Dead battery?

[jsteffey]

I have a new battery installed in December. Today it is dead. This is on a 2010 RT. I am trying to undertand where to hook up a battery tender to recharge. The manual says under the seat. I clearly see the negative nut. Confused about the positive. How is it marked? Some other thread suggest using the 12V outlet inthe trunk. Is this okay on a 2010?

[Chupaca]

if the battery is really dead the battery tender will not charge it. You will need a charger. If installing the wires for a tender best do it at the battery and run the cables under the seat. Be careful with the connections under the seat especially the negative one. If loosened it is very hard to retighten...

[NancysToy]

The positive jumep post is covered with a red cap. It is under the seat behind the gas tank area, on the left side of the Spyder. The negative jumper connection is not covered. It lies further back on the opposite side...near where the tool poiuch is attached under the seat. These connections can be used to attach alligator clips, but I would not advise installing a charging pigtail there. If you loosen the negative jump start terminal (rear frame graound) you will have a bear of a time tightening it again. It will require body panel removal, special wrenches sometimes, and several cuss words...and don't forget the skinned knuckles. The Spyder RT is prone to some parasitic loss of battery voltage. Normally it takes several weeks to run down, but if yours runs down faster it may have a problem with excessive loss from a faulty radio. Your dealer has a service bulletin that addresses the problem, and can perform the necessary tests to check it.

The easiest way to charge a 2010-2012 RT is to buy an SAE-to-cigarette adapter for your charger (or an alternate version for non-SAE connectors) and plug into the outlet in the rear trunk. If you prefer to attach a charging harness, remove the body panels and attach directly to the actual battery terminals.

[jsteffey]

I have it connected right, assuming I remove the red cap and attach to the nut and attach negative to nut marked negative. Assume I can jump the same way if the tender doesn't do it?

[NancysToy]

I have it connected right, assuming I remove the red cap and attach to the nut and attach negative to nut marked negative. Assume I can jump the same way if the tender doesn't do it?

Sounds right. If the tender won't charge your battery and it is not frozen and damaged, you will have to pull the left side body panels and check the actual battery connections. Also check that the rear frame ground (negative jump start terminal) is tight. Loose connections will not let teh battery charge properly, or get the voltage to the Spyder properly.

[Bob Denman]

Good Luck!
Please let us know what happens next!

[jsteffey]

I kept it connected to the trickle charger all night, but it is still dead. Think I will pull the access panel only to see if I find loose connection.

[happyspyder2039]

I kept it connected to the trickle charger all night, but it is still dead. Think I will pull the access panel only to see if I find loose connection.

I would get a 5 stage motorcycle charger. The trickling kind won't recover a dead one. Or take to batteries plus & let them charge over night. Just my suggestion

[jsteffey]

i have taken a battery out before. That's my last choice. It seems like I'm not getting a clean connection. Suggestions for hookup?

[bruiser]

Have to question if the new battery was properly charged before it was installed. OEM Yuasa batteries require a special charging method.

[NancysToy]

I kept it connected to the trickle charger all night, but it is still dead. Think I will pull the access panel only to see if I find loose connection.

If you are using a battery maintainer like a Battery Tender, they will not charge a battery that is too low. You will have to use a conventional dumb charger first...or jump start the vehickle and bring the battery up a bit first.

[jsteffey]

I bought a new charger. I left it attached over night. Tried to start - no go. It would bring up the start screen but immediately drop to low battery status when pusshing the start button. I was going to push it out to the road so with the key on I pushed the park brake button on and off a couple times. I thought one more try. It started right up. WTF?

[happyspyder2039]

I bought a new charger. I left it attached over night. Tried to start - no go. It would bring up the start screen but immediately drop to low battery status when pusshing the start button. I was going to push it out to the road so with the key on I pushed the park brake button on and off a couple times. I thought one more try. It started right up. WTF?

sounds to me like it was left in gear & when you put foot on brake it when back to neutral

[araknd]

Mine's a 2012 and I'm having a lot of dead battery issues too. I have previously just left it in gear, but I'll start putting it in neutral and see if this helps.

[Cambello]

Mine is a 2010 RT-s and I've just been looking at my bat today, the biggest problem I'm seeing is the connections to the positive + and the negative - leads to the + pin and the - post either side of the seat. Is it a dead Bat or just poor connections? that caused the bat to become dead. Either way it's panels off time and scrub those earth leads clean and then check your continuity from the bat posts to the main frame, good luck!

[NancysToy]

Mine is a 2010 RT-s and I've just been looking at my bat today, the biggest problem I'm seeing is the connections to the positive + and the negative - leads to the + pin and the - post either side of the seat. Is it a dead Bat or just poor connections? that caused the bat to become dead. Either way it's panels off time and scrub those earth leads clean and then check your continuity from the bat posts to the main frame, good luck!

The posts you see under thne seat are not the battery terminals. They are connections for jump starting or attaching a charge with alligator clips. The negative connection on the right side of the Spyder is also teh rear frame ground. Do not lossen it unless you want to have a lot of difficulty tightening it again. The nut on it is not captured, so will start to rotate as soon as you loosen it. It is hard to get to, and will require body panel removal, usually a modified, or non-standard wrench, and several new cuss words. If it is loose, it can hinder proper charging and often many electrical function on the Spyder.

The actual battery terminals prior to 2013 are inside the left side bodywork, below the left side of the passenger seat. As was said before, the battery will run down over time with an RT, due to parasitic losses. It normally takes 2-4 weeks, even during the winter, but if there are excessive losses or a marginal battery it can happen much more quickly. If that happens have the battery tested and the radio circuit checked for amp draw with the key turned off.