The human body is not a perfect insulator and the reading obtained could simply be your electrical resistance. Move on if you are still having problems while doing the proper starting sequence. After all, you can't see electricity flowing through a wire, most people don't have a great deal of training in today's electrical systems and electrical components have a reputation for being finicky. Main Fuse A blown or faulty can be a source of frustration for many riders as it will kill everything electrical. Park motorcycle in neutral with engine running, on center stand if present, on racing stand if no center stand is present, and on side-stand with a chock-block under the front wheel if neither other option is available. To begin, you will need to unplug the connector. Because this often is difficult to reach, you can skip the keyswitch a nd check for battery voltage at the starter solenoid's switch terminal.
Although batteries can summon forth less power when cold like at freezing than at room temperature, it is actually heat exposure that reduces a battery's lifespan. Accessory systems Accessory systems include things such as oil-pressure switches, coolant-temperature switches, lights, sprayer monitors, tachometers, electric motors and radios see Figure 6, above left. With no connection between the meter leads, an open circuit or infinity Ohms exists. Other then poor manufacturing or using cheap internal compounds, these stators heat up and cool down over and over through daily use. Turn your keyswitch to the start position and crank your engine for 15 seconds. To test the cap, you will need to remove it.
The purpose of this guide is to help riders to begin the process of troubleshooting motorcycle electrical problems. We will cover a lot in this class and the beauty of it is that you can stop, fast forward and review any topic at any time. With the meter leads touched together, a short circuit or zero Ohms exists between the meter leads. This outcome needs to be the same on every diode you test. First, check the positive diode.
Then connect the negative lead to each of the stator inputs. If you have a technical manual available for your machine, check the specification in it or call your dealer to see what it should be. Important Copyright 2005 by Cyclemaintenance. These inexpensive testers--available from most tool suppliers and automotive stores--help ensure that you don't create tremendously high resistance that could damage your solid-state components. For my money there are only two ways to make sound wire-to-wire or wire-to-terminal connections: soldering, which admittedly takes some skill and special tools, or using crimp-on connectors and terminals. The meter should now be reading something. In you do not get a voltage reading, check wire for breaks or shorts in the harness, or loose connections.
I prefer using a wire stripper to remove the insulation as opposed to, say, a knife or razor blade. Battery The battery on motorcycles is a smaller version of the battery in cars, because the power draw of motorcycles is less than that of cars. If your bike does not have a battery, you can move on to the next steps. Anything over that and the system is overcharging. Is a wire cut or broken? Do all three troubleshooting tests if this section applies.
Take extreme care not to over-fill the cells, nor to splash the acid out of the cells. Cut out the majority the bad wire, leaving about an inch on each end for the new wire to connect to. For troubleshooting, the stator connector that runs to the engine m ust be unplugged. Spark plugs do have a limited life span and they may need to be replaced. If not, you need to start by removing every blinker, brake, running light and headlight bulb on the vehicle, one at a time, taking another amperage reading at the battery negative lead between each one.
Your ignition system could be working correctly, but you could have a problem with your fuel system, compression system or engine timing. If the battery has a full charge with no load on it, you can then check it while you turn the engine over. Repeat the same procedure -- disconnect one item at a time until the reading drops to zero. Green wire: Grounds the system to the frame may have two wires. However, just because your engine will not start or run does not mean your ignition system is not functioning properly.
Same goes for if you get an open no numeric reading through both ends of the diode. A new battery should read approximately 12. If your problem is just the alternator or the battery, jumping should work as long as it hasn't damaged any other part of the electrical system. Note- If your motorcycle starts and runs fine, but then dies once it warms up, there could be a wire somewhere in the ignition circuit that is losing connectivity as it warms. It's also important to make sure that the battery that you use produces enough amps to properly power all of the electrical components.
If in doubt as to which type you have, check with the terminal supplier. If it does, the stator is faulty. Most people would rather tear into an engine than have to deal with wiring. Step 1 - Inspecting Parts The first thing that you need to do is take a look at the electrical components of your ignition system. The meter should not read anything on any of these.
Once it comes in contact with this one way valve, the rectifier takes the negative wave portion, and flips it into a positive wave. Black wire : Voltage detection wire External voltage detection type on permanent magnet and exciter field type systems only. See above link for more details. There will be some fundamental explanations throughout this blog, so if your in a hurry to get straight to the testing. Do not test for spark at the spark-plug electrodes the old-fashioned way of grounding the plug to the head of the engine.