Battery Fault
 

Guys,, does a battery just give up the ghost when its at the end of its life.. as i went a run today,, an d on the 2 occasion that i started my bike up prior to it NOT STARTING,, it sounded funny.. then the 3rd time went to start it an it was Flat... an all i had was a clickin noise... with an odd half a turn... do you think a need a batter.. how much will that cost me,,,anyone... an any links please...

does the battery just go fine in service then pack in all of a sudden.... ???? Thanks. Me

you checked the output from the genny?

In a word...yes :nod:

I would see about leaving it on charge over night as sometimes if the bike hasnt been run fully on the last few rides it can dis charge itself.

I have been running the bike fur the last 4 weeks now an ave been out every couple o days at least, fur more than a 100 miles or so......

I went out the day it started as usual GREAT...a half click o the starter..went 20 miles...stopped fur a min to ask directions in doin that i stopped the engine,,,when i started it agin it strated but with a different sounding... done it again,,,smae thing, then on my third stop tried it again an it wouldnt fire,, it was clicking....so i bumped it down a hill,, it started fine... got it home,,, when home,, i stopped it an tried to start it again instantly... click click click... 3 hours had passed an i went to start it again, it tried but failed within a couple o turns o the starter. so i jumped it with a batterry charger, an it fired up within being on the charger 30 seconds....... took it 5 mile run.. came back tried it again,, now its completley dead.. not even a click.?????? any ideas. to they symptoms

As Nigel mentioned, is the bike charging? Use a multimeter & check if it is charging first before replacing the battery.

kev...how do i do that...?.. John

Put a volt meter or multimeter across the battery terminals & hold the engine around 3000 RPM & tell me your voltage reading?

Kev, will i need to go into the coputer dash to find the revs,,, an how would i do thatm,m ive never done the revs thing before........thanks.......sorry about all that hassel wi me an Fran the other day there...cheers

sounds like a dead battery to me.

Try to jumpstart it again, rev it a bit and check as Kev explained.

Go into the dash as if you are going to adjust the CO, then push the starter button & a REV counter will be displayed in the dash.

ok,, so I do it as if im gonna fix the CO,, then hit the starter button,,, will it need to fire up I take it,, an will it do that ok wi me beingin the puter ??,, am not sure on this... if theres a alink tae the working o this let me know..John

You got it, go into the dash as if you are going to adjust the CO then hit the starter button & a REV counter will appear on the dash. Then rev the bike to 3000rpm & put a multimeter across the battery & tell me what voltage you are getting?

hi Kev.. ave not done what ye asked me yet as ave no multi meter,, hopefully get one at the weekend.. but inthe meantime.. i charged the battery up.. ave just taken it off the charge there 10 mins ago,, it was charging. 36 hours...so al see how it starts over the next couple o days... so if its holding the charge...what does that say.... an if it its not holding the charge,,what does that say.....engine alternator wise... a suppose i need to tell ye the volts readings before we go further eh!!!,, as its a hit an a miss.. ave ordered a new battery anyway as its always good tae have it.......an if it is the battery.. ave then got a new one......cheers

..just trow the new battery in and forget about the rest!:yahoo:

I wish life was that easy with all diagnosis.

Sorry Kev,
maybe i wrote in a "misunderstandable" way.
Didn't mean to put your very helpfull advices in question!
I know, that you wouldn't give any useless recommendation.
A big(gest) part of my XT knowlege bases on your work!
It's just that this problem is very common to me. We run 9 XT's at PeruMoto at this moment and including mine it makes 10.
These batteries die basicly from one day to another. Therefore, we allways carry a spare one on our tours.

still friends?

saludos,
Joe

inka Joe,,so ye say it well could be my battery.....??? hopefully al try Kevs way tomoro.. an see what happens.....incidently...I had the battery on charge as i said fur 36 hours,, it has lay off the charger all last nite, then today I started it,,an went a run fur about 15 miles...on teh way home.. i stopped teh bike,,at a big hill of course.. an swutched it off,,tried it again..it started no sweat... tried it again when i got home... the same..started no sweat.... If the battery has a full chargse,,an the alternator isnt charging it.,... how long will the battery last ..when its running with the lights on ... I really dont know how the battery got so low in the first place..as ave been running around fine fur the last month...over 1000 miles???.

agin i need to try Kevs way..as a think thats ma first port o call......cheers

jepp, usualy battery last's between 2 - 3 years before it's done.
Just check charging voltage, as Kev explained.

still betting on the battery though.:eusa_think:

It takes 1 min to check the charge rate, it has been inbred into me to do things correctly, it can save time & money. I am just trying to guide you thought the correct diagnosis path.

Agreed battery's can only last 2 years & you could be 100% correct saying it is the battery, but if you have a charging problem you have just waisted your money buying a new battery. If you are able to check the charge rate that is great if you can't take a chance fitting a new battery.

:guitar player:

No problem Joe we are all trying to help out.

kev.. a`l be doin whit ye say tomoro..........

Hi Kev

John's around and borrowing my volt meter.

He still has the old battery on the bike at the moment

Battery at rest 12.6v

battery at 3000 rpm 12.85v which seems a little low

Any suggestions as what to check next

Thanks

Yeah, something doesn't sound right there.

Generally, for a battery on a bike to charge well you need about 13.8 - 14.4 volts.

When the bike is running, thats what you should read across the battery.

The fact your not getting that when the bike is running suggests that there may be something up with the charging system.

Not necessarily the alternator, but regulator/rectifier more likely.

Rectifier consists of (generally speaking) 4 diodes that turn an AC current (alternator) into a DC current (battery) and the rectifier controls the voltage at which this is done but they're usually all 1 kit.

I would suggest Stumpy, I believe the regulator/rectifier is on the left side of the bike with a huge heat sink and a wiring loom heading do it, held on with a couple of bolts.

To check its that, you could remove yours and try it on Johns bike, then test the battery voltage again with the bike running?

I'm not too sure if the wiring loom connections are the same, but they should be.

That way then it eliminates the regulator/rectifier from the chain.

Many Thanks

One small issue, I no longer have an XT so I can't swap the r/r

However we're further ahead

I assumed you had one, DoH!

Well, personally, that'd be the next thing I'd check at least.

@ john and off topic:
you may find your tail light lense here:
http://www.oemmotorparts.com/oem5.as...-XT-X-660-2_BR

Thanks JOe

ave now fitted a new battery tonight,,, afetr fitting it , it wouldnt start, it just clicked.. the old one thati took out at rest was 11.5 v.. the new one was 12.5,,, but wouldnt start it just clicked away,, then i tried jumpleads from the old battery to the new one.. an it was hesitant, but started,, once started i took the leads off, but th eheadlight was dim an got brighter as i revved it, the dash light on tickover was wavering,,, till a touched the throttle, an it seemed ok.... i then switched it off,, tried startin again...no joy ??? its a brand new battery,, it was startin wi the old battery in wi less volts.???? it says when i filled it with acid, it was a dry cell batt.. it said DO NOT CHARGE fur at least 24 hours....WHY is that.??? will it peck up do you think if i jump tae get goin then then keep it goin fur a wee while,, to charge it up a wee bit that way...??? I thought it would start up fine no worries.... but its threw me off now,, the new batts NEW.??? any help please...

John I find something very strange here.

If you've bought an original MF Model CT9B4 one or an exact aftermarket copy then these batteries should be the gel type sealed, hence maintenance free throughout their life span, infact you must never had needed to refill any acid or charged it up 24hrs prior to fitting.

This might be the wrong battery and I would send it back if I were you to prevent frying your bike.

Not necessarily capt.

Aftermarket batteries can come in 2 flavours, the gel type or lead acid and part numbers vary from manufacturer.

General consensus is Lead acid = cheaper, Sealed Gel = a wee bit more.

I once bought a new battery for my old ZX10 and it came with a bottle of acid to fill it with.
The whole not charging for 24 hours is a little odd I'll admit, probably to give it time to settle, when I got mine I filled it and let it settle for a little bit, 30 min say, to allow the acid to get between the plates then charged it.

Did you charge the battery before using it? A Fresh battery requires a considerable charge time, longer than a normal dead battery and possibly topping up again afterwards to keep the level.

If it hasn't been charged then you may not get enough cranking current to start the bike and remember, this is a big single your starting.

As long as the amp hour rating is the same you can use the acid filled battery.

The battery must stand for at least 12 hours after filling with acid. Only charge the battery with low amps after the 12 hours.

What can I say, I was impatient, wanted to get the girl back on the road :106:

Though 30 min might not have been exact..

Thanks guys,, am rushin out the door tae meet the guys goin tae the weekend,, now a`l need tae change tae ma old battery,, it did say leave to settle fur 30 mins,, dont charge for 24 hours,, the batt is the batt fur the model an it was as daz said ye fill it will acid from some bottles,, an when ye seal it,, it never again needs messed with.... ave nae time tae blether here.. but thanks fur yer help. john

Right guys.. am back.. actualy never left.. the rain.. if ye kin call it that.. is ,,well thats ...well we all know whit rain does tae yer soul in this country of ours as a whole,,, talkin Britian here.. widnt it be great tae wake up as Kev wakes up sayin a wonder what colour o shorts a`l wear the day...the forecasters say this next few days is tae be wild an wet..so the weekend at Kettlewell is hit on the head.......... anyway back tae the battery....

I went out there tae change over tae ma old batt.. but a jist thoght ad give it a try.. an it starts fine.... but last nite it wouldnt.. a wonder if the overnite settlement,, has done something tae the plates wi the acid in it.. so al give it a rest the day then the nite al charge it overnite.... ansee whit happens o it... again thanks..

one more thing.. it must be absolutley Heaven so tae speak tae know when ye shut yer eyes, when yer head hits that pillow tae jist KNOW that the sun is gonna be shining the morra......:firework:

Yeah, you do need to leave it a little while after filling because its the acid that acts as an electrolyte needs to start off the chemical reaction to enable it to carry a high amperage due to the size of the plates.

But I won't go into anodes, cathodes, acid to water etc :headbang:

Remember though, because the batteries are designed for high current output rather than longevity, charge it up but don't let it discharge to deep.

If you let a starting battery discharge too deep you may ruin it as they're not designed that way. So long as the alternator can keep it topped up, you'll be fine :106:

thanks... keep them comming... am jist glad its not something serious... so do you think i`l need to charge the new battery up...?? will it do aan harm one way or the other... it did start this morning ok...so am thinkin theres a bit o life in it now,, an with gettin ga wee run out it`l top it up.. what ye think o that. ??? an again.. thanks

When you buy gel battery you should charge it before fitting...

If when you got the new battery you didn't charge it, then I would recommend you do charge it.

Funnily enough, when I had a chrysler, I bought a new battery for that and it came already full and already charged. Unfortunately, the battery terminals were the wrong way round to what I needed.

In came an old battery terminal wire and an amplifier wiring kit fuse holder which doubles nicely as a connector and voila, instant terminal extender!

I know this is old post but in case someone need this in future, service manual from page 8-28 show step by step procedure of testing battery/charging system.
For this you don't need expensive equipment. 10$ multimetar will do the job.