Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58 
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Mar 11, 2015 16:11:18 GMT -6
My bad starter would turn the engine over a few times and then quite like it had a bad battery. Taking the plug out to check for a spark, it would turn the engine over longer without the plug in and then die anyway. Spark was present but weak.
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Mar 10, 2015 0:14:23 GMT -6
OK. I bought a new battery and prepared it properly with a battery buddy at less than 1 amp charging. Acted just like a dead battery. I suspected the starter was bad and got another starter. That was the problem. Apparently, a starter can degrade to the point that it loads the electrical system of battery operated CDI's so that they will not deliver a viable spark. Not a bad thing to keep in mind.
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Mar 1, 2015 16:32:40 GMT -6
Here's a link to a site that has both motorcycle batteries and electric scooter batteries listed under scooter batteries. www.chromebattery.com/ |
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Feb 28, 2015 16:21:06 GMT -6
I ordered a replacement battery and a 1 amp charger/tender. I also ordered a replacement starter motor (good to have on hand even if the present one is OK). Love AliExpress.
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Feb 28, 2015 16:13:38 GMT -6
I have a Lance Duke Touring 250. In searching for a battery for it I stumbled across electric scooter batteries of equal or better specs for less money. Normally I wouldn't bother except that there are few motorcycle or motor scooter batteries that will physically fit in my machine, dimension wise.
The only problem with electric scooter batteries is they have tabs rather than nut and bolt terminals. Has anyone come across an adapter for this?
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Feb 27, 2015 23:00:56 GMT -6
billg, cyborg, richardv I checked the current the starter is drawing. It varies with the engine stroke but gets to 400 amps +. Does anyone know if that is normal?
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Feb 27, 2015 18:21:20 GMT -6
Doesn't a battery have to heat up during charging to warp the plates? This battery has never been heated up. I bought a battery tender like the one you suggested. The directions said to only connect it to an already charged battery.
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Feb 27, 2015 18:17:12 GMT -6
The solenoid works properly. The parasitic drain is 12.5 micro amps. With the alarm system connected it is 5 milli amps, almost 3000 times greater. My guess is 12.5 micro amps is negligible.
The battery voltage is 12.5 volts and drops to 10 volts when the starter is turning the engine over. Could this voltage drop be enough to starve the CDI and ultimately the coil of enough voltage to get a decent spark. I pulled the plug and verified a spark, but it looks really weak to me.
I worked this starter really hard getting the engine started before I replaced the head gasket. Since then it has always started very easily until now. Could the starter be pulling an inordinate amount of current?
I have an 'around the wire' amp meter with which I can measure the draw to the starter. Does anyone know how much these starters are supposed to draw?
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Feb 27, 2015 2:41:22 GMT -6
Does charging these small batteries with an auto charger somehow destroy them? My Lance Duke Touring has a 12 V, 8 amp hour battery that I charge with a sears 10 amp auto charger. I recently installed a brand new battery. It worked fine for a couple of weeks. Now it won't hold a charge overnight, even with the alarm system disconnected. After a cold night, I could connect the charger for a few minutes and get a start. After that, it would start for the rest of the day's use. Now, I can't get it to charge enough to turn the engine over enough to get a start at all no matter how long the charger is connected. I pulled the plug and confirmed it was getting a spark but it looks weak. It is getting gas.
There is a 40 u amp (micro amp?) parasitic draw with the key off. Is this normal?
The funny thing is, I switched out the battery for a new one and it acts the same way. Is it possible my starter is dying and pulling mega amps? and killing the battery?
Color me confused.
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Jan 10, 2015 16:03:07 GMT -6
I've had the pump cover off and it looks OK. A twist of the vane confirmed the pump shaft is OK. I doubt the fan would ever come on if the pump didn't work as the fan switch is at the bottom of the radiator. If there were no circulation hot coolant would not reach the radiator, seems to me.
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Jan 10, 2015 15:57:04 GMT -6
I'm in Santa Ana in Orange County maybe 40 mi. south of LA.  |
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Jan 9, 2015 16:29:20 GMT -6
I picked up a laser thermometer at Harbor Freight on sale for 26 bucks today. It will be a few days before I can get the test done. Some rain's rolling into Southern California today.
I will have to remove the bottom skin for the test so I can check radiator temps. I still think I have some blocked tubes in the radiator and the laser thermometer is just the thing to find out. I bought this scooter with less than 1300 miles on it from a second owner. Apparently the previous owners didn't know about replacing all the fluids. You wouldn't believe what I washed out of the cooling system. I had to drill out the carb heating (cooling?) circuit which was plugged tight.
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Jan 8, 2015 17:39:38 GMT -6
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Jan 7, 2015 18:09:03 GMT -6
|
|
Certified Clinician
Currently Offline
Posts: 58
Likes: 1
Joined: Oct 20, 2014 19:12:44 GMT -6
|
Post by billg on Jan 7, 2015 17:51:31 GMT -6
I normally can 'allow all this page' with NoScript, but not on scooterdoc.proboards.com. That's what I mean by not being given the choice. I should have said that to begin with. Today it's back to it's old tricks with a 'script not completing' (the same one as before).  I finally just 'allowed scripts globally' and it seems to work this site OK. Apparently the offending script is doing something NoScript needs to allow for. Personally, I'm amazed this stuff works at all. |
|
