battery dead?

[skuttadawg]

If it blew the fuse you may have a bad voltage regulator also called rectifier . NEVER by pass a fuse except when troubleshooting . A fuse it much cheaper than replacing fried parts . Did you use tap or distilled water ? Yes there is a diff as tap has chlorine , fluoride and other chemicals where distilled is pure water . Electrical stuff wears out just like mechanical parts do . Brand new copper wires are a pretty golden color but old wires can get blackened since they get full of tiny holes from resistance . You should only hook up a charger to a cool battery so it will hold the charge better that one that is warm from use . Once it looses its zep and ability to get charged and hold it you need a new one . If you can find a battery that has a few more amps and fits you should be good . I always replace car batteries a step or two of what the manufacturer suggests