electric issues =( By bcgreatness (Read 1,938 times)

[bcgreatness]

So I have a 2008 roketta 150cc got it about a month or 2 ago with only 1200 miles on it and 1 previous owner. ive put about 800 miles on it since then with little to no issues but lately it seems as if its becoming more buggy and about every day i have a reason to mostly dismantle the entire bike. ive fixed most of the minor quirks but im down to guessing on the electrical issue. when i had put around 500 miles on my scooter, i started having to charge the battery about twice a week, so i figured that was because i would always engage the alarm system when i parked it at night. then that turned into 3, 4, 5 times a week and then once a day. i chalked it up as being either the battery or stator that was bad. either the stator was working and the battery had a bad cell or the battery was fine and the stator was junk, or it could just be a wire short issue. so i went with the cheapest option and i took the scoot apart to check every last wire and come up with no conclusions there. then after i put it all back together i forgot to plug in the voltage regulator and when i fired the scoot up i blew all the bulbs which was about a 50$ mistake lol. so i took a gamble and chose to purchase a new battery instead of the stator because it was either one or the other. the stock battery was a 6 pound so i purchased a 9 pound battery with more cold cranking amps. finally went on a good hour long ride today and when i got home i shut off the motor and started it up a few times, its starting to sound weaker and weaker with each start which tells me the battery is not getting charged when i ride plus the headlight is very dim unless i am going top speed, which makes me wonder if it could be my cdi. was just wondering from you scooter pros what your opinion was on the matter. ive done a few things to try to use less power and the headlight is still dim unless the bike is reved wide open. ive eliminated a few lightbulbs that done serve much purpose but to be cosmetic, ive removed the alarm/push button start system and the speaker that goes with it ( which i am going to sell once i decide a reasonable price, comes with the module, the keychain with the buttons, and the speaker. will post pics and article in the for sale section or just message me ) so could it be the cdi or the stator? thanks for reading this novel i have typed and happy scooting to all =)

[jct842]

if you do not have a digital multi-meter go buy one. ($10-30) then if you do not understand how to use it come back here and some one will help. what you are going to have to do is measure a few voltages and report back so that you can find exactly where the problem is. the stator isn't the only thing that can cause your problem. in fact even a loose wire/bad connection can do it. you did not waste your money on a battery. OEM batteries are usually just junk. connections and grounds need to be checked. The meter you should get .................even if you find a loose wire next time you stick you nose under the tupperware. fuses can not be checked by looking at them. john

[tvnacman]

bcg , listen to jct . What I will say is is is not your stator or CDI . Can you Post a pic of your scooter ? How many wires were on the regulator ?

John

[Bashan]

If it was mine it put a multimeter on the battery, start it on the centerstand, and get the RPMs up some. There's a lot of opinions on the voltage you should get but I would be comfortable with 12.5 to 14v DC. There's some videos in the Library on how to do that if you need them. Rich

[jct842]

I think the biggest problem people have when they "think" they have an electrical problem is those people are guessing. even a cheap multimeter can stop the guessing. Had this fellow taken a meter reading first he would not have had to buy a "9 lb" battery. nothing wrong with replacing the meager battery that comes with some of these scooters and putting a good one in but it did not fix the problem. Get a good meter and you will be happy for many years down the line. john

[sprocket]

bcgreatness

You talk about bad batteries and a bad stator.. how about a bad rectifier/regulator. It is far more likely to have gone bad.

Also if the regulator was not plugged in then you could not have blown the bulbs...there would be no power to the bulbs since the AC comes to the rectifier/regulator where the voltage is clipped to around 12 volts and fed to the lights...or other lights are powered from the DC battery circuits.

Something doesn't make sense from your description. You first have to decide if it is an AC CDI or a DC CDI, before you start throwing parts at the problem...if the scooter runs it isn't the CDI

My vote is that your rectifier/regulator is done and a multimeter will confirm this... as others have said...

[Kaveman]

89th Day of Creation : G-d Creates the Multimeter !! If he needs help with directions for running the daignostics tests , check the tech section. There are PDF(s) that will help !
will

[leroysunl]

Have SunL 12B 150cc. Had occurrence twice of blown bulbs and the fix was new rectifier/regulator. LF each time

[bcgreatness]

there wasnt a problem with the bulbs blowing or even being dim when i got it, they slowly over a month or 2 period would become more and more dim, the new battery helped that but only for about 2 days. i now run with the high beam on as my every day running light because the normal is extremely dim. dont know what causes that but im sure the battery not charging up could be tied into that problem. it has now been several days since the battery change and though the start ups sound alot weaker then when the battery was new, it has not died. maybe it could have just been bad cells on the battery, but that still does not solve all of the lights being dim, maybe it could be the rectifier/regulator. well im glad i turned here for help as your suggestions have broadened my view of what the problem could be. the 6 pound battery did in fact have bad cells and had to be replaced anyways and with the new 9 pound battery it starts up almost instantly on a cold start even though it sounds weak, i will look into obtaining a multimeter and come back for diagnostic advice. will post back when i get my hands on one of those meters, i most humbly thank all who replied to my post =) pics of scooter coming soon if you want an idea of what it looks like this is a link to a website that has the exact scooter i have down to the nuts paint bolts tires and rims. www.mxmotorsports.us/Roketa-p/mc-74-150.htm also want to add that nothing has changed on the model scooter that i have since 2007 so the 08' - 11' are all the same.

[Alleyoop]

Since you took off all the things that usually drains the battery as it sits and the battery is good but is not being charged I would get a new Regulator/Rectifier.
Alleyoop

[sprocket]

>>also want to add that nothing has changed on the model scooter that i have since 2007 so the 08' - 11' are all the same.

No that isn't true...

Every scooter I have seen the 2010 and 2011 are far better in every way than the 2007-08s which is absolutely the worst year for quality in Chinese scooters...

Sorry but it is just a fact...

[bcgreatness]

so is it safe to assume since everybody is leaning towards the rectifier/regulator, that i should just get that? im on a limited income so i can only afford about 1 maybe 2 parts a month and i have already got a battery so if i get the multimeter then i wont be able to get another part for a little while... have 4 kids and bills which come before my scooter lol was thinking about getting a trickle charger and calling it quits as i would know for sure it will start up although that would not solve the dim light issues. would one know what the regulator would cost? im sure not much. as always thanks for the extensive advice from all you scooter gurus =)

[tvnacman]

how many watts were the headlight bulbs that were in there , and how many watts are the new ones ?

John

[bcgreatness]

the headlamp is i think 14w on low ( something like that ) but i know the high for sure is 35w i would have to take the bike apart to look and be sure. also forgot to add earlier that when i turn the key off the bike stays running until i turn off the kill switch im not sure if that has to do with the fact that i unplugged the alarm/remote start system. it doesnt bother me because i can turn off from kill switch but just thought it was odd. im off for the night will post pics of my scoot tomorrow any preferred angles of view or just the basics?

[Alleyoop]

Well since you took off the alarm that may be the cause of the problem.

Check out the wireing for the alram:

Find the alarm/remote start module and find the white plug for it. Unplug it from the wiring harness then check the wire colors if you have a brown/white and a black/white wire in the harness plug join them together with another wire. Or it may have grey and pinkish color wire connect those.
If the alarms have a fuse just remove the fuse and leave it plugged in.
Alleyoop