drz400 with dead battery...

[bluenoser]

hi folks,

so after finally buying a well used bike (01 drz400s) and spending the last few months getting it ready for the dirt & road, i was very excited to get back on the saddle after 10 or so years...luckily I got a couple of hours out of it before she died. Otherwise the bike seemed to work good aside from the two new slippery tires, but that is another story...

the speedo display started flashing a few kms from home, but it didnt die. once shut down, there is no juice for lights, or display. voltmeter shows 0 volts (battery removed) and the battery tender is unable to charge it. my uninformed diagnoses is that the bike didnt charge the battery (any number of reasons) and running the battery to ground killed it for good. I suppose the battery could have shorted on its own?


electrical issues scare me, but i'd like to try any simple checks before pushing it to the shop.

I am curious if there are checks I should do before putting a new battery in it? most of the reading i have done suggest performing checks using a good, charged battery, but I would hate to buy and install a second battery if there is an issue with the charging system that could cause harm to the new battery.

just wondering if there are any comments or suggestions. if you are recommending checks please be descriptive, i'm low on experience. cheers

paul

[250ccforme]

If possible check the level of the electrolyte, top up with DISTILLED water to the proper level. After that try charging it again with an automotive trickle charger or even hook it up briefly to a high amperage charger to break through the sulphation. The plates may have warped and shorted. Lead acid batteries don't take kindly to being fully discharged. Good luck.

[tomcycle]

Chances are you battery is toast, if there is 0 volts then there is something seriously wrong with the battery, the bike could not run the battery down to 0

Go ahead and buy a new battery, you are going to have to anyhow. Hopefully you have a voltmeter. install the new battery and start your bike, your voltage reading should be around 13.5 VDC all is good and go riding. Hopefully you did not damage your stator or regulator, I know a couple of 00 and 01 DRZ owners that had problems, but it was because they ran the bikes with crappy battery's for a loooong time. If you voltage is over 14 or under 12 while running you should seek some professional help.

Not sure of a good place to by a battery but I am sure someone here will let you know the best place in your area, I know of a battery place around Boundry and 2nd but dont remember the name. You have a pretty standard battery and can pick one up for well under 100 bucks

Tom

[MtB]

DRZ battery is a sealed unit, if it will not charge up any more it is hooped. You will likely need a new one. Hook up new battery, start the bike, put a voltmeter across the terminals & see if it is giving a good 14ish Volts, should increase a bit as you increase RPM. Turn off, repeat few times to make sure. (there are more precise tests, but this is simple). Suzuki's regulator/rectifiers do fail occasionaly (78 GS850 up in flames in the middle of nowhere!!).

Dang! I just can't type fast enough

[Randual]

Tom are you thinking Polar Battery??
Randy

[Sparkle]

Tom has it right....A failure in the charging system or even a dead short wouldn't drive the battery down to 0 volts, and shorted plates might reduce the battery voltage,
but not to 0....About the only thing that would is an open circuit failure of a connection in the battery case like a loose terminal strap. That's good news...when the bike stops and the
battery is okay...then you've got trouble.

Sparkle

[Shuswap]

Battery must have some issue....start there and let us know how that works.

[bluenoser]

Thanks so much for advice and suggestions.

initial findings:

New battery is in, well, its actually a used battery. my analog multimeter was useless (it only had a 10v or 250V setting) so i couldn't get an accurate reading. I burrowed a digital meter from work. It is not much better as it doesnt have a decimal spot, so rounds to whole numbers!

With bike running, battery terminals show 13V. There is no change when reving the engine.

with engine off, battery terminal connection shows 12V.

I'll have to get a better multimeter, so i'll post the numbers again.

any conclusions from the above?

cheers

[MtB]

Spot on!

[tomcycle]

Number One, was this used battery known to be in good shape?

Was it charged properly on a charger and checked before you installed it on your bike?

A big mistake many people do is to use their motorcycle or car to charge a battery, yes it will get the battery up to a charged state, but not properly. Your motorcycle charging system is only designed to maintain a charge on a good battery.

I have a good old ((in fact it is my favorite) analogue meter, event at the 250 volt setting you should be able to get a pretty accurate reading.

Your looking for 13.6 or more when charging and dropping to around 13-13.2 to maintain the battery. Generally right after you start your bike the charging system should read 13.6 then dropping as t he battery becomes fully charged

C heaping out on battery maintenance will probably cost you a rectifier/regulator or worse a stator, That will lighten you wallet by 600 bucks. (Dont ask how I know this, it would be embarrassing for me)

TT

[hurricane harry]

You have something wrong with your charging system, it's not your voltmeters, and it is not uncommon for the DRZ. Once you find the problem and correct it, your bike will give you another 10 years of flawless service. Start here http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/541...ree-power-mod/.

[Shuswap]

You have something wrong with your charging system, it's not your voltmeters, and it is not uncommon for the DRZ. Once you find the problem and correct it, your bike will give you another 10 years of flawless service. Start here http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/541...ree-power-mod/.

Free Power Mod worked wonders for my DRZ's supposedly sick battery.....works like a hot 'thing' now. All you really do(BUT...read the instructions!!) is add a wire bypass directly to the battery from the RR....if I recall correctly. The result was a .5 volt increase in the voltage read at the battery terminals when the bike was running and a battery that starts the bike quicker and will crank faster/longer. I have to re-start often, as the rider I'm with requires me to stop and wait every 5 minutes.

If your voltage climbed after starting the engine then look beyond the charging system for your issue. A digital voltmeter is a TERRIFIC investment, especially if it has the 'clamp' for reading amperage. Mine cost $59 2 months ago and has saved me a few hundred $ already.

If you need a new stator, I have one that I bought because I didn't do the due-diligence diagnostics first....it sits on my shelf like an ornament

[bluenoser]

I thought I had my electrical issues beat, but alas...

update: I completed the free power mod along with installing a fresh new panasonic battery. results

ignition on, engine off: Stock wiring: 12.16V, After free power mod:12.3V
engine on idle: Stock wiring: 13.5V, After free power mod:14.4V
engine on & reving: Stock wiring: 13.42V, After free power mod:14.2V

Pretty happy with results.

BUT after a few weeks of happy commuting, one day the screen starts to flicker indicating battery issue. This happened on the highway, the screen came back with lower revs around town, but would cut out again as soon as the revs climbed in any gear...

once at home, the bike shows no sign of life, no digital screen, no lights, no starting. I've recharged the battery and nothing. I've only had a chance for some initial readings, but it looks like the voltage reading with ignition on is anout 12V and it starts to go down (.1 V every few seconds). within 20min, it measures 0.5V!

so I am thinking there might be a short? I have looked at all the connections for obvious problems and didn't see anything.

Any suggestions? how do I test for electrical short? might just take this one to a shop in order to get some fall riding in...

thanks

[hurricane harry]

with the bike turned off, lift the positive terminal of the battery and put your voltmeter between the positive terminal and the positive post, you should read zero.
testing for a short with the bike running will be difficult, not sure how you will accomplish that

my next step would be to pull the stator plug where it plugs to the rectifier/regulator and do some resistance testing using the guidlines on thumpertalk, also note the condition of the connector
if the stator appears to be bad, remove the starter idler gear, then remove the starter, lay the bike on the right hand side and remove the stator cover and have a look at the stator, it is not difficult
a bad stator will look like this

good stator left, bad on the right

if indeed you have a stator problem, pm me, good luck

[hawk]

I had the connector to the stator melt inside...casued exactly the sysmptoms you are describing. Not sure if you've have the connectors off but might be good to check them to ensure they're all making contact and not melted.

Neil

[hurricane harry]

I thought I had my electrical issues beat, but alas...

update: I completed the free power mod along with installing a fresh new panasonic battery. results

ignition on, engine off: Stock wiring: 12.16V, After free power mod:12.3V
engine on idle: Stock wiring: 13.5V, After free power mod:14.4V
engine on & reving: Stock wiring: 13.42V, After free power mod:14.2V

Pretty happy with results.

BUT after a few weeks of happy commuting, one day the screen starts to flicker indicating battery issue. This happened on the highway, the screen came back with lower revs around town, but would cut out again as soon as the revs climbed in any gear...

once at home, the bike shows no sign of life, no digital screen, no lights, no starting. I've recharged the battery and nothing. I've only had a chance for some initial readings, but it looks like the voltage reading with ignition on is anout 12V and it starts to go down (.1 V every few seconds). within 20min, it measures 0.5V!

so I am thinking there might be a short? I have looked at all the connections for obvious problems and didn't see anything.

Any suggestions? how do I test for electrical short? might just take this one to a shop in order to get some fall riding in...

thanks

when you turn the key on does the headlight/taillight come on? if so, that is the source of the battery drain and not the problem

a bad starter will generate symptoms close to what you describe
it is another option to check, depending on your skills , you can clean this up for free
use a little scotchbrite to buff up the commutator and check that there is ample material left on the brushes

[Shuswap]

Check all connections. You are loosing a lot of juice very quickly. I'm also suspicious of the battery. I'd disconnect it from the bike electrically, charge it, then put a separate load, perhaps a 12v bulb, onto it and see how it performs.

There is a stator test procedure on Thumpertalk.
The dealer will do these tests too.....or just keep throwing parts at it till it works

[bluenoser]

finally got around to dealing with my issues...or at least the bike's issues. In case it helps anyone in the future with similar problems, here is the end of the story...

took bike into a repair shop in east van as I wasn't up to all the work with my lack of electrical experience. after diagnosting the bike, mechanic found that the stator (2 of 3 pick ups) and R/R were out of spec and the battery was fried (most likely a result of stator and R/R problems putting too much juice to battery at high revs).

an interesting note, the mechanic required that the 'Free Power Mod' was removed and wiring returned to stock setup prior to him working on it. I can understand this completely, given that he has probably seen a lot of recommended internet fixes that do more harm than good - AND he is not a DRZ specialist after all. Not sure if I should redo the mod though...I probably will leave it unless I have a weak battery issues in the future. Bike currently produces 12.8 (idle) to -13.8 V at the battery.

Very happy with the service at Rising Sun Motorcycles in East Van. Very straight-up advice, very reasonable rates, seems like great work, and they were really great to deal with.


And thanks everyone for the comments and advice. Hopefully I can finally get this beast offroad, now that it should be more reliable. although I am looking to upgrade to a wr250r this year...

[Shuswap]

Thanks for the follow-up. I hate dead end stories. I have had the free power mod for 2 years now and it has been fantastic to date. But who knows what the future holds, I haven't inspected my stator.....although I can't see how the stator would be affected.

[Summitx]

A long long long time ago I worked as an apprentice mechanic for Volkswagen. The shop foreman was a European trained mechanic and auto electrician and one of the few things I remember from those days is how fanatical he was about eliminating unnecessary electrical connectors. Each time you run power through a connector there is a small voltage drop. I think the power mod just eliminates a couple of connectors. Can't be anything but good.