Battery Warning Light Flashing - intermittent

Hey Everyone,

I need some thoughts on this. After a hiatus of 12 years, I pulled my '82 750 Seca out of storage and with Chacal and this forums help got it back to day 1 condition. Since then I've put on about 4,000 trouble-free miles. Easy stuff mainly to and from work and some easy cruises.

For the last two days on the 13 mile trip home, after about 8 miles the battery warning light flashes about 5-6 times then goes off. A few minutes later it does it again, and so on until I get home.

I pulled the battery, all the cell fluid levels are correct. The battery voltage is 12.56V. When the bike is running at about 2-3k RPM, the voltage reads 14.3V. I cleaned the connectors of wiring to the battery and used DeOxit on the contacts.

The next day on the way home it did it again.

Any ideas?

Thanks!
George

 

Stuck "TEST" switch? The one on the instrument dash. When they get dry, they can get sticky. Clean it out with WD40 and see if that doesn't buy you happiness.

 

Battery sensor itself, mayhaps?

Len's got this sensor bypass device he sells now that I just stuck on my 750. It's nice not having to shut off the warning light every time I start the bike, and not having to look at "BATT" all the time on my panel.

 

Schmuckaholic,

That's a new one for me. But now that you mention it, in addition to cleaning the "check" button, I should probably pull out the battery again and check that sensor. I'm not sure how to do that though.

It's a single wire that ends up as a contact that's in the battery acid. About the only check I think would be for continuity.

What does the device do that you got from Chacal? Is it an inline type of device like a fuse?

At this point, my bike is stock except for a few rare aftermarket items for rigidity/handling like a front fork brace and rear swingarm brace structure. Everything else pretty much is factory original and I like to keep it that way as much as possible.

Thanks,
George

 

There is a picture of a similar device in my gallery, but I'm sure Chacal's unit is nicer than mine. You should be able to remove your sensor simply by unscrewing it from the cell. Clean the tip off with baking soda and water, rinse well, hit it with a stainless or brass toothbrush and you should be good to go.

 

Me neither -- I could have sworn that I saw somewhere, if not here, a method for building one from scratch -- one that could be put into a battery with press-fit plugs, like I have currently, instead of screw-on caps.

See for yourself.

That would be difficult with mine... the tip of the sensor is recessed inside the plastic housing.

 

[quote="schmuckaholic]That would be difficult with mine... the tip of the sensor is recessed inside the plastic housing.[/quote]
Hmm... that does pose a problem. Perhaps soaking it in the baking soda/water for a few minutes while agitating ought to be enough. Funny but I recall my new sensor had a small tip on it.
Nice kit from Chacal, WAY nicer than my hack job.

 

I wound up threading a 10mmx1.50 tap into the hole for the sensor, seems to work well. Iirc, there is appx. 1/8" of metal tip exposed on the probe.

 

Thanks all for the input.

I was lucky as my sensor is factory and it extends beyond the plastic housing. Cleaning did the trick.

Although I must say Robert's drawing on the sensor hack is very elegant. (But I doubt my execution would look as good )

Thanks again!
George

 

Oh, fer chrissakes if it malfunctions again bypass it and replace it with something stock-looking.

Like I had to do with the automatic garage-floor oiler on my Norton. (Supposed to be a chain oiler but there's this "accuracy" issue...)

Even my car which has tire pressure and even GD windshield washer sensors doesn't pester me about the battery. Thankfully.

Then again the 550 Seca has a fuel gauge AND a voltmeter... I'll be quiet now.