1. Hello Guest. You have limited privileges and you can't "SEARCH" the forums. Please "Log In" or "Sign Up" for additional functionality. Click HERE to proceed.

Bike doesn't start in cold weather

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Joshua Olkowski, Oct 10, 2018.

  1. fiveofakind

    fiveofakind Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,362
    Likes Received:
    179
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Joshua, Test Results

    This is on an 1 yr old AGM battery.......I keep my battery on a Battery Tender Jr. when not riding my bike on a daily basis.

    Parameters will be Battery Voltage at:

    1. Rest after sitting overnight....................................12.2v

    2. Key in "On Position"..............................................starts to drop slowly from 12.2v ( due electrical system being charged & lights on, as expected )

    2. During cranking.....................................................11.0v ( as expected , sudden temp drop due to starter button being depressed & starter motor drawing current to crank motor )

    3. At 3,000 rpm..........................................................14.2v

    4. At 5,000 rpm..........................................................14.4v

    5. At idle after warm up..............................................12.6v



    Results are as expected & within Yamaha specs......I am satisfied my charging system is doing its job....

    I think you need to accept that your charging system is working properly......your battery will never indicate 13.5v at idle as you mentioned in an earlier post......however that is just my thoughts......
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2018
    Jetfixer and raskal like this.
  2. JetmechMarty

    JetmechMarty Active Member

    Messages:
    276
    Likes Received:
    89
    Trophy Points:
    28
    Location:
    Coldwater, Mississippi
    I know it. I remain a contrarian.
     
  3. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

    Messages:
    339
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Thanks. I might be a little OCD about this. I'll check the same readings and compare.
     
  4. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    9,751
    Likes Received:
    2,093
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Beaver Falls, PA
    that's great if your cleaning pots and pans but corrosive liquid and salt is bad for wires, that's why they have this stuff
    http://store.caig.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.188/.f
     
    JetmechMarty, k-moe and fiveofakind like this.
  5. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

    Messages:
    339
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Awesome. Now I know better for next time.
     
  6. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

    Messages:
    339
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Hello everybody. I know this is an old thread but after two months of taking a break from my Seca 550 my uncle came into the picture and gave me renewed vigor to tackle the bike once more. Good news is that it's running and running strong. It's kind of the end of an epic 1 year journey. And it was worth every minute. However, do you ever really finish restorations projects?
    I still have questions about the charging system. I rigged up my volt meter onto the bike to see exactly what the heck was going on while I rode around town. My battery was completely charged up at 13.13volts and I took off. The one thing that stood out as odd is that the bike SLOWLY and I mean SLOOOOWLY climbs up in voltage taking a good solid minute of no stop signs, stop lights or even slowing down before it hits full charging capacity at 14.82volts.. Why so long? In LA traffic you barely ride a minute before you either come to a stop light or run into traffic. So generally speaking I never reached full charging capacity while driving around town and every time I hit a stop sign I noticed the voltage at idle was slowly getting lower and lower. It originally idled at 12.13 volts but it got as low as 11.98volts. When I got home I measured the battery and it was at 12.62volts. Is this normal behavior for bikes of these times that still used the generator system? Shouldn't the bike get to full charging voltage within a few seconds of throttle? Could this be a regulator rectifier issue?
     
  7. dkavanagh

    dkavanagh Well-Known Member Premium Member

    Messages:
    1,301
    Likes Received:
    570
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    Hi Joshua, short answer is "yes it should". On my 550 seca, once the RPMs hit 2000 or so, I'm up in the 14v range. I haven't had to troubleshoot this on my bike, but I did put a new fuse holder in and all the lights got a bit brighter!
    I'd recommend looking over the Electrical section of the catalog here since there's always a wealth of helpful information in there. https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/xj-parts-catalog-section-d-electrical-system.44641/
     
  8. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    9,751
    Likes Received:
    2,093
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Beaver Falls, PA
    how long had it been off the charger when you measured this?
    i've never heard of "full charging capacity" if you mean maximum charging voltage, then 14.82 is a little high.
    after a battery sets for a hour or so, that's what a full charged battery will read.
    forget generators, your bike has a alternator just like your car.
    depends on how much energy it took to start the bike, less than 5 seconds, yes. more than 20 seconds, no.

    try doing this about five more times and see if the numbers stay about the same
     
  9. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

    Messages:
    13,199
    Likes Received:
    3,854
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Great North Woods
    this link at bottom of the page explains charging system. read itfor guides to getting most out of your charging system.
    The Ultimate Relay, Switch, Sensor, and Diodes Guide

    your bike has an alternator and voltage regulator for a charging system regulator is a bridge rectifier which turns ac into dc. not a generator

    when your bike is running it is running off of the alternator and battery is charging through the main fuse while bike is running.

    the headlight ,cluster back lights, and tail light and plate light as well as the tci are all drawing current.
    the current draw will affect the rate at which the battery charges.

    your grounds at motor, frame and ignition coils need to be spotless for best results so do the battery connections. all the crimps are 30+ years old,

    take a look at the voltage regulator connector it may be melted and have poor connectins. resulting in voltage drop at connectors.

    go to led back lights in cluster ,led tail light and plate light if you have one this will save you amps when the bike is running.

    clean the copper rings with an eraser and spray it off with electronic connector cleaner check the condition of the brushes.

    your bike was ment for lead acid battery or gel cell .

    also clean all connectors for the always on lights to eliminate voltage drop
     
  10. fiveofakind

    fiveofakind Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    1,362
    Likes Received:
    179
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Joshua,

    I think you should just buy my bike down here in San Diego.........PM me......no need for my XJ750 Maxim any more........I would PM you, but your message inbox is full.....
     
  11. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

    Messages:
    8,866
    Likes Received:
    1,780
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    The room where it happened
    The good news is no, you never really do.

    If it's a cheap digital Harbor Freight (etc.) type voltage meter, it will not be absolutely accurate nor resolve properly down to hundreth's of a volt. So even a small variability (+ or -) can translate into large "ranges" in readings even though the underlying true voltage may be the same. Voltmeters can also exhibit further inaccuracy (beyond their inherent base level of inaccuracy) when the temperature of the device changes significantly, so if you had anywhere near heat (i.e. the engine, hot LA sunlight, etc.) that will also affect the seemingly incomprehensible readings.

    On the other hand, something might be screwed up in your electrical system.........
     
  12. Jetfixer

    Jetfixer Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    3,173
    Likes Received:
    1,485
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Nothern Indiana
    Agree 100% with five of a kind your charging system is functioning correctly , before you spend a bunch of money .
     
  13. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

    Messages:
    339
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    When you refer to the fuse holder are you referring to the fuse box? I did replace the fuse box with the blade style fuses and that didn't really do anything. I've looked over the article you gave me a couple of times as well.
     
  14. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

    Messages:
    339
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Rode the bike immediately after taking it off the charger. Yes," full charging capacity" meant "maximum charging voltage output" and it read as high as 14.82 but it bounced around a bit. I'm just saying that's the highest it got.
     
  15. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

    Messages:
    339
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Los Angeles
     
  16. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

    Messages:
    339
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    It's functioning but I wouldn't say, "correctly".

    Josh
     
  17. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

    Messages:
    13,199
    Likes Received:
    3,854
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Great North Woods
  18. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

    Messages:
    13,199
    Likes Received:
    3,854
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Great North Woods
    colud be your battery is bad even at 1 year old

    How do I know if my battery is good?:
    https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/the-ultimate-relay-switch-sensor-and-diodes-guide.27543/
    1) with the engine and all electrical accessories off, the battery should read a minimum of 12.8 volts DC. If not, the battery is either not fully charged, or it is bad (it is incapable of holding a full charge). Charge the battery fully and check again; if the reading is less than 12.8 volts, the battery is bad and should be replaced.
     
  19. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

    Messages:
    13,199
    Likes Received:
    3,854
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Great North Woods
    Charging System Tests:
    For all XJ-series models, the maximum available charging output VOLTAGE should be as follows (all values are approximate):

    * approximately 500-2000 rpms: 1.8 volts gradually increasing to 14.2 volts
    * 2000+ rpms: 14.2 volts up to about 14.8 volts, with a maximum of 14.8 volts (all models except XJ700-X and XJ750-X)

    If your charging voltages are too low, suspect the alternator brushes first, then perform the alternator stator and rotor checks as described in the Alternator Section.

    your numbers are low .......... time to do more tests
     
  20. Joshua Olkowski

    Joshua Olkowski Member

    Messages:
    339
    Likes Received:
    15
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Not to beat this issue to a pulp but is it possible that excessive heat can inhibit the functionality of the alternator stator? I guess I never noticed this before but when I first turn on the bike the charging system works great. I'll rev the engine up to 3000rpms and the voltage goes up to 14.5volts no problem. However, after I've been riding for maybe 10 minutes or so the old problems come back and it can barely get past 13volts again even at 4000rpms.
     

Share This Page