battery too weak to start scoot and other issues By epyon96r (Read 1,838 times)

[epyon96r]

Another day another problem! So somethings have been happening to my scoot recently.
got to 5000+ miles with no probs. Now problems are occuring every other day. Let me explain from the start and perhaps with yalls expertise, I will be running right soon.

2009 Vitacci Elite(chinese)(hunter style)
150cc 4 stroke

Issues
1. Morning ride to work, less than 10 minutes on road, Higher than normal idle.(3k vs the usual 2 k) this is before the auto-choke kicks in I assume. then after it warms up It goes down to a deathly low rpm(1200) and sometimes dies at lights. So the first issue is why is it idling so how pre warmup?

2. Several days after that, the headlights stopped working. One time while riding at night I noticed my headlights were not working. I left it at a friends since my house was 30 minutes away. The next day I drove it home and noticed that they had started working again! The day after that they went out permanently. I have two headlights and two running lights. the running lights work. and I tested the headlight with a different hot wire and they do work. so I believe that problem could be traced to a black box(relay?) on the handlebars with 4 pins. One black, one green, one dark green, and one yellow.

3. Several days after the second issue, my rpm gauge messed up and even when im at 7k motor rpms, the the gauge only will go up to 3500rpm. Possible electrical issue there???

4. Several days after that I rigged my headlights. Using a free wire from the harness,(possible for a radio connection, I connected that to the head lights and made sure it was seperated from the original wire as to not cause any issues. two days. after that , my battery will not charge correctly, or maybe not charging at all. It only showed 10 volts yesterday and would not start scoot, I had to jump it, I drove it today, and it still had 10 volts and would not turn starter. I had to jump it again. I disconnected my headlight rig and am charging my battery, tomorrow I will see if that was the problem....But if it is not the problem, what would yall think the problem is???



Thanks in advance for the help!

[ctpgs]

your valves may need to be adjusted the low rpms and dying at lights sounds like it could be the valves, i am not sure about the electrical it could be your regulator

[steelblade]

IS this the original battery?

I've been told that chinese scoots like yours and mine do not recharge when they run. This isn't true, but the amount of 'recharge' we get from the stator and other parts (No alternator per se, just several other parts that do the same job) is minimal.

I use a $20 solar panel to keep mine charged. It may be that other parts are failing, of course, or that the OEM battery is 4 years old and giving up the ghost.

[epyon96r]

ctpgs, that would be cool if its just a valve adjustment, I already purchased my feelers gauges and will adjust this weekend.

Steelblade, When I bought the this bike 1.5 yrs ago, it had 8hundred miles on it and the dealer guy put fresh acid in the battery, thereby making it like new. I know something charges the battery, I just no its not belt driven like the alternator u mention. Where did you get this 20$ solar panel, Ive been looking for one.

I started my scoot today and checked the voltage on the leads(terminals) with the battery removed and was only getting 8.5 volts from the scoot. I dont believe that is good enough to keep me charged. So where should I start checking? Is this stator thing behind the flywheel? so I can check my connections there.

[bhinch]

You need at least 13 volts going to the battery to keep it charged. The rectifier/regulator may need to be replaced. I replaced my R/R a few months ago and it charges at 13.1 at cruise on the hiway. Not sure about your scoot, where this is located.

[epyon96r]

Mine is in the storage area under the seat. I relocated it there in feb. Its possible it may have overheated and messed up. 100 degree texas weather plus low air flow to cool it off could be the culprit

[Bashan]

Issue #1: I agree with ctpgs, it's probably the valves. If that doesn't do it it may be a vacuum leak but one thing at a time.

Issue #2: I'm not sure what your black box is, I'd have to see a pic. Your running lights still work because they're DC voltage off of the black ignition switch wire. The headlights are fed by the AC yellow wire, a failure here is usually the regulator/rectifier as bhinch pointed out. Here is a tutorial on checking your stator voltages. You'll find the stator pigtail on the right side of the engine and it will probably have a white, yellow, and green wire. If your voltages check out then it's probably the R/R. There's a video for checking the R/R in the video section of the Library.

Issue #3: Chinese scooter tachs are even more unreliable than the speedometers. They usually work off of the CDI and you'd have to look on your wiring diagram to see if it is actuated by the trigger coil or ignition coil. Just remember, Chinese scooter wiring diagrams are unreliable and often inaccurate. Having fun yet!!??

Issue #4:

Aug 20, 2013 22:41:57 GMT -6 epyon96r said:

Several days after that I rigged my headlights. Using a free wire from the harness,(possible for a radio connection, I connected that to the head lights and made sure it was seperated from the original wire as to not cause any issues.

No chance for issues there!!!! You've got nards pal, you've got nards. Well, the scooter didn't burst into flames so that's a plus.

Aug 20, 2013 22:41:57 GMT -6 epyon96r said:

two days. after that , my battery will not charge correctly,

I'm speechless. Sorry pal, just having a little fun at your expense. If your getting 10v DC at the battery terminals with some RPMs it leads us back to a bad R/R. As steelblade pointed out the charging systems on these bikes are not all that spiffy but you should see at least 13v DC. I'm betting it's the R/R. Yes, heat is not good for them. Also, you better check out where that wire is coming from that you hooked into your headlight circuit. It could roast the new components as you install them,

[steelblade]

The panel I got from Amazon, but Northern Tool, Harbor Freight, etc will sometimes carry them in the $20 range. Make sure it mentions a circuit to prevent it from draining the battery when it's dark. I also spent $5 for a cigarette lighter to connect it with, though you can open the battery enclosure to attach the panel directly if you don't mind the work of doing that nearly every day for regular use.

The 'Trunk' that came with mine sucks, and doesn't fit my helmet anyway so I am considering mounting the panel there permanently, though that will require a hole in the cover.

[epyon96r]

So since I am not working on the scoot tonight hands on. Lets try out some hypothetical mechanics. The head light issue, could be caused by the r/r. And the battery issue, also by the r/r. With this info, we can theorize that the scoot has a bad r/r. Before wasting another hour tinkering. (because it looks like it might rain outside and I broke my volt meter as well) I will order a new r/r i found on ebay for a measly $10.(time is money, and this cost beats me waisting more time just to figure out it probably is the r/r. Thank you ctpgs, steelblade, bhinch, and bashan for the input, and the smack talk, I honestly appreciate the help and I will keep you updated.

[Bashan]

Hey man, I'm sorry I gave you a hard time. I was just kidding and meant no harm. My wife read that post and said I was rude. At that point she paddled me and sent me to my room.

I hope I caught you before ordering that R/R on E-bay. There are no truly universal R/Rs out there. The best way to get a match is see what applications it has and make sure your bike is on the list. Then order one that looks exactly your R/R and is for a 150cc. Also, look on the back of the R/R and see if it says FLP. If it does you must get an FLP replacement. I'd give John a call at 347-564-1320. He is one of the vendors that has a banner at the top of the site. His business is called Tested Scooter Parts and his contact info is on it. Let us know how it shakes out.

[epyon96r]

Bashan, I am by no means upset, noboody is required to help, and yall do help, and Im appreciative. so hopefully she didn't paddle you too hard, unless your into that lol. I have not ordered yet! Its probably better that I diagnose the issue before I order, since need to remove the regulator to see if FLP or not. My father is going to help me today with some diagnosing since my volt meter messed up and he has a meter.

[epyon96r]

back of rectifer


front


did valve adjust

[epyon96r]

The valves were tighter than they needed to be. did .004 on intake, .005 on exhaust, started right up afterwards. Guess who found another problem! Turned the pilot screw on carb all the way clockwise, and the engine did not shut off like usual when I do a/f adjustments. maybe its the cause of issue #1

[tvnacman]

hey , how many wires are on that regulator ? Please take another picture and show the plug and wires .

John

[epyon96r]

6? 3 yellow, a black, a red, a green. I can't get pic til after work