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01-24-2019, 09:09 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Posts: 164
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Odyssey battery problems?
I have a 5-6 year old Odyssey PC680 battery which was installed new in the final stage of building my RV4. Atter that it has been in the hangar for a year during final assembly. I have been doing some engine running last summer and then have had a battery charger connected all the time. Skyview has shown 13.7 volts when it is fully charged. Yesterday I started the engine and ran it for 10-15 minutes and after that Skyview showed 10.3 volts. I suspect the battery has gone bad but I'm not sure. Isn't this discharge too quick for a healthy battery?
__________________
Hans Str?hle
Jodel sold (SE-XEV)
RV-4, flying any day (SE-XJJ)
F?rentuna, Stockholm
Sweden
EAA222
2020 =VAF= $20 donation paid
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01-24-2019, 09:24 AM
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Join Date: May 2013
Location: Sherman, CT
Posts: 794
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6 yrs. old? That battery does not owe you anything. Replace it!
__________________
Jake
RV6 #20477 completed 1991 sold.
RV7 #72018 N767T first flight 11/21/2017 350+ hrs.
IO-360M1B MT 3 blade, Dual AFS 5600 QUICK Panel.
Manual Flaps. (KOXC)Oxford, CT, (0NY0)North Creek, NY.
1941 J3 Cub skis,floats.
2020 dues gladly paid.
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01-24-2019, 09:25 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Calgary, Canada
Posts: 5,766
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hcccs
I have a 5-6 year old Odyssey PC680 battery which was installed new in the final stage of building my RV4. Atter that it has been in the hangar for a year during final assembly. I have been doing some engine running last summer and then have had a battery charger connected all the time. Skyview has shown 13.7 volts when it is fully charged. Yesterday I started the engine and ran it for 10-15 minutes and after that Skyview showed 10.3 volts. I suspect the battery has gone bad but I'm not sure. Isn't this discharge too quick for a healthy battery?
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You should never leave a charger on these batteries continuously. Best maintenance procedure I've found is to charge with the recommended charger once per month and discharge the battery for 15 minutes with a 5A load (old car headlights works well) before beginning the new charge. I got 11 years out of mine the first time around. 5 years on the second one so far.
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01-24-2019, 09:52 AM
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Senior Curmudgeon
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Dayton Airpark, NV A34
Posts: 15,420
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hcccs
have had a battery charger connected all the time.
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You may have just identified the problem.
__________________
Mike Starkey
VAF 909
Rv-10, N210LM.
Flying as of 12/4/2010
Phase 1 done, 2/4/2011 
Sold after 240+ wonderful hours of flight.
"Flying the airplane is more important than radioing your plight to a person on the ground incapable of understanding or doing anything about it."
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01-24-2019, 10:43 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Prescott, AZ
Posts: 739
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I've been though many over the years. If you don't charge them properly they will start to lose capacity after 4~6 years. These are dry cell batteries and require special charging. I finally went to Lion. The good news is the Odyssey can still be used for other things less demanding until it goes completely dead.
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01-24-2019, 10:45 AM
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Pocahontas MS
Posts: 3,884
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All the above, plus, if I'm reading your symptoms description correctly, your alternator isn't working.
If the alt is working, you will see ~14v regardless of battery condition.
Charlie
Last edited by rv7charlie : 01-24-2019 at 10:47 AM.
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01-24-2019, 02:19 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 282
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Visit the Odyssey battery web site
And look at their technical manual ....
Checking an open circuit voltage on the battery after SIX HOURS of not charging or discharging, will show you amount of charge.
12.8V = 100 percent
11.7. = 10 percent,.....
Also they call for immediately charging any battery that is at 12.0 V,... to avoid damage
There are some details on recovery of deeply discharged batteries
Meanwhile I?ll vote with rest on swapping out with new
__________________
Wallace & Marietta Goodloe
9A -QB
N211LV
Phase 2 has started! 
Thanksgiving time, is dues time for us
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01-24-2019, 03:20 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Posts: 164
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rv7charlie
All the above, plus, if I'm reading your symptoms description correctly, your alternator isn't working.
If the alt is working, you will see ~14v regardless of battery condition.
Charlie
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Thank you all for your input. I'll get a new battery and make a fresh start.
Charlie, I think you put the finger on it, an alternator or a wiring problem. I have suspected it myself at times and now I have check the wring and voltage regulator.
__________________
Hans Str?hle
Jodel sold (SE-XEV)
RV-4, flying any day (SE-XJJ)
F?rentuna, Stockholm
Sweden
EAA222
2020 =VAF= $20 donation paid
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01-24-2019, 04:52 PM
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Omaha, NE (KMLE)
Posts: 2,247
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Call me lucky... 7 years on my PC680 so far. No-load voltage after sitting for a day or so was 12.7V during last summer's inspection, and it seems to have no capacity problem.
That said... pretty sure we're living on borrowed time, and as noted this battery owes us nothing. It will get replaced this year.
__________________
Dale
Omaha, NE
RV-12 # 222 N980KM "Screamin' Canary" (bought flying)
Fisher Celebrity (under construction)
Previous RV-7 project (sold)
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01-24-2019, 06:09 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 269
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My PC680 is 10.5 years old! I plan on changing just because of its age but it has never let me down. I find others that have used trickle chargers continuously almost always have a shorter life.
__________________
Adam Silverstein
Technical Counselor Chapter 643
Flying RV-8 10/30/07
PAID 2021
Pittstown, New Jersey
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