Afternoon All,
The old girl let me down the other evening with a flat battery :~(
She hadn't been standing unused for more than a day and she's garaged.
So, I put it on charge for a good 30 hrs to top it up, however, after only a few hundred miles and less than a week the battery appears to be needing another blast.
After last weeks discussion of regulators/rectifiers the multi-meter got waved around and all appeared fine (no increase when being revved and headlight brightness remaining constant), so I am now worried that it might be something 'bigger' such as the alternator (or the battery) etc.
The battery is only 3 or 4 months old, but I was a tight-ar5e at the time and got the 'economy' one at 26 pounds rather than forking out 60 pounds or so for the 'Yuasa'.
Is my tight-fistedness coming back to haunt me? (I'd hope that even a cheapy battery would last longer than a few months!!)
The battery is a sealed type, though when it arrived new I had to add the battery acid and charge it up.
How do I check the alternator or... should I be looking somewhere else?
Thanks for your help
Tony.
Flat battery Woes... Cheap battery?.... or worse???
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smeggy_smeg
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 5:40 pm
- Location: Brighton
Tony,
I had the same problem a while back with my F2. I'd leave the Optimate plugged in for 2 - 3 days before the weekend. First couple of starts worked fine but after a while solenoid would arc but no starter.
It was the postive terminal on the front of the starter. The rubber grommet was full of water and this had caused the terminal to seriously corrode. Once it was all cleaned up and sealed with DC3 it's worked a treat, no problems at all.
Have a quick look at yours, slip the rubber grommet off and check for any signs of moisture or corrosion.
I had the same problem a while back with my F2. I'd leave the Optimate plugged in for 2 - 3 days before the weekend. First couple of starts worked fine but after a while solenoid would arc but no starter.
It was the postive terminal on the front of the starter. The rubber grommet was full of water and this had caused the terminal to seriously corrode. Once it was all cleaned up and sealed with DC3 it's worked a treat, no problems at all.
Have a quick look at yours, slip the rubber grommet off and check for any signs of moisture or corrosion.
BazilD
Sometimes you're the bug, and sometimes you're the windscreen!
Sometimes you're the bug, and sometimes you're the windscreen!
It could also be your Wreck-you-later/Rectumfrier. I had exactly the same symptoms on my VFR and on my VTR when the R/R was bad.
Have a careful check of all the plugs and wires (may not show any problems - I had a burnt wire on the VTR, but nothing visible on the VFR), or better still, check the voltage across the battery at idle and then as the revs rise. The voltage should go up from around 12-ish at idle to 14.5 or more at ~5k rpm. If it drops as the revs go up, chances are your R/R has died. (There is also a possibility the stator's gone belly up, but this is less likely.) Be sure to check it as well when the bike's hot, as faults can sometimes only evidence themselves when things are warmed up.
There is more to the checking than this to be sure of an accurate diagnosis, but I don't have the details to hand at the moment. PM me if you want the full check list.
Hope this helps.
Have a careful check of all the plugs and wires (may not show any problems - I had a burnt wire on the VTR, but nothing visible on the VFR), or better still, check the voltage across the battery at idle and then as the revs rise. The voltage should go up from around 12-ish at idle to 14.5 or more at ~5k rpm. If it drops as the revs go up, chances are your R/R has died. (There is also a possibility the stator's gone belly up, but this is less likely.) Be sure to check it as well when the bike's hot, as faults can sometimes only evidence themselves when things are warmed up.
There is more to the checking than this to be sure of an accurate diagnosis, but I don't have the details to hand at the moment. PM me if you want the full check list.
Hope this helps.
- Ian in EnZed
(Red 97 FireStorm with Dynojet kit, APE camchain tensioners, bafflectomy+ploogs, UniFilter, GenMar risers, Avon Azaros, 90/130W headlight, digital clock/voltmeter), Braided s/steel lines.
(Red 97 FireStorm with Dynojet kit, APE camchain tensioners, bafflectomy+ploogs, UniFilter, GenMar risers, Avon Azaros, 90/130W headlight, digital clock/voltmeter), Braided s/steel lines.