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battery issue

R

Roblatt

High Miler
Joined
Nov 18, 2008
Messages
603
Location
Nar Nar Goon, Victoria, Australia
Tuesday morning last week, the last day of our 7 day adventure, I went to start the B11 and "click". Nothing else. I cleaned the terminals and the earth at the starter motor, but still nothing.

We got the bike to an auto mechanic who checked the battery and said it was dead. This after not a single hicup since new (8years). So while he charged it for me, I phoned around for a replacement which I found in Ballarat (100km up the road) at a 'battery only' retailer/mechanic.

When I got there he checked it and said the battery is fine but the starter wasn't charging properly and that a replacement battery is a waste of money.

Well no issues since then, leave it a few days and it fires straight up. So I bought a multimeter and got the following readings:
engine off - 12.75
ignition on and engine off - 12.70 and dropping
engine on - 14.03 steady (same if at idle or at 3000rpm)
engine on with heated grips and phone on charge - 13.84

I'm still inclined to think it's the battery having a tissy fit. Bit how would it go from working fine for the whole week to dead flat in one night, to back to normal sine then?

Any help would be appreciated.

Robert
 
You may have had a loose external terminal, I have also come across a battery with a loose terminal connection, internally.
I take it the bike is 8 years old, not your battery?

Plenty here on starting issues due to current drop, coz Guzzi wiring takes the long road. Check it out.
 
thanks Ghezzi

I bought the bike new in '06 (7 years old- correction) and haven't changed battery yet.

I'm aware of the no start issue and the cabling, but the battery was dead in a night. There's no voltage drop with ignition off, so either I left the heated grips on (which I don't think) or the battery is giving me fair warning of pending trouble.

I'm happy to change the battery, but first, I was hoping some one could tell if the alternator is faulty with those numbers. There's a big enough difference between engine off and engine on to believe it is charging, but I don't know if the figures are good enough to be OK for the alternator or if they should read higher.

Robert
 
In general terms, if your alternator and reg/rec are putting out between 13.5 and 14.5 volts your system is healthy.
 
Robert,

This amount of time on an original Lead/Acid battery is quite good - though rare. I got 6 years out of mine and it died the exact same way - though I did start it at work and rode home 41km, stopped the bike to open the shed and dead as when I went to restart it. New battery cured the problem - in my case I went all out and purchased a Lithium/Ferrous/Polymer battery (LiFePO4).

Starts easier, idles smoother, battery weighs 80% less, half the size - Oh, and I downgraded from a 20AH to a 14AH with the added benefit of 60% more CCAs. This one should last around 10 years and only cost $30 more than the Yuasa battery would have.

Now under my battery, I have a small storage area (full of fuses, electrical tape etc). As Ghezzi says, it all seems to be charging fine so the culprit must be the battery.
 
In all likelihood your battery has dropped or is in the process of dropping a cell. Once that happens it will accept charge but the suspect cell will not hold it's allotted requirement of up to 2.2v, for any period over an hour. Hence you will have a max of 11.0 volts available which will not start the bike, nor will the ECU play ball.

Buy a new battery now and save yourself the hassle of another roadside breakdown.
 
Thanks gents.

Since the system is healthy, then it must be the battery as you've both said. I will replace it when I get a chance. There was no point replacing a battery if the alternator was going to flatten it too.

regards

Robert
 
Even with a new battery the well documented 'yellow wire mod' on a b11 is essential to avoid the click no start. Search the forum you run a fused +12V from the battery to the yellow wire on the starter relay having cut the yellow wire. The cut end is a switched live you can power an assesory with.
 
Well last night I had my battery go flat on my B11. Pushed the key past the steering lock onto the stupid parking light. No go in the morning put the battery on the charger for 3 hours and all ok. Its very easy to go past the steering lock and onto the parking light llight switch without noticing. Just a simple hiccup.
 
update.

I had my battery load and everything else tested and it came up to 91% usable (not bad for it's age). So I figure I either left my heated grips on overnight or did as Ozrider58.

Anyway, no more issues, so I'll keep going until it start to show signs of tiring.

cheers

Robert
 
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