[stern-69]

Well, today was one of those days where you go from really high, to really low, all in the span of 2 min :-(



Finally got my dyna mufflers on and they look great, and sound great too. Shut the bike off and finished putting on the guards and passenger pegs. Decided i would take her for a spin, started her up ...... crap, wont start, looks like the battery is crapping out. I did notice at the start of this season that a few cells were very low, so added some distilled water and all was fine.



Well, jump started it and measured the battery ..... 11.20V #$!~#[email protected]# looks like I have no charging circuit. I did notice that if I increased speed of the engine, the voltage went higher and was wondering if the battery could mess up the reading if it was pootched.



What are the chances of a crap battery dragging down the charge voltage. I jumped the bike over to my car and started the car, voltage charges at 13.8V. Maybe because the car alternator is beefier ???



What do you think guys, is it a crappy battery or did my stator decide it was a good time to crap out :-( I think im going to just go start work building my shed today, as Im sure if I mess with the bike anymore my frustration will have me searching for a really big hammer :-(

 

[Sture]

"What are the chances of a crap battery dragging down the charge voltage"



Pretty good, I would say. It could very well be that your battery is finished, or, in best case, only drained.



It´s important that the battery is well charged, before you go into measuring voltage when running. And making any decisions, based on the result.



You noticed that voltage was going up as the engine was running. That´s a good sign!



The regulator on my own old Volvo shuts of as voltage reaches 14 Volts (nominally). I just replaced the regulator. Real voltage ~ 13.8 volts, across battery terminals, engine running. It´s battery isn´t especially healthy...



Sture

 

[stern-69]

Thanks for the tip. I am going to get a new battery, as after reading a whole pile of forum posts I found one stating a bad ground/reg can bump up the voltage of the charge and evaporate the cells (mine were low, a couple ok, but 3 were less than 1/2 full).



I will meter the stator wires to make sure they at least read ok. I will make sure before checking the charge voltage that the new battery is fully charged ..... boy I hope its just the stupid battery.... finally got the bike ready to ride and sure dont want to pull the engine. Once I check the charge with a good charged battery I will have a better idea of where I stand. Will also check grounds just to make sure all is well.



Keeping my fingers crossed

 

[marshallf3]

Chances are if the water level fell below the upper level of the plates it's formed a slight shorting bridge and isn't any good anymore. You can pick up a good Exide battery at most farm/garden/lawnmower/boat/snowmobile etc type family stores for $29.95 around here, Canada may be a bit more difficult but that's what the phone is for. Given you keep it on a small battery tender during the cold months or if not expected to be used within a several weeks or so you should be good for 4 - 6 years, if you buy a "factory second" battery (such as is often sold by Wal Mart and several other places) 2 - 3 years would be about tops. If you want one of the best there are several brands such as Yuasa but they're nearly twice the price - again only if they're properly maintained and you get lucky.



And oddly enough, just as when it comes to rebuilt starters and alternators, there are a limited amount of suppliers supplyling a number of brands, the difference is in the quality ie number of plates, CCA dn general overall construction. For instance I've found that i can often get 5 - 7 years out of the 'one step up O'Reilly automotive battery over the same cca rated/same price battery sold by AutoZone.

 

[stern-69]

Thats what i figure marshallf3, but i guess its just after reading all the posts over the last few months, "stator" popped into my head and scared the crap out of me lol. I know i would not have a lot of problem doing the work, but what scares me is its an engine out operation .... which really means a few weeks of not being able to ride (now that the rain is gone and I have blue sky's lol) which waiting for parts etc.



I will go see my buddy at CEA and get a good battery for it (they carry anything ever made and supply all of northern telecom and Bell Canada). I will also check the stator for shorts/opens and check the AC voltage produced with it disconnected and the bike running. If it checks out it will be a huge relief as the Rect/Reg is easy to get to/replace and not an engine out job.



Figures, finally get some new mufflers on and I cant even take it for a ride lol