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XJ550 odd battery discharge. Help!

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by Dre42, Jun 15, 2020.

  1. Dre42

    Dre42 Member

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    I recently purchased an XJ550. Good work has been done on this bike by the previous owner--new bearings, forks, seat, gas tank, new fuse box, nice paint job, etc. Carbs are in really good condition.

    HOWEVER

    It seems to have funky issues with battery charge. Several times now I'd go ride the bike (for over 20 minutes) come back, try to start it again, and would be greeted to the heart wrenching sound a weak engine turn and ''click click click'' sound.
    That would result in me taking the battery out, putting it on the battery tender. And then it works again, until a few weeks later the process repeats

    The battery is new and watered. I'm trying to understand what the issue is. It appears the bike somehow isn't recharging the battery properly. Would appreciate any insight as to what the repair/fix for this would be

    Much love from LA
     
  2. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    put a meter on battery see what you get at idle and 2k rpm also 3 k rpm should be 14. 8 volts.

    battery voltage will tell you where to look for issues.
    cleaning all connectors in charging system whill also help
    read this thread near bottom is a good trouble shooting for the charging system
    The Ultimate Relay, Switch, Sensor, and Diodes Guide
     
  3. Dre42

    Dre42 Member

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    on it, thanks XJ550H!
     
  4. Dre42

    Dre42 Member

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    I did some voltage tests on the battery to see if there's anything wrong with the charging system. With a fresh battery (12.5v), on idle, things we looking pretty good at around 12.7V. However, when I started revving up the engine (2-4k rpm, just a bit of juice) I noticed the battery voltage quickly escalated to 13.2, 13.7, 14.2 volts! Manual says the range should be +/- 0.3V from 12.5V so it was way above the limit. I'm suspecting the regulator/rectifier may be bust...


    On the bright side, it's been almost 2 weeks of regular riding and I haven't had any issues with the low voltage
     
  5. Polock

    Polock Well-Known Member

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    that sounds about right, read that book again
     
  6. Pizzaman

    Pizzaman Member

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    I would bet you just have a bad battery
     
  7. XJ550H

    XJ550H Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    the 12.5 is at idle at 2000 rpm 14 volt range, if you go higher rpm it should nor exceed 14.8 volts
     

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