Battery not getting charged

[Guest bordsenius]

I just got a new hawker Odyssey battery, as it seemed the old one was dead and gone.

But after just 3 weeks the new battery will not start the V11. The starter has begun to turn slower and slower in tha last week, and today, it did not start at all. So while I write this I am charging the battery so that I can go to work.

 

I took the bike on a 2 hour spin to see if the battery got a boost 2 days ago, but it did not help one bit. There are no warning lights about the electrical system either.

 

I have a strong suspicion that a faulty relay is the reason, but it might be something else as well.

 

Does anyone have any experience with this problem? If this is due to a relay, which one is it? I have a spare one, but i need to know where to put it to make it work..

 

Stig Bordsenius

[luhbo]

For me this sounds more like as if your valeo starter has thrown one or even more mags. I experienced this last year myself. One magnet got loose and then damaged his neighbour.

The loose mags rest on the anchor 'till you press the start button. In this moment they jump from the anchor to the housing and against their neighbours, just to smash back when you let off the start button.

If your Hawker is new it is most unlikely that it is already damaged, albeit a defect starter produces a lot of current and a non electronic charging device adds its part to kill even a new Hawker very fast.

The voltage must never exceed 14.6 V while charging! You should have an eye for that.

 

Hubert

[Guest bordsenius]

After about 20 minutes of charging the battery the bike started like a dream. So the starter is ok, the problem must be a lack of charge of the battery. Lucky thing, as the starter is quite a pricy part, I still remember having to buy a new one for my V65 Lario 8 years back..

 

What voltage should there be on the battery poles when the engine is running? I measued it to 13.2 volts, and to me that sounds like a reasonable number.

 

Stig

[luhbo]

13.6V would be more reasonable. Does the voltage go down when you stop the engine? A freshly charged Hawker can show 13.2 also. When I remember right 12V at the poles indicates a nearly flat one! That's different to old acid blocks.

 

I don't know your experience, anyway be carefull when you fidle with the alternator/regulator/battery things. The ecus seem to be quite prone to dammages following any mishaps with these components.

 

Hubert

[callison]

Sounds like your regulator isn't doing its job. I'd carefully check the wiring from the alternator, expecially the two bullet connectors, which are generally under the tank - they have to fit very snugly. Also check the other connections in the connector blocks on the regulator wiring harness. The bad news is, the regulator is not cheaper than a starter if purchased from MGNA. A good alternative is the ESR510 (formerly Electrex R51) from ElectroSport.

[Anthro]

I had a very simmilar problem: During my college years (12 years ago) I had a Honda CB 360T...

 

The new battery will work but decresing charge -needed charging in a week-.

 

I went to many bike shops, even some specializing on to eletronic repairs... I got too many diferent opinions to choose from, and no money to cover more than one of them ...

 

I took desesperate actions, replaced all bulbs for less power consuming... the four 5w bulbs at the speed and rpm meter reduced to 1/2 watt each, position and turn signals & brake from 7/21 watts to 2/6 watts, the headlight light from 45/55 to 35/35... but the problem remain...

 

Then I started on circuit map, with the theoretical knowledge just acquired in a electronics lab (freshman in physics)...

 

The bike was few years old and the multiple connectors were not looking good... some oxid was cumulated on few of them...

 

I Changed all the multiple connectors for single ones welding the wire to the connector -not just pressing it- I choose connectors with the best longest insulation (hella) so I would not have to tape the edges...

 

This solved the problem and I was able to go back to decent lights...

 

Good luck Stig !!!

----

MG...

So far I have been real lucky with my MG... at 3400 miles is real sweet , done my first oil change ... since the service is scheduled to 6k miles -I did not want to wait... So far no flaws ... Just loving it

 

The MG aluminum is a spirited and sweet bike all at the same time...

 

There is some hidden power burst at 5500 rpm, a real pleasure to exploit.

----

 

Anthro

[antonio carroccio]

Same problem to me, man.

I am going to replace the alternator. Damned!!!

Everyone around me advice me to get some new stuff.

My dealer has one for 161,- Euro. Circa 200,- USD.

I've asked in Mandello if I can get one cheaper. I am still waiting for an answer.

[Guest bordsenius]

I think I solved it.

The problem is that the voltage is too low, so I picked out all the realys , and all the fuses. Then I took a sandpaper and gave all the contact-surfaces a rubbing. Before I inserted the realys and fuses I also sprayed all contact points with WD40.

 

Now the voltage over the battery poles is 14.7 volts when I do 3000 RPM!

It used to be 13.2.

 

I was sure that Guzzi had stopped using second-grade stuff for the electrical system years ago, but it appears that old guzzi tricks die hard.. I had to do this every year to my Lario to make it run properly.

 

Bordsenius

[Anthro]

Stig,

 

that is great that you solved the technical trouble your self and with no spendings.

 

If you have contacts made of cheap materials, a solution may be to cover all reachable surfaces with a layer of lead using a soldering gun and electronic soldering wire with resin in the center, this material improves the contacts and reduce the cummulation of salts between the surfaces (Tryed and really last for a long time). Also there is specific electronic grease, I have used it but I do not know how long it will last (but is what the phone companies are using for the contacts inside outdoor boxes...)

 

Time to enjoy

Anthro

[dlaing]

silicone dielectric grease will last much longer than WD40 and protect better.

[txrider]

Guys, here's some info on contact anti-oxidation solution. I've used the De-Oxit on all the connectors on two of my bikes and it seems to do the job.

 

http://www.intendedacceleration.com/html/tip_14.html

[dlaing]

Guys, here's some info on contact anti-oxidation solution.  I've used the De-Oxit on all the connectors on two of my bikes and it seems to do the job.

 

http://www.intendedacceleration.com/html/tip_14.html

53392[/snapback]

 

Thanks for the post, I should give it a try.

I had no idea that the Silicone would convert to Silicate and reduce conductivity.

Silicone is still better than no silicone, but the De-Oxit makes more sense.

[txrider]

One of the more bike savvy posters over on apriliaforum says one of the first things he does on a new bike is go over all the wiring looking for possible chafing issues and services connectors, applying De-Oxit. He's had no electrical problems in 24k and two years ownership with his Futura, unlike some, and attributes that to this initial treatment. Makes sense to me and I've done the same on my new LM.

And did you notice the bit about relays? The relay failures mentioned so often here could be due to partially oxidized connection raising the resistance and heat within the relays. Interesting possibility.

[Guest bordsenius]

In fear of flooding the forum, here is a last follow up on my electrical adventures.

 

After buying a new hawker Odyssey 545 my problems seemed to be solved. Cleaning up the contact points, and rubbing them down , first spraying with wd40, then after reading this thread, re-spraying them with "deoxit" to remove oxidization gave me blistering 14.2 volts when the engine was running.

 

But my new battery did not get charged anyway! The bike sounded like an anemic pensioner when I started it. I pulled out my old trusty mulitimeter from my days as a student of electrical engineering , and started measuring. I basically picked the whole electrical kit apart and then together again. The only fault I found was a wire under the petrol tank, close to the steering that was soldered really bad and was broken. So everytime I turned over more than normal, my headlamp went out. It is ubelievable that the factory could do this, so I repaired it. If this is a normal spot for this wire to be soldered, you had better wayth out. It was about 15 cm from the end of the "sock" around all the cables under the tank as seen fron the steering.

 

But this did not solve my charging problem. The battery was still not good. And everything else seemed OK, so i went to Hawker and had the battery tested. And - it was actually broken when I got it! The fellow at the shop, he was very friendly by the way, checked out the one I was supposed to get as a replacement, and it was broken too.. Finally he found one for me that worked. We tested it, and this lillte baby delives 545 AMPS for 15 seconds! They have amodel that is the same size that delivers 1000 AMPS, but as it was not designed for sports-vehichle use I opted for the 545 model. With 545 AMPS I recon I can do a wheelie just using the starter.

 

Wish me luck this time!

Stig

[antonio carroccio]

Bordsenius,

 

I have got almost the same problem. Now I have a NEW alternator.

Problem solve!

The battery gets charged, start in the morning no problem at all.

I paid for that thing 161,- Euro. No more than 200,- USD

 

No esperimentos at all.