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battery keeps dying

  • Thread starter Thread starter papasmirf
  • Start date Start date
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papasmirf

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I'm having a problem with my charging system( I think ) The bike i'm ridding is a 1982 gs850l.The probem is it dies on me after i ride it about 80 miles . If anyone has any suggestions that would help that would be greatly appreciated. My brother has the same problem on his 1982 gs850l
thanks Andy
 
First thing to do with old electrical harnesses is to disconnect and clean all connections REALLY GOOD. Pay special attention to grounds. Clean up frame ground and add a ground wire from regulator to battery and to frame. Clean up battery posts. Top off with distilled water. Re-charge battery and see if this helps.
If it didn't, then the stator windings may be failing/shorting and not charging the battery anymore.
 
hey thanks Keith I will try this and see if it helps thanks for the quick reply Andy
 
Just re-read this and was wondering...are you sure it's electrical? The battery isn't holding a charge?
You said the bike dies on you after an 80 mile ride. So unless you have proof, it could be something else.
The battery tests low after it was re-charged before the ride? Do you still have good spark when it won't re-start? Do the plugs have fuel on them at that time? Does it start after it cools/sits awhile?
 
the bike will not start even when you let it cool. you can push start it and it will run for about 5 miles or so and then it dies again
The battery is good it holds a charge.

The spark plugs do not have fuel on them.

When it dies it just makes a clicking sound when i try to restart it and the head light is very dim

I hope this helps and thanks again for taking time to help me. Andy
 
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OK. Getting mixed signals here.
Your threads says the battery is dying, but you also say it's holding a charge??
Your problem could be electrical or fuel related, or both.
Do you have a manual and multi-meter to check things?
If the bike will run 80 miles, stall, then jump start and go another 5 miles, it could be a lot of things. You also say letting the bike cool or sit awhile doesn't seem to help things.
I would still try the basic things I mentioned before because they should be done anyway. Even if you do end up testing and finding a bad part, these basics should be done and hopefully you'll be lucky and fix the problem.
All connections should be checked/cleaned and be tight. Look for melting insulation/"pinkish" brass connectors, especially at the ignition/headlight area and regulator/ignitor area. Replace any poor connections. Check battery level and charge before next ride. Check/add grounds.
Clean plugs, gap correctly. Are plugs correct heat range? Replace if electrodes are worn or plugs are carbon stained.
Check plug cap connections and check plug leads for any cracking.
Check/clean the gas cap venting.
Be SURE any float bowl vent lines are clear and not kinked.
Check fuel line for good flow. Any fuel filter clogging problems? Does bike have the problem if you run the petcock on "PRIME"?
Check vacuum line for any cracks/leaking/kinks.
Sounds like a lot, but it wouldn't take that long to do these things, unless you find problems.
You shouldn't have a fuel problem because the bike runs between stalls, but poor venting can cause your problem.
If electrical, it can be many things but you have to have clean connections and a charged battery to do multi-meter checks. If your headlight goes dim and your starter relay just clicks, it could be the battery, the relay, bad starter brushes...
A coil could be getting hot too, or the ignitor.
Do the above, charge the battery to good voltage (what is the voltage after charge?) and test. If it still has the problem, what is the voltage after the problem? Does the bike just suddenly die or does it stutter, etc, before stalling? What color are the plugs?
 
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Do you know where i can find a manual? fuel lines and vacuum lines are new and so is the battery.and yes i do have a meter. What should the volts/ohms be on the stater and the rectifier? I really don't think it is a fuel problem. Another thing is the battery shows 12 volts when not running and when it is it still shows 12 volts. So what do you make of that ? i hope this awnsers all your questions thanks again
_________________________________________________________________

Andy
gs850l
 
papasmirf said:
Do you know where i can find a manual? fuel lines and vacuum lines are new and so is the battery.and yes i do have a meter. What should the volts/ohms be on the stater and the rectifier? I really don't think it is a fuel problem. Another thing is the battery shows 12 volts when not running and when it is it still shows 12 volts. So what do you make of that ? i hope this awnsers all your questions thanks again
_________________________________________________________________

Andy
gs850l
Click to expand...
I would try to get a factory Suzuki manual if possible. If you're in a hurry, I suppose a Clymer or other will have to do. Some members here may help you with specific model info if you ask.
Like Tom said above, the "Stator papers" will tell you how to test every part in your system. I haven't read the whole thing but it's supposed to be very good info and a lot of help.
One of my questions you didn't answer was...if the battery is fully charged first, what is the voltage across it later when the bike stalls or after a ride? I'm just trying to find out if the stator is charging the battery after a longer ride as it should.
12 volts is low, running or not. If the volts stay the same I suspect the stator, but still could be dirty/poor/connections, etc. Generally, if the stator isn't charging the battery, the battery won't last more than a few days of normal/shorter rides. So obviously, even one day of a longer ride could discharge it.
Check the Stator papers. Better minds than mine have put that info together.
 
If the voltage at the battery is 12 volts with the engine running, you definitely are having a charging problem and reading the stator pages is the first place to start. Of course, you will want to check to make sure the connections are not corroded, etc...

Matt

The voltage should be around 13.5 to 14 volts when the engine is running.
 
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