Strange Battery Story

[hap2]

I gave the bike a boost with my car, but noticed the positive lead was so loose that I could move it very freely with my finger. I thot I will put a washer in there to tighten it up. So, I found a lock washer & put it above the positive battery post part (right next to the underside of the bolt if u know what I mean). Anyway, it tightened up good, so I thot I was ok. I took it for a good run to charge up the battery, but then stopped downtown (a mistake) to see if it would start again. Nothing at all, not even a click & no lights went on when I turned the key. So I moved the wires around a little bit by hand (as I had no tools with me) to try to getta better connection. So this time when I turned the key, the lights came on, but when I pushed the start button, there was a little spark by the + of the battery & everything went dead. I thot this is strange, so then I decided to go get my car, get a screwdriver & undo the work I had done & remove the washer I put on. When I did that & tightened everything down, it started with no problem. I shut it off & on a few times after that, & no problem. Does anybody have any idea what i did wrong by putting that washer in there? Would it cause something to short out someway? I'm not sure, but I wanted to tell my story to see if anybody had any idea.

Thanks alot

[80-GL100-INT]

Whatever the lock washer was made of is not a (very) conductive metal. It more or less cut the supply. Thats why a new battery comes with new bolts, so people won't use whatever they have laying around. Try finding a copper or aluminum washer.

[hap2]

Great..makes complete sense now.

o think I spent 10 bucks on a cab to get my car / tools, etc to take out the washer & then riding my bicycle 3 miles back to my car after I brot the bike (not bicycle) home

Thank u very much.

[redial]

Some lessons in life are not that expensive, but some you just have to go through so that you get the experience.