Charging issue please help

Ok guys, I have read all the other charging issue threads and have checked and replaced everything that was mentioned. Here is my debacle.
My battery is not charging ...I have replaced the R/R and the battery...I checked the stator and it is putting out the recommended voltage...around 30v at idle 60v at 5k....none of the connections are burnt and I cleaned all plugs and coated in dielectric grease...so, I am getting 12.8v at the battery at idle, 13.1 at 5k...I have checked the ground under the left side of the tank...the bike will run about 15 miles or so on a full charge and then if I kill it and try to restart it is dead...I have no add on accesories...it's a 2004 vfr800...the only thing I have not replaced is the starter relay...could this prevent the battery from charging? It is slightly brown but not melted...the bike has 50k on the clock and has been great until now....thanks for any help...
Brandt:crazy:

 

I would check the 30 amp fuse by the battery first. Then check the ground wire that connects from the main frame to the tank and make sure the two ends are not loose in any way. The bolts may have loosened up and therefore may not provide a solid connection. Hope this helps.

 

If you see ANY deterioration of the wires on top of the starter relay, that's probably the source of the problem.

 

tinkerinWstuff,

I'm just suggesting places to look at. On my vfr 800 vtec, there is a ground wire that is held on by two bolts at the frame and top of the tank just below where the bolts are to hold it down. It probably does lead to the battery also. I'm fairly new to knowing this bike. You are most likely right anyway about the cause of the problem.

 

A couple of things; will the bike continue to run after 15 miles, or will it not start back up after 15 miles? If it continues to run, the problem might be in the starting side of things and not in the charging system itself. High-current electrical devices that are borderline can stop working when they get hot, i.e. the starter motor or the starter relay.

Also, 13.1 is a pretty minimal charging value. The one thing I would do is to remove the dielectric grease. Anything that is "dielectric" is an insulator; not a conductor. Dielectric grease is meant to seal out moisture and dirt, so it really should be applied after the connectors are joined, or only on the plastic surfaces of the mating plugs. Applying it to the metal mating surfaces are effectively insulating them from each other unless the friction of the mating components forces enough grease out of the way for metal-to-metal contact.

 

Lgn001....great info !!

Thanks for disabusing the forum about dielectric grease. It's no cure-all, and most don't understand its proper use, people recommending it without fully understanding.

 

Yes, It will continue to run past 15 miles...it hasn't ever died on me...it just drains the battery...I ordered a new starter relay as mine is suspect...I cleaned off the dielectric grease and reconnected...I will check all the grounds tonight and install the relay...I had it next day air'd, lol....I really wanna ride tomorrow...it's supposed to be 102 degrees and windy, perfect, on a side note I did the pair valve/flapper mod and it totally took the flat spot around 5k away and smoothed out the throttle response...sooo much better.

 

Thanks for the responses guys, much appreciated

 

When you say that it "drains the battery", I'm not sure what you mean. If the charging system and battery continue to keep the bike running, then they are working, at least to some extent. Do you mean that after you ride it and it sits for some amount of time, then it won't start (and the headlight, etc. doesn't work) unless you charge the battery first? If that's the case, then it would be worth measuring the battery voltage when you first turn it off and before you try to start it again in order to find out if there is something that is drawing current when the key is turned off.

 

I would say that you might be on the right track with having excess draw. It could very well be drawing more current than designed. Does the regulator get pretty hot. Dielectric grease problems, bad ground are red herrings IMO. Does it sound like the starter motor is sticking? I am pretty sure that our bikes use sprague clutches and not bendix designs on the starter motor. It would take a big draw to keep your functioning charging system from keeping up.

 

^ I came back to edit my last post because I didn't think it was clear enough, but camo took care of it for the most part. If the battery is indeed getting drained, you need to determine if it happening at all times, just when the bike is running, or just when the bike is sitting with the key off. A bad or partial electrical connection will definitely affect the charging and/or starting circuit(s), but it won't drain the battery once the key is turned off.

An easy check for the R/R is to disconnect the battery and charge it (bike cold). Measure the battery voltage and then reconnect it, key off, and monitor the voltage. If it starts dropping fairly quickly, you can try physically feeling the R/R. If it's warming up, it's bad. If it doesn't feel like it's warming up, unplug it. If the battery voltage stabilizes, the R/R is suspect. If the voltage continues to drop with the R/R disconnected, then there is another component drawing current when it shouldn't be (other than the clock, which shouldn't really be noticeable).

 

Ok...I'm going to test it like you said after work and let it set over night and recheck the voltage...Thank you.

 

OK guys, Thank you all for the reply's...it ended up being the stator...ordered a Ricks stator and all is well...so I put a new R/R, starter relay, battery and stator on it....should be good to go for a while I think...