it HAS happened)

disclaimer: I believe I'm right on that, but since i've never actually had it happen i'm only 99.875% sure.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Doesn't it depend on the battery and charging system?
If the battery just dies while riding you may have enough "juice" to get back to the shore somewhere, but you should also see a warning light flashing before it happens....I don't think the beeper will sound due to low battery but I'm not sure about that.

 

[strake]

Does anyone have specific suggestions for an AMG battery that will fit the plastic battery holder? They all seem to be different dimensions, yet they say will fit a GTXis.....

I want to replace our 3 year old battery now. Haven't taken out the old one yet as that looks like a small monumental task. I don't have an extension for my socket set here at the lake...

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Does anyone have specific suggestions for an AMG battery that will fit the plastic battery holder? They all seem to be different dimensions, yet they say will fit a GTXis.....

I want to replace our 3 year old battery now. Haven't taken out the old one yet as that looks like a small monumental task. I don't have an extension for my socket set here at the lake...

On my 96 GTX I believe it is a 16L size battery. If you go to any good battery store and tell them your ski model/year they can look it up for you. Make sure you get one with the pos/neg terminal on the same side as your current one, otherwise the cables may not reach.

 

[lamajama]

Check your manual - if you're a 4 stroke you'll need a larger battery than a 16L. You also normally
get a shim with the battery to help with size issues. If not a trimmed piece of wood under the battery
can fix it up too. I would also suggest something I did in my 04 GTX. The battery is large and heavy
and awkward to put in and take out. I went to a $1 store and bought a fabric dog collar and wrapped
it around the battery and now I have a handhold to drop it in and lift it out with one hand. Just
make sure you get a dog collar large enough.....Just an idea...!

 

[AircraftDoc]

Does anyone have specific suggestions for an AMG battery that will fit the plastic battery holder? They all seem to be different dimensions, yet they say will fit a GTXis.....

I want to replace our 3 year old battery now. Haven't taken out the old one yet as that looks like a small monumental task. I don't have an extension for my socket set here at the lake...

I replace my vented battery with an AGM and could not be happier. RXP. The AGM was little bit shorter but put out 300 more CC amps(600 measured on battery). Put in a thick piece of rubber. No problem.
.. On testing a battery.. Make sure the battery is off the charger for a few days, then do a stress test. I had my battery give me a good reading, then it failed on the water to start a second time. I had tested it after I pulled it off the battery charger. Lesson learned. Good luck.