Electrical problem

[sarrah44]

:( I'm encountering a major electrical problem that no one really knows how to solve.

Bike: XR250L, Electric Start

There is no electric when I switch on the ignition with my key. Totally no power at all (headlight, motor starter etc). I check the batt with a multimeter and it's still working. All the fuses seem to be ok too.

The only way to start the bike now is to push-start it. There's power when the bike starts but it's very weak. The headlight and taillight will be flickering. What can be the problem?

Pse advise.

:( Troubled :(

 

[WoodsRider]

The battery may show voltage, but no longer can provide enough amperage to power any of the circuits. Either that or it has a faulty connection.

Check to make sure the connections are tight and not corroded (covered with green and white fuzzy stuff). A voltage check doesn't tell much about a batteries condition. A "good" battery should have a minimum of 13.5 volts. Attach the meter and then turn on the lights or hit the starter. If voltage drops below 10 volts the battery is at fault. Any competent shop should be able to test your battery for free or for little cost.

 

[biglou]

I have a couple ideas, but it's hard to tell without the electrical diagram and the bike in front of me. One thing about a battery-It can read fine just sitting there, but when put under load (starting), it just doesn't have the juice to make it turn over. It may not have enough to even engage the starter solenoid. If you can, have the battery load tested and/or tricke-charged. If you don't ahve this capability, auto parts stores can do it for you. They will usually check them for free. If it's dead and gone, you will need to replace it.

As for your fuses-Are they the see-thu type, blade fuses or are they the little cylindrical ones? I would read them out with a multimeter just to be sure they are good.

Check for any loose or corroded connections. Take your connections apart and look for corrosion. Clean and reassemle using dielectric grease (available cheap at auto parts stores).

That's all I can come up with right now. I'm sure there will be some other good suggestions from those more familiar with this model bike. Good luck.

 

[sarrah44]

Thank you guys!

I'll go check it out again. One more question: Could it be the capacitor? What capacitor should I change it to if I decide to remove the batt/electric starter and fix up a kickstarter?

Thanks again.

 

[biglou]

You got me on that one. *shrug*

 

[WoodsRider]

I have one at home that I bought from Baja Designs for an old D/S bike I used to own. I'll look for it tonight and post it's capacity tomorrow.

 

[sarrah44]

Thanks again!

You guys are so helpful! ;) Thanks!

:eek: What's D/S bike?

 

[biglou]

"Dual-Sport". :D (dirt and street)

 

[sarrah44]

Oh I see! :confused: Ha ha...

 

[SFO]

I have noticed that weird electrical problems with my xr's were due to grounding issues.
I made supplimental ground straps for the regulator rectifier and joined the case of it straight to the ground on the battery.
Checking grounds is also a great way to inspect your whole wiring system.
Wirth makes a special connector lubricant that keeps this junction corrosion free.
Happy hunting!

 

[sarrah44]

Hmm...that's helpful. I'll put that on the checklist for this weekend.

Anyway, which is the regulator rectifier?

Is the small cube thingy beside the batt (connected to directly to batt then out) the capacitor?

Thanks alot! :D

 

[SFO]

It is usualy finned and in an aluminum case.
It converts the three phase ac power from your stator to 12v dc that your battery and electrical system use.
I think thats what it does, I always slept through that part of class...

 

[WALKMAN]

I have a 99 KLR 250. Very similar thing happened to me. I went looking for loose connections and found one behind the instrument cluster. Pushed them togather and off I went. Start with the simple stuff first.

 

[sarrah44]

Trust me. I went through all the connections (almost stripping the insulating tape for the wiring). This problem has been on and off but this time is a total shut down! :( I'm totally clueless.

 

[reynome]

It auctually sounds like a short after you turn your key on. check to see if the hot wire off your ingnition switch is grounded after you put the key in the on position, there will be acurrent draw from your lights unless you can turn them off manually. One way to go about this is to check for continuity to ground on all your wires that you may suspect being shorted. A schematic will be needed at this point.

Electrical problems are hard to debug!

 

[sarrah44]

I went thru all the wires and connections yesterday and everything seems perfectly all right. I used a multimeter to test all the connections and wires for continuity and nothing comes up until I tested the main grounding cable (the one from the batt to the engine case). It looks pretty weird on the multimeter (unstable reading) :eek: but still I can't confirm what's the problem. Then I decided to use a jumper cable to do the grounding. Bingo! :aj: Everything lights up like a Christmas Tree! I removed the grounding cable to have a better look and it turn out that one section of it is partially broken which I supposed caused insufficient grounding.

Thank you guys for all your pointers! It's a valuable lesson for me!

 

[biglou]

Cool! Looks like SFO hit the nail on the head. I still can't believe I didn't specifically mention grounding issues! :confused: But hey, it was totally infered/implied in my suggestions! :D

I've had grounding issues play heck with me on older cars before. I checked/changed ignition switches, battery cables, etc... Only to find that the ground strap to the engine was corroded beyond reasonable use. Live and learn.

Now, go ride! :)

 

[sarrah44]

Anyway, thanks BigLou! I don't deny that I've learned something from you too. Those are possible electrical problems that may occur to any electric start bike. So we have to keep those tips in mind in case...

Thanks everyone! :)

 

[WoodsRider]

Glad you found the problem.

If you still want to remove the elec. start and go with a capacitor in place of the battery, the unit I had in my old XL was a Mallory 4200MFD 40volt computer grade capacitor.

Radio Shack probably sells something similar.