dead dead dead

[mbigdaddymikeb]

I am having a problem with my 79 xs1100. I rode to work and bike ran fine. went to leave and hit the starter button turned over once then dead. nothing no lights on the gauges. i can jump it off and it will start and stay running only on high idle or midle idle choke position but as soon as i push the choke in all the way it dies. also lights on the gauges are intermittent. the head light however stays on allways when the bike is running. If i use my turn signals or my high beam the bike will die right away and not recover. it will not start untill i jump it off. HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!

[Roy Bean]

Check your grounds. Roy

[Miti-Babe]

Mike

Sounds like your rec/reg unit has packed it in...

I would do checks to measure charge voltage across battery and also to make sure that AC isn't passing through rec/reg into the bikes' DC system...

Good Luck

Miti

[trbig]

Also.. check your battery. They don't always just slowly go bad. A bump could knock junk loose in them and short out a cell or two.

The bike needs a certain amount of voltage to run..(10.8v min I THINK??) That's why push starting them or kick starting on the early models with a dead battery wouldn't help. You may be getting just enough juice into it with a jump to get it started... but not enough to make enough amps to raise the rpm once it is.

BUT... you can also make sure the main ground is working. It is connected to the back of your middle drive with a strap to the frame. Clean it up and re-attach and check things out.

Good luck.

Tod

[prometheus578]

Had the same problem... not enough juice... hit the turn signal and the bike would die, etc.
T'was bad wiring and corrosion around the main fuse.

[egsols]

I second trbig, if it dies once the rpms go down, the battery is probably not holding enough juice to keep everything going. Buttttt....check all connections and grounds and then check the voltage while running.

[mbigdaddymikeb]

thank you

thank you for all you help. I did try a new bat but still having the same problem. I also checked the starter switch mounted by the fuse box but i get no resistance from it. I believe that i should have 4 homs of resistance there and i dont. coule some one tell me where the master fuse is located. i also cleaned the cables and terminals but still no luck.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Mike,

On the 79 the Main Fuse is IN the fuse block where you were!

Did you REMOVE THE FUSEBLOCK PLATE and check the 3 large white connectors from the ALT behind it for signs of melting/corrosion etc??

Also, you need to CHECK THE VOLTAGE ACROSS THE BATTERY WHILE IT's RUNNING.....at 2500 rpm it should be ~ 14.5 volts...IF only 12 or even less, then you have a charging problem that even a NEW BATTERY won't fix/cure! You'll need to do some more trouble shooting...see the TECH TIPS, lots of info there for doing this T-shooting electrical charging problems, but most common thing is the REG/RECT unit...the Alt/stator rarely goes bad, but you need to test for both situations!
T.C.

[edavi394]

make sure to check your fuses with a meter. mine would crank over on time and all the lights worked then the next time i hit the button nothing. i would check the fuses and they were fine i even checked with a meter and they were fine then finaly when i checked with a meter there wasn't any voltage going through so i am replacing the fuse box and that should fix mine.

have you replaced your fuse box?

[mbigdaddymikeb]

Thank you to everyone who helped! The bike is running now and we are riding again. Turns out it was a bad fuse box i replaced that and put a new battery and it came back to life! Once again thank you. I could not have don it without all your help!