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Dead battery syndrome

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hdking

Member
This is a post I had made for another site, I am posting here so that I may get an answer.

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I hope this infromation will help someone diagnose my problem for me. If more information is needed, I will supply it. This problem is on my 99 rk carb., model


I have charged the battery with a trickle charger. The reading from the battery is putting out the more then 12 volts required.

I have rechecked battery some 4 hours later, still holding that same charge, still only clicking.

If it were a car and I had a battery putting out the required volts, enought to start car, and it clicked then it would be the selinoid.

What am I up against? Why won't the battery showing a full charge start the bike, and only click? I am not a mechanic but it seems I am missing something. Can you clarify for me, the mechanics of my situation.

I believe that I could jump the bike and get it started, like I had done before, but do not know if this would help or exaserbate the problem. Maybe by jumping the bike and running it, and then by truning off the bike and then see if it would restart, my better enable me to understand the problem, I do not know. What do you think of my thinking on this? If I just need a new battery, that would be great. I just do not want to buy a new battery and have the same problem. Seeing as how the new battery would not put out anymore volts, then the one I have is showing that it is putttin out. I do not meant to bother you to death, I am just trying to understand the process, so in that way I will have learned something, and thus enabling me to maybe help others.

Thank you for your expertise in this area. It is great to be able to learn and not cost an arm and a leg doing it.
 
There could be a number of things causing the problem ranging from the starter or solenoid, system relay and a few others too. Have to take it in steps to properly diagnose the problem.

What I would do is get the battery load tested after a full trickle charge and before pulling anymore hair out, clean both ends of both cables with a wire brush and re connect them disconnecting the negative first and reconnecting it last to avoid sparks.

This is usually one of the primary reasons for the clatter on start when this problem occurs with the cable ends or even the cables themselves may be in need of replacing. Look at the terminal end where it joins on to the cable and see if it is green in color like corrosion. If it is change the cables..

How old is the battery?
 
Adding to what Glider said, for getting the battery load tested, your local auto parts store should be able to do it for free. I.E. Schucks, Napa, Auto zone. The battery might be showing 12 volts, but might not have the cranking amps, if it's more than a couple of years old, and/or been subject to extreme cold and not the newer sealed maintenance free batteries they have now. The older style that you add water to that have the plugs in the top don't last near as long.
 
hdking said:
This is a post I had made for another site, I am posting here so that I may get an answer.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope this infromation will help someone diagnose my problem for me. If more information is needed, I will supply it. This problem is on my 99 rk carb., model


I have charged the battery with a trickle charger. The reading from the battery is putting out the more then 12 volts required. I have rechecked battery some 4 hours later, still holding that same charge, still only clicking.

If it were a car and I had a battery putting out the required volts, enought to start car, and it clicked then it would be the solenoid.

What am I up against? Why won't the battery showing a full charge start the bike, and only click? I am not a mechanic but it seems I am missing something. Can you clarify for me, the mechanics of my situation.

I believe that I could jump the bike and get it started, like I had done before, but do not know if this would help or exaserbate the problem. Maybe by jumping the bike and running it, and then by truning off the bike and then see if it would restart, my better enable me to understand the problem, I do not know. What do you think of my thinking on this? If I just need a new battery, that would be great. I just do not want to buy a new battery and have the same problem. Seeing as how the new battery would not put out anymore volts, then the one I have is showing that it is putttin out. I do not meant to bother you to death, I am just trying to understand the process, so in that way I will have learned something, and thus enabling me to maybe help others.

Thank you for your expertise in this area. It is great to be able to learn and not cost an arm and a leg doing it.
Click to expand...

Charge the battery as you have been, clean all terminal connections the main cables connect too (they should all be shiny). Coat with dielectric grease and tighten 'em all up. You will now perform a basic cold crank amps CCA load check.

Connect it all together, put engine kill switch to run, make sure bike faces garage door or flat surface (you will be checking headlight brightness). Put bike in Neutral. Turn the ignition on, headlight should be at full brightness. Crank the engine and the headlight should dim slightly, at most to perhaps 1/4 brightness and starter should spin-up and start cranking the engine. If headlight dims to 1/2 brightness or goes off, the battery does not have any reserve and likely has bad cells. End test. :nosad

If it spins up, turns over engine at fairly brisk pace, but still does not start, you may have to actually measure the voltage during cranking. If the voltage falls below 9V the ECM is protecting itself and will not give you spark to fire up the engine.

Don't forget to perform Glider's charging ckt test in the maintenance section...keep us informed as to your progress and good luck with your troubleshooting!
 
I have received my battery tender. After plugging in to the bike for several days, it failed to charge battery beyond the clicking stage.

Got new battery Monday, put in bike it started right up no problem, road a couple of hours that day, today we have snow. What kinda weather this is. Global warming I guess.

Thanks for all the help. I am splitting time between the two bikes I have now, for the tender, I would get another if I planned on keeping the ultra, but it need to go to pay down debt.

Again thanks :small3d017:
 
42 degrees here and I was about to take a ride. Batt dead. Went to the dealer and bought a tender and battery harness so I don't have to go through hoops to plug it in.

It started last week, but the cold must have finally gotten to it.

We'll see how quick it charges, and I may still have time to go out.

Ken
 
biglew55 said:
I'd say jump start it, but that's another thread! :D Really, if you have a riding mower or something, that would work too.

To be honest, I've jumped my bike from my truck a couple of times with zero drama. I just know that a lot of folks say it's bad, and we already had that thread. Do what you think you need to do.
Click to expand...

I thought about the lawnmower batt, but it's dead too. I guess it'll get the tender next. lol.
 
biglew55 said:
I'd say jump start it, but that's another thread! :D Really, if you have a riding mower or something, that would work too.

To be honest, I've jumped my bike from my truck a couple of times with zero drama. I just know that a lot of folks say it's bad, and we already had that thread. Do what you think you need to do.
Click to expand...

You can jump the bike, just do not have the engine running on the source battery. Voltage transients from a running engine can be passed to the bike, without the "dampening" affect of a partially charged much lower capacity motorcycle battery. As usual do make sure you follow the attachment sequence outlined in your manual, to assure you do not have sparking near the charging ckt, which is producing flammable hydrogen gas from the charging batteries, that is what all the fuss is about.:s
 
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