| Author |
Message |
    
Oz666
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 12:16 pm: | 
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Preemptive post before my "friend" Steve posts the pictures of my bike with a MityMite portable jump starter and DC power supply perched on my seat with the clamps clipped to the dangling battery leads. Got me home, though... (150 miles). I learned that the electronic tach reads ~75% when the voltage gets below 8 (or maybe 6, not too sure). I’ll bet you could run the ignition with two D cells! (Thanks Erik) Also re-learned it’s not fun to ride unlit back roads on a cloudy night without a working charging system. Thanks much to Steve for the use of his head and tail lights and battery. Now off to troubleshoot the charging system – sure hope it’s something stupid and simple – I can relate to those kinds of problems.
 Oz |
Bluzm2
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 12:30 pm: |
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Oz,
Check the leads coming fron the alternator to the voltage reg.
They are down under the oil pump.
The 3rd lead is the positive going to the battery.
The alternator leads should be held together with a zip tie.
The single lead can get pulled apart quite easily.
Don't ask how I know......
Brad |
Oz666
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 01:21 pm: |
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Thanks Brad,
I actually did check those connections last nite as I did the front exhaust support upgrade, but I wiil recheck them today along with the rest of the connections (main breaker, starter, ect.) I printed out (as always) the appropriate section from the `96 S1 manual and will compare it to MY service manual but I bet it the same except for reg. location. I can do all but the load test - looks straight-forward... (oops SHOULDN'T have said that)
Oz |
Oz666
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 01:25 pm: |
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(I did not mean I did the upgrade last nite, I meant because I did the upgrade) |
Motoross
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 01:31 pm: |
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As OZ666 said I am here to post the most interesting ride home, this was our solution to one of life's little shorts. All and all it was a very interesting day and ride not soon to be forgotten. Of course my beater bike preformed without a problem.
steve 
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Oz666
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 02:12 pm: |
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aaahh, I don't think i'm going to do the milliamp draw test as pictured - a free beer to the first person who notices "what's wrong with this picture" - although it WOULD explain my dead battery.
Oz |
Smoke
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 02:17 pm: |
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broke terminal |
Oz666
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 02:30 pm: |
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Look closer...
Oz |
Blake
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 03:18 pm: |
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Nothing wrong with that draw test that I can see. It is checking for current drain above 0.003 A (3 mA) for the ignition OFF scenario. Three mA is pretty much nothing as far as current on a 12V system is concerned. You will likely find the actual value is even smaller, just enough current to keep a clock and any other "always on" systems powered up. 
For comparison, consider that the headlight draws ~4,500 mA. It would take an awfully long time to drain a battery at anything less than 3 mA. Theoretically, with an 18 Amp-hours rating, it would take something like 18/0.003=6,000 hours=250 days for such a small load to deplete the battery. Or am I missing something? |
Jst
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 04:16 pm: |
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My first guess would be grounding out the positive side of the battery. It's been years since I researched any DC theory. I would have to take a look at a VOM but I would guess you're dead shorting your battery.
JT |
S2pengy
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 08:05 pm: |
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I believe an ampmeter should always be in parallel not series..... |
S320002
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 08:13 pm: |
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I'm sure Oz is reffering to the positive battery ground. The battery itself doesn't care which side is grounded but several other components in the system do.
There are many vehicles which have used positive ground systems. But an S3 isn't one of them.
Greg |
S320002
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 08:17 pm: |
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One other thing. There shouldn't be any current draw with the ignition off. That would account for his dead battery if the bike sits very long.
Oops my mistake. I believe the '98 and newer S3s have a clock which could account for a 3 milliamp current draw.
Greg
edited by S320002 on June 29, 2003 |
Iamike
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 09:19 pm: |
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Brad- If you would keep your bike ON THE ROAD you wouldn't be breaking those wires.
Last time I checked my S3 was negative ground. I also wouldn't try starting your bike with the ammeter on the MA scale (goodbye meter). I would guess these batteries are about a 15 amp-hour battery. A couple of ma wouldn't run the battery down for quite a while. |
Blake
| | Posted on Sunday, June 29, 2003 - 11:25 pm: |
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Heheh, I see what you are saying about the ground symbol. I didn't even notice it, my brain saw an arrow.
Mike, My battery is 18 Amp-hour. |
Oz666
| | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 09:00 am: |
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Ding, Ding, Ding, we have a winner! Jeff, your beer is on ice in my `fridge here in Buffalo, you may pick it up at your convenience. A close second (and correct but not illustrated) goes to Tim.
The drawing is from the `96 S1 e-manual, it is EXACTLY the same in my `98 S3T manual.
Oz
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Oz666
| | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 09:16 am: |
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Oh, and BTW, the 3 mA figure is correct. (I actually measured ~2 mA) The clock draws a short "spike" about every 2 seconds - my DVM rose to 18-20 mA. Blake is right though, that load should take 2-3 months to run a battery down to 50% or so where it would not start the bike. The steady 3 mA draw is the reverse current leakage of the regulator diodes and normal for solid state devices.
Oz |
Uwgriz
| | Posted on Monday, June 30, 2003 - 09:27 am: |
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Actually, current is always checked in series, voltage is measured in parallel. |
Newfie_buell
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 10:01 am: |
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Hook it up like that and your gonna fry your battery,
Coming in late,
May be passing through Buffalo in August so if the boys did not pick up the beer by then its mine. |
Jst
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 01, 2003 - 02:06 pm: |
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Oz,
I don't think I'll be making up that way anytime soon. Why don't you let Bill have it on his way through town?
JT |
Oz666
| | Posted on Friday, July 11, 2003 - 02:38 pm: |
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No problem. AND he can autograph my copy of FUELL.
Oz |
