starter draw ?

carbonone · August 16th, 2006, 10:34 PM

OK
Im sure one of you guys has had this issue before, but I really can't find it anywhere in this forum........

I've got an 02 501FE and my battery shows ~35 mA with the key on or off. As soon as I hit the starter button it drops to 3-4 mA then back up to 35 mA once off the button. the battery is good ( I have a gel cell with a optimate charger and just sitting out of the bike the thing holds charge forever) After about 3-4 cranks (with the decomp activated) the starter won't even turn the bike over.

The question is; what do I check next. The original battery would crank over the engine for minutes before it would start to go down. This new gel cell is supposed to be better ........is it or should I just go back to the regular battery?

If there is a thread on this please let me know. I've checked everything I know of and other than this issue, the bike starts and runs awesome.

oh yeah I know to NEVER start it with the button cold just hot.

Thanks

ryan

buckwheat5679 · August 17th, 2006, 08:23 AM

Did you buy the YTZ7S battery? I also bought the Optimate charger and noticed the same thing. From my experience is that when I left the battery connected to the charger all the time I had less reserve cranking amps. I now leave the bike off the charger between rides and it works alot better.

carbonone · August 17th, 2006, 10:13 AM

Yeah its the gel cell YTZ7s. I've tried both the overnight charge and the charge only once in a while and it still draws way down after only a few cranks. The local bike shop says it could be a bad cell and the charger just thinks its good. It was my understanding the optimate could tell if this was the case. I guess I'll try a new battery and if that's not it I can take it back.

thanks

Ady · August 17th, 2006, 05:07 PM

Sir
Your drain is likely to be around your solenoid secondary connections. They need stripping down and cleaning.
I moved my solenoid under my seat.
Your engine is not starting on the button probably due to the pre 04 Husaberg leccy start syndrome. search the forums to find out more.

gud luk
Ady

carbonone · August 18th, 2006, 09:46 PM

I did do some more snooping around the site and it seems I could also be a problem with the regulator/rectifier. How would I check to make sure this ISN"T it? Am I looking for a certain output or signal. the solenoid is clean and all the wires are good (checked them) Im just thinking that the charging part of the system isn't doing its job.

Any more thoughts?

carbonone · August 18th, 2006, 10:00 PM

Another idea........

Should I just replace the 2 piece regulator rectifier units with the single unit found on the newer models? Is there an advantage?

buckwheat5679 · August 18th, 2006, 11:31 PM

Put a volt meter on the battery while it's running, you should see the volts rise up to about 14 volts if you rev it up. If not charging check for a broken wire up by the headstock. You will have to cut back the wiring harness cover approx. 5-7".

tinwelp · January 22nd, 2007, 12:05 PM

Hi People... just discovered your most excellent forum. Congratulations on compiling such a knowledgeable bunch of people and data. Extremely interesting reading.

If I may be so bold, a question to Ryan: did you or anyone else ever get to the bottom of your reported slow cranking and poor battery capacity?

I have the exact symptoms you described back in August last year. In my case ('01 FE400e), I've got the upgraded gel Yuasa, the Optimate, and a good charge rate with the engine running. All decompressors are well set up, as is the ignition timing and valve clearances. I've a CBR600F4 starter motor (top tip by the way, and for the princely sum of 5GBP from ebay!), heavier gauge starter cables and a new solenoid. In short, everything is wonderful... except for the slow cranking and what appears to be very, very low battery capacity. The battery checks out OK (load-tested at the supplier by me) and it was fully charged before first use to avoid any 'gel local issues'. I've even tried a less sophisticated battery charger and a second battery of the same type to no avail. Even with the engine fully warm, I get (at best) two presses of the button before the cranking speed is so low I fear the onset of the next ice-age... Fortunately it rarely needs more than two kicks, hot or cold, to get me underway, but I will not stop until I fix the bugger!!

I'd love to hear if you (or anyone else) has made any progress on this.

Cheers... Paul

ferret · January 22nd, 2007, 01:54 PM

what temperatures are you guy's living in as this will dramatically change the characteristics of the battery.

on my '03 FE400e I replaced the battery with an odyssey PC310 and have no troubles at all.

have a look at the CCA rating on your batteries too. The original is only 60 whereas the odyssey is 310 for the 1st 5 - 10 seconds the 100 CCa after that.

Ps the temps here are no lower than 20 deg C and get up to 35 deg C

Ady · January 22nd, 2007, 03:10 PM

Carbonone and Tinwelp
I bet when you press your button and your revolutions are slow, the motor stops at the compression stroke.And that it turns easier when the bike is fully warm !!
If so - Take your plug out then try it !!! Amazingly turning faster ??
Your auto decomp device is not working properly ! .... check out other posts for a fix.
On my last post on this subject a 100% cure was found by using the 04 auto-decomp device on the earlier models.
Read on guys
Let me know how you get on
Regards
Ady