hi fellas,
it's that time of the year again. went to the bike this morning with the intention of a sunday ride and what do i get; ehheheheheheheh, it just won't crank up. my first suspicion was the battery. checked it with the multimeter the reading says 12.6v. hmmmmm...that's good enough. next, took the switch apart, literally, and gave it a good cleaning, and sprayed with contact cleaner, still she's stubborn. then i proceed to the starter contactor. took it apart and did the same then try to crank it up again. no luck!!!! can someone diagnose what the problem is???
damn frustrating. TIA
Hard to help not knowing what you're trying to start or if it's warm or cold where you are.
12.6 V means the battery is charged (or almost charged if it is an AGM), but does not mean it is good. You need to load test it.
Never take an electrical component apart or replace it without testing it first. That is what you have your meter for. If electricity makes it into the part and does not make it out either the component is faulty, or, if it is a part like the solenoid (contactor), it is not being energized.
Tell us what you are riding and we can try to help you.
I'm confused
Does it crank or do nothing? If yes is it cranking slower than normal?
Is the fuel pump priming?
Quote from: howie on December 20, 2009, 03:16:54 AM
12.6 V means the battery is charged (or almost charged if it is an AGM), but does not mean it is good. You need to load test it.
+1. Batteries of old used to wear down slowly. You used to have warning signs it was time for a change. Newer batteries just fail. May even fail today, work tomorrow and fail again the next. Load test is the only way to know what's going on.
The option is if the battery is four years old just change it as preventative maintenance and go forward from there if you still have problems.
sorry guys if i haven't been clear. i ride an 04 monster s4r. battery is an AGM one and it's about a year or a bit more. i live in malaysia so it's warm, really warm here. when i try to start the bike, it cranks but just not all the way thru to start up the bike.
ok, point taken on the battery. how do i do the load test? and also checking if it's a faulty electrical component (continuity of electric flow) ? it may be just the case of the battery not having enough amp. only the battery has been changed since 04, switch and solenoid are all from day one when the bike was bought. i'm not sure on how to test the solenoid if it's faulty either. the battery is currently on the tender. will check again with the newly charged battery in the evening.
thanks for all the help. cheers.
Quote from: Fruity on December 20, 2009, 04:02:25 PM
sorry guys if i haven't been clear. i ride an 04 monster s4r. battery is an AGM one and it's about a year or a bit more. i live in malaysia so it's warm, really warm here. when i try to start the bike, it cranks but just not all the way thru to start up the bike.
ok, point taken on the battery. how do i do the load test? and also checking if it's a faulty electrical component (continuity of electric flow) ? it may be just the case of the battery not having enough amp. only the battery has been changed since 04, switch and solenoid are all from day one when the bike was bought. i'm not sure on how to test the solenoid if it's faulty either. the battery is currently on the tender. will check again with the newly charged battery in the evening.
thanks for all the help. cheers.
You would need to take the battery to a shop to get it load tested. I have no idea what is available to you in Malasia. Now that we know the bike cranks and we know what model it is we can start. There are two ways to test the battery without load testing it. One is to jump start the bike with a known good battery. If the bike now starts, the fault is either the battery or a poor connection at the battery. The other is process of elimination. Since you have a meter you will test the starter control circuit for high resistance with the meter. Ducati has no specs for this in the manual so I will use "any car" specs, .2 volts or less for any connection and for the solenoid and .5 volts or less for the whole circuit. You will be testing for voltage drop (the voltage consumed by any connection, wire or component in the circuit).
Here is a good link on the procedure:
http://www.aa1car.com/library/voltage_drop_testing.htm (http://www.aa1car.com/library/voltage_drop_testing.htm)
Don't forget the ground connection on the engine (by the breather valve). If you need to clean the connection at the starter, be careful, it is very delicate. Oh, you probably know this, but just in case, disconnect the negative at the battery before cleaning any connections. Connect negative last.
If the starter circuit tests good, that leaves you with three remaining components, the battery, the starter and the engine. The starter can be tested by connecting a known good battery to the starter and a good ground on your bike (make sure the bike is in neutral). If the bike now cranks well it is not the starter. A bad engine is unlikely, but easy to test. Pull the spark plugs, lift the rear wheel, put the bike in gear and turn the rear wheel. The engine should turn easily.
Hope this helps, if not, post back with your results.
hi howie,
sure appreciate you taking the time in writing that lengthy explanation. much obliged.
well i took the battery out of the tender yesterday morning after 12hrs of charging. let it sit till the evening then installed it back on the bike and the bike started right up. went for a ride and everything was ok, fingers crossed. i will not jump into conclusion thinking everything is fine just yet. give me a couple of days to run the bike and see what happens. hopefully alls well and its just the battery. [beer]
happy holidays and a merry christmas to you. thanks a lot mate.
ken
Keep us posted. If the bike starts when left overnight with the battery disconnected, but is weak if left connected you probably have a parasitic draw (something is draining the battery). If the battery looses it's charge while riding, then you have a charging system problem. If your bike continues to start well [moto]
and one more thing i thought i'd ask. whenever i stop/start the bike i only use the key ignition and i never use the red on/off switch on the handlebar, meaning the switch stays permanently in the ON position. does that drain the battery during non-riding times ie when the bike is parked?
cheers.
Quote from: Fruity on December 22, 2009, 06:13:32 AM
and one more thing i thought i'd ask. whenever i stop/start the bike i only use the key ignition and i never use the red on/off switch on the handlebar, meaning the switch stays permanently in the ON position. does that drain the battery during non-riding times ie when the bike is parked?
No, that shouldn't be a problem.
As long as the ignition switch is in "off" or "lock" you are fine. The switch on the bar is there to shut the bike off quickly in an emergency.
Noted ! thanks very much. [beer] merry christmas and happy new year.