Urgent-ish help!!

[Waylander]

OK, been having starting problems again on my '88. It's basically sounding like a dead battery, Struggles to turn over but doesn't fire and slows down from there.

Pulled the battery out just now and checked the charge on it. Perfect 12.03. WTF? Last time I charged the battery was just over a month and I ride every day. If it was the charging system wouldn't the battery have actually lost some charge in that time?

Could it be that I need to clean my plugs maybe? I remember this is what my Virago did when the plugs were fouled so I'm thinking it could be the same on the Max.

I'm hoping it's not anything else cause anything else would be expensive as hell to fix.

Any ideas?

 

[Waylander]

Some tests I just performed at the suggestion of another mate down this way from another forum.

just measuring across the battery terminals like that won't tell you shit...

Check the voltage across the battery terminals while winding the starter over: if it drops below 8-9V then your batteries flat (but not nessasarily fucked)

Dropped to ten but had the battery on the charger from about 5:45 till just now when trying it. so may have had a low charge before.

Check the voltage across the battery terminals with the bike running: should be 13.5-14V, if not, your charging system is faulty.

Revved it all the way up to 5,000 and still didn't reach 13.

If your battery isn't sealed, pop the caps off (carefully) and if one or more of the cells are bubbling while the bike is running then the battery is fucked.

No bubbling.

Lastly, with the bike turned off,disconnect one of the terminals and connect an Amp meter in series (iene lead to the battery terminal and the other lead to the cable you disconnected). This will tell you if anything is drawing current while the bike is turned off (reading should be 0). DO NOT attempt to start the bike while doing this test.

try that.

Does it matter wich one? Disconnected the negative lead and got a 0.00.

 

[Waylander]

OK have been going through the charging system now as the manual says and the Stator (starter?) coil ,The thing that I plug my multimeter into a plug with three white wires, is fine. NExt was to check the elements in the REgulator/rectifier. Except I have no idea how to get to it.

I know it is behind the left side passenger peg ut how do I take that off? Since it's early morning in the states where most of you are I know I wont get an answere till tomorrow so for now the battery is back on the charger.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

OK have been going through the charging system now as the manual says and the Stator (starter?) coil ,The thing that I plug my multimeter into a plug with three white wires, is fine. NExt was to check the elements in the REgulator/rectifier. Except I have no idea how to get to it.

I know it is behind the left side passenger peg ut how do I take that off? Since it's early morning in the states where most of you are I know I wont get an answere till tomorrow so for now the battery is back on the charger.

Put the bike on the center stand and remove all bolts that hold the bracket that the left rear foot peg is attached to and the whole thing will come off...
This bracket is a structural member for the frame so be sure it goes back on correctly...it basically has dowel pins and matching holes to line it back up.......

 

[one2dmax]

OK, been having starting problems again on my '88. It's basically sounding like a dead battery, Struggles to turn over but doesn't fire and slows down from there.

Pulled the battery out just now and checked the charge on it. Perfect 12.03. WTF? Last time I charged the battery was just over a month and I ride every day. If it was the charging system wouldn't the battery have actually lost some charge in that time?

Could it be that I need to clean my plugs maybe? I remember this is what my Virago did when the plugs were fouled so I'm thinking it could be the same on the Max.

I'm hoping it's not anything else cause anything else would be expensive as hell to fix.

Any ideas?

12.03 is a very discharged battery. 12.6 is fully charged.

Sean Morley

 

[Calimus]

Sounds like maybe a warped cell or just plain old battery deth.

Mine was the same way, worked fine the day before (thought I had been having hot start issues durring the summer) bike sat over night, go to fire it up the very next morning, didn't get shit.

Add a new batt, bike's been great since.

 

[Buster Hymen]

Sounds like maybe a warped cell or just plain old battery deth.

Mine was the same way, worked fine the day before (thought I had been having hot start issues durring the summer) bike sat over night, go to fire it up the very next morning, didn't get shit.

Add a new batt, bike's been great since.

Sounds more like a charging issue. he said he wasn't getting over 13 volts at the battery when it is running. I've got an 88 also, I shuld go out and take pctures of all the mods to do to it to make it charge properly.

 

[Calimus]

Ahh I missed the part about not getting 13v.

An buster, that would be nice to see some of that.

 

[Waylander]

Put the bike on the center stand and remove all bolts that hold the bracket that the left rear foot peg is attached to and the whole thing will come off...
This bracket is a structural member for the frame so be sure it goes back on correctly...it basically has dowel pins and matching holes to line it back up.......

Tried that last night, it wouldn't budge.


Would be good to see it Buster but I'm not sure I'de be able to get parts down here in the ass crack of the world (as far as parts availability for anything goes)

 

[Buster Hymen]

Tried that last night, it wouldn't budge.


Would be good to see it Buster but I'm not sure I'de be able to get parts down here in the ass crack of the world (as far as parts availability for anything goes)

You probably wouldn't need any parts. It is mostly cleaning or eliminating push together connectors. The connectors loose quite a bit of voltage through them when they aren't tight and/or clean. Also you should run a seperate ground from your R/R as it grounds itself through the bolts that hold it to the frame. I'll try and get the pictures up in the next few days.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

You probably wouldn't need any parts. It is mostly cleaning or eliminating push together connectors. The connectors loose quite a bit of voltage through them when they aren't tight and/or clean. Also you should run a seperate ground from your R/R as it grounds itself through the bolts that hold it to the frame. I'll try and get the pictures up in the next few days.

I did that on mine with a ground from the R/R, starter, battery, and chassis all connected to the ground point by the oil fill cap....
Also pulled the battery and dug out that "crimp" everyone talks about and soldered it....

I'm now getting a solid 14 volts at any RPM above 1800

 

[Waylander]

I'm now getting a solid 14 volts at any RPM above 1800

Now that I am very interested in.

 

[Waylander]

Also still don't know why the left pillion peg wont come off.

 

[Waylander]

OK, got it off now. I thought the bar that ran up from the bottom behind the tank wasn't part of it so didn't unbolt it at the top.

Another problem now. The reg,rec is a sealed unit but I'm supposed to test alot of things inside of it according to how I understand the manual. I've added a screen shot of the relevant page.
Thought of testing the wires comming out of it but the only time I get a reading is one pin from the mutlimeter on the metal casing and the other on the one flat pin inside the plug with the white wires.
Only other wire comming out is a red one wich I'm assuming is the power line to the battery.

 

[markmax]

I had a charging problem with a FZR I use to have. Unplug the R/R and check the voltage between a combination of all 3 white wires. On my old bike it should have been between 40-60 volts. From there the R/R should convert it to the 12V the bike needs to run on. If your getting the 40-60V at the white wires, then your coils are good. If you not getting the 13.5-14V when rev'g above 3k, then I would think it's the R/R that is bad.

 

[Waylander]

I had a charging problem with a FZR I use to have. Unplug the R/R and check the voltage between a combination of all 3 white wires. On my old bike it should have been between 40-60 volts. From there the R/R should convert it to the 12V the bike needs to run on. If your getting the 40-60V at the white wires, then your coils are good. If you not getting the 13.5-14V when rev'g above 3k, then I would think it's the R/R that is bad.

Been talking to a guy on kiwibiker.co.nz and if you feel like a read, this is what we've gone through so far.


http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=38265

He just came back saying the REg/Rec is rooted, need a new one. Fuck I hope I can find a cheap one.

 

[Buster Hymen]

Been talking to a guy on kiwibiker.co.nz and if you feel like a read, this is what we've gone through so far.


http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php?t=38265

He just came back saying the REg/Rec is rooted, need a new one. Fuck I hope I can find a cheap one.

I think you will find nothing is broken, just the connections need to be cleaned up. When your bike is running and you rev it to about 2k or so, what is the voltage? If it is under 13 volts but over 12, then I can almost guarantee it is a connector issue. Give me another day or so and I'll post some pictures. Until then just keep it on a trickle charger.

 

[Waylander]

11.83 was the charge.

Charge going into the reg/rec was 15.6, 15.6 and 19.5 one each individual wire.

 

[Buster Hymen]

11.83 was the charge.

Charge going into the reg/rec was 15.6, 15.6 and 19.5 one each individual wire.

That charge going to your R/R is too low. Was your volt meter on AC or DC when you read it? You should be reading about 50 to 60 volts AC. I hope it isn't your stator, it is a lot more work!

 

[Waylander]

DC, if I remember correctly.