Battery Issue ?

[maxedout]

Recall reading thread about my issue,but I can't seem to run it down.
82' XJ Max w/YICS,new fairly expensive battery did not make it 4 months.
Sat for couple weeks,she tried to crank but just did not seem to have enough bump.Put battery on charger/tender,and read that it had full charge.
Question is "am I just looking perhaps just a crap battery,or might I have a rectifier issue?"

[CatatonicBug]

Try taking the battery to be properly load tested. It may be a dead battery, not putting out enough amps.

[maxedout]

good thought and I appreciate the input, so lets say it is dead battery.Thoughts on why it has crapped out so rapidly?

[psycoreefer]

I agree, have the battery tested, why it went bad, who knows, maybe manufacturer defect? Most batteries I've gotten have at least a 6 month guarantee, maybe you could return it for a new one.

[Larrym]

No Crankiness??

maxedout,

Yeah. A few things to consider here.

Was the battery dry and did you add the electrolyte yourself? Then did you follow the recommended procedure of charging it fully before installing it on the bike??

Seems that sometimes folks will just add the juice, connect the wires, and go. IMO that shortens the actual life-span by a considerable margin. Maybe enough to have it crud out on you in the short time you've had it. Maybe not too.

If the battery was $$$ then you may have got it already filled and "ready-to-go" from the supplier. Thing is that I worked at one of those parts stores and can tell you that the way the game was played in that "un-named" store. The batteries arrived in bulk from the manufacturer. They were offered for resale and continued to be offered for resale even past the "expiration date". It was treated like a coin toss: if the guy came back then we had to say, "My. My. How odd!" and then exchange the batteries for another outdated one. Out the door he went and hopefully won the "Outdated Battery Lottery". If he lost we didn't hear about it cause he never came back.

Don't know how set up you are with test equipment but I'd suggest a token effort to determine if your bike has an abnormal drain when the key is in the off position. A simple check with an ohm-meter can give a yes/no on that one.

About having the battery tested by a parts counterman and other shenanigans pertinent to your situation check this thread in the forum here:

Battery Misadventures.

Quite informative, entertaining, and possibly useful. A good read with lots of pics, dialogue, videos,and a not-so-long-ago thread.

Not enough info/evidence thus far to even bring in the rectifier for questioning. ( Much less issue a warrant for its arrest.) That is unless you've started the engine and tested the charging output. What was that measurement the last time you had the bike running??

[papanovember]

Odyssey Batteries

Sorry I can't offer any help solving your battery problem, but would suggest buying an Odyssey battery. I bought one four years ago for my 79 Standard with the metal jacket and have never had to trickle charge or charge it at all for that matter. I live in Colorado and store my bike in the garage. Always starts in the spring. I do switch to a lighter 10w-40 in the fall, so it is lighter than the regular 20w-50 I use in the summer. But...this battery is awesome. However, a little spendy. Just a thought. Check out their website.

http://www.odysseybatteries.com/

[tarzan]

Maybe the battery is fine and you have bad connections.Maybe a bad ground.
A corroded or loose connection can cause a big draw.JAT

[fredintoon]

Recall reading thread about my issue,but I can't seem to run it down.
82' XJ Max w/YICS,new fairly expensive battery did not make it 4 months.
Sat for couple weeks,she tried to crank but just did not seem to have enough bump.Put battery on charger/tender,and read that it had full charge.
Question is "am I just looking perhaps just a crap battery,or might I have a rectifier issue?"

Hi Max,
run jumpers to your car battery, if the bike starts good like that you got battery &/or charging problems.

[oldyam80sg]

A mechanic once told me that if you want to see if the battery is charging to rev it and see if the headlight brightens.

[Jerry]

JAT. Replace both your battery cables, particularly if they are the originals on the bike. Cables develop internal resistance over time, and the results can look like a battery problem. I changed my cables a few years ago, bike started easier/faster, battery charged better, and the sealed battery I used lasted for about 5 years. (Would have gone longer but I put it on a fixed-rate charger by mistake and cooked it.) Cables are not that expensive to replace, a neg cable can be picked up at a small engine repair shop for $4 - $5, and the pos cable, which has a 2nd wire and connector on it, cost around $15 if I recall correctly. its a good $20.00 worth of maintenance, and will "solve" a lot of electrical issues. When you replace the neg cable make sure the cable-to-frame connection is good and clean.

[TopCatGr58]

JAT. Replace both your battery cables, particularly if they are the originals on the bike. Cables develop internal resistance over time, and the results can look like a battery problem.

Hey Larry and Crazy Steve,

I'm wondering about this?? After spending 30 minutes catching up on the Crimp/solder thread...I'm a slow reader... I was thinking that perhaps an Autopsy of the cables may be indicated??

I surmise that the "internal" resistance Jerry is speaking about may in fact be External resistance...at the CRIMP where the large bolt/eye connectors are attached to the stranded cable!? And so it's not so much an internal resistance.... as an external crimp to wire contact resistance!

Hey Maxed,

There is an additional grounding strap on the back of the engine near the starter to the frame, check and clean those connections also.

Also, as has been stated, you need to check your charging voltage when it's running, should be ~14.5 volts at 2500 rpm, if it's only around 12, then more trouble shooting will ensue. Many other electrical contacts to clean that are involved with the charging system, also the XJ uses a brushed alternator, and those brushes may be worn down/out??

T.C.

[Larrym]

The MidWest Terrain

TC,

at the CRIMP where the large bolt/eye connectors are attached to the stranded cable!?

I dunno about that one. Would depend on "moisture" in the environment for corrosion to do it's evil deeds. maxedout says he's in Ohio.

I don't recall learning much about the "Great Ohio Desert" in school. I shoulda payed more attention in class. He couldn't be next to any real water like a river or something, right??

Odds against that being the case is Phenomenally high. Higher than getting bitten by a shark or Getting hit in the head by a coconut and dying

[crazy steve]

Hey Larry and Crazy Steve,

I'm wondering about this?? After spending 30 minutes catching up on the Crimp/solder thread...I'm a slow reader... I was thinking that perhaps an Autopsy of the cables may be indicated??

I surmise that the "internal" resistance Jerry is speaking about may in fact be External resistance...at the CRIMP where the large bolt/eye connectors are attached to the stranded cable!? And so it's not so much an internal resistance.... as an external crimp to wire contact resistance!
T.C.

That 'internal resistance' can be an issue; this is a commonly reported problem on another list I'm on. They do try to 'seal' these connections at the factory, but with age and/or corrosive conditions, stuff can get under that seal and eat the cable, all while looking 'fine'; Larry knows about that...

But I doubt very much that you'll find the crimp is at fault; it's almost always at the joint between the crimp and the insulation where the problem occurs. A 100% crimp will end up being basically solid metal, so by the time that part of it has failed you'll have worse problems elsewhere.

This also points up the importance of doing your troubleshooting methodically. Jumping around and wholesale replacement of parts won't always find the problem, and if it does it's usually by luck. Electricity through a wire is just like water through a hose; if it's not coming out the end like it should, you need to go to the other end and start there, working to the other end until you find the problem.

'78E original owner

[crazy steve]

I should have added that 'failure under load' issues like this can be the toughest ones to troubleshoot. If all you have is a multimeter or test light, it can be impossible to pinpoint these sorts of problems, although measuring voltage drop under load can sometimes at least indicate the problem if not locate it in the circuit. So having an inductive ammeter in the toolbox and knowing what you should be seeing is a huge help.

'78E original owner

[Larrym]

Biblical Troubleshooting: Seek Until You Find.

crazysteve,

Jumping around and wholesale replacement of parts won't always find the problem, and if it does it's usually by luck

.

I know you're looking at this from the side of the bike owner and choosing methods which maximise the odds of finding the failed component while minimizing the costs. But what about the "Official Repair" industry??

"Trial and Error" is an officially recognized troubleshooting method. For the owner/manager of a repair facility this method is the one which will provide the max gain for the min effort.

Replace the Battery: ($75) > won't start.
Replace the Rectifier: ($60)> won't start.
Replace the Soldenoid($50)> won't start.
Replace the Starter: ($90)> won't start.
Replace Cable End: ($2)>>Click-Whir-Vroom-Vroom.

100% mark up on all those components/parts and the $85 per hour Labor to replace them by a "trained" service technician goes a long way towards offsetting the operating costs of a "Service Facility."

Someone with a "failure to start" combined with the "trial and error" method is a golden ticket.

That whole "scientific/systematic" approach just doesn't play well in every situation or for everybody.