PWC Battery Tips
Spring is almost here and its time pull off the shrink-wrap, tune up our skis and make sure our batteries are good to go. Here are a few tips to consider before pulling your pwc battery off the shelf.
How do I know if my battery is good?
There are some simple tests to tell if your battery is up to the task of starting your JetSki before you put it back in the craft. If you have a voltmeter set it to dc and a new/good battery will have 12.6 volts, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. When a battery gets older the voltage will test fine but it won’t pass a load test. When you try to crank over the motor it takes a lot of juice and older batteries don’t bounce back to 12.6v after. You can use a load tester but a meter that will measure cold cranking amps works as well. Here’s one we use [easyazon_link identifier=”B0017R5EQK” locale=”US” tag=”ccjetsports-20″]SOLAR BA5 100-1200 Cold Cranking Amps Electronic Battery Tester[/easyazon_link] * The CCA for size 16 is 240 / size 20 is 310 / size 30 is 400 *
Which Battery Do I Use?
If you find your battery needs to be replaced there are a lot of options for new ones. If you have the proper sized battery you can look at the model number to find a replacement. The numbers refer to type/amperage/terminal type & placement. It is important that the new battery is the right size and that the positive and negative terminals are in the correct order. If the terminals are backwards your cables won’t fit and if you hook the cables up wrong you can fry your ECU. There are few types of batteries available including conventional, AGM & Lithium-ion. For most riders a conventional battery will be perfect. I would advise you buy Yuasa, they provide the OEM batteries for almost all powersports. We’ve found that generic batteries tend to only last a season or two while with a Yuasa you typically get 3 or 4 years out of them. Here are the 3 most common PWC batteries. Keep in mind you will have to buy and/or fill with battery acid.
Yamaha/Kawasaki/SeaDoo* [easyazon_link identifier=”B000H7CJAK” locale=”US” tag=”ccjetsports-20″]Yuasa YUAM2S6CL YB16CL-B Battery[/easyazon_link]
Kawasaki * [easyazon_link identifier=”B000MX2ORM” locale=”US” tag=”ccjetsports-20″]Yuasa YUAM620BH YTX20HL-BS Battery[/easyazon_link]
SeaDoo 4tec * [easyazon_link identifier=”B000H7JJY4″ locale=”US” tag=”ccjetsports-20″]Yuasa YUAM2230C YB30CL-B Battery[/easyazon_link]
How Do I Maintain My Battery?
After you filled, degassed & topped off your new battery it should be trickle charged until full. [easyazon_link identifier=”B00HZTDKZG” locale=”US” tag=”ccjetsports-20″]Yuasa (YUA1201000) 1 Amp Automatic Battery Charger and Maintainer[/easyazon_link]. I don’t recommend charging while the battery is hooked up to your Jet Ski so don’t install the quick connector. You shouldn’t have to recharge it during the season, but if you won’t be using it for a while disconnect the leads. In the off season pull the battery out, charge it and store it off the floor in a warm place . You don’t have to charge it all winter, if you lose power while on the charger it will drain. In the spring top off with acid or distilled water, charge and install!
How Do I Install My Battery?
There are free manuals online if you need specifics. I do want to point out a couple things they don’t mention. First is getting the rubber straps on and off. They can be a pain especially when new. Here is a tool we use to help[easyazon_link identifier=”B000NPPCCS” locale=”US” tag=”ccjetsports-20″]TEKTON 27031 4-Inch Pro Tack Puller[/easyazon_link]. Also use a 10mm socket or nut driver to tighten the terminals. If you just use a phillips they tend to come loose. Also use a protective spray to keep the terminals from corroding. [easyazon_link identifier=”B000CIPUNC” locale=”US” tag=”ccjetsports-20″]CRC 05046 Technician Grade Battery Terminal Protector – 7.5 Wt Oz.[/easyazon_link]
Sea-Doo * Waverunner * Jet Ski