My baby is sick, won't start!!

[HansO]

Hi Rayjay, yeah, I get all that fuel pump stuff and other stepper/tps noises going on. I'm gonna go to the local store this morning to get some jump cables and see what happens.

After the jump cable charge process, I'm assuming that even after a good run, the battery will again fall back down to low Volts, is that what normally happens? or will it keep a charge for a while?

Also, here in Brazil where I live, the battery should be just fine as it never really gets so cold to worry about. We're in winter at the moment with a late spell of 28 degrees but can fall to almost freezing some days during July, but rarely does.

Cheers

Not useimg the battery in Cold weather is one of the worst things for a battery, as other's have said get a tender or ride her, leaveing it sit there idling is not good for her

 

[Evil Mitch]

Hi Rayjay, yeah, I get all that fuel pump stuff and other stepper/tps noises going on. I'm gonna go to the local store this morning to get some jump cables and see what happens.

After the jump cable charge process, I'm assuming that even after a good run, the battery will again fall back down to low Volts, is that what normally happens? or will it keep a charge for a while?

Also, here in Brazil where I live, the battery should be just fine as it never really gets so cold to worry about. We're in winter at the moment with a late spell of 28 degrees but can fall to almost freezing some days during July, but rarely does.

Cheers

mine would last a day if i was lucky then leave me stranded at the most inconvienient times got a new battery and i was fine

 

[RockyIII]

Cheers chaps, will keep posted on this. Going to the store now.

 

[dandiego]

This has happened to me more times than I'd like to recount.

Usually, it's something as simple as one of the issues already mentioned by other R3 captains (such as a weak battery); sometimes it's a bit more complicated.

Here's are three things I'd check:

1. Relay. Swap all your relays (3 or 4) and see if one is bad. That's a $7 fix.This has been the issue for me at least once. I posted this fix a while back and it immediately helped others. This will be the problem if you've toyed with anything electrical recently. It's a good idea to carry an extra with you anyhow (although not all relays are required to make the bike run).

2. Fuses. Go through your fuses (to include the in-line ones on accessories you've added). This has been the issue at least twice.

3. Ignition relay.This infamous issue has been the problem for me once, but it entailed a tow to the dealer and warranty work. Yikes.

4. I'll list this as a "catastrophic failure," likely electrical. This happened to me twice and it involved the factory alarm system.

 

[RockyIII]

Thanks Dandiego for your advice there. Much appreciated.
I did check all the fuses and they are all fine. Didn't change any relays but made sure that the starter relay was ok, which it is.

Anyway, so I got my jump leads this morning (you can tell I'm slowly building up a collection of tools)and hooked her up to my other ECO baby, a 1.0 VW (perfect). I let the car run for about 5 mins or so and then I prayed and then pressed the magic button, it started up with sheer ferociousness, first press, I thanked god all was fine and well, but for how long I wonder. Just got back after being out all day and tried again, same thing, started up 1st press just how it should. This hasn't happened for a long long time, so now I know I've been battling with a borderline battery for the last 6 MONTHS!, crazy.

Can I expect it to keep it's charge after charging it from the car for 45 mins. i know, I gave it a thorough beasting on the charge up. It's a monster at the moment, and the weather is nice and warm too, but it will get colder after next week I think.

Would like to say that I couldn't be happier being part of this elite community, I know I've asked for a lot of advice, but I'm so grateful for your help, and I only wish the best for all your motoring needs. Cheers everyone, Ben living in Brazil.

 

[CanberraR3]

I've had the starting issues as you, usually but not always associated with colder weather. I took the bike to an autoelectrician/battery specialist and they checked it. It was strong (14 volts) but I'd just ridden there, and chargingb rate was good too. So I went home again and next morning, same thing. As with your experience, each time I've started it with jumper leads it fires up first click - just as you describe - but it was losing charge overnight. Conlusion: battery on the way out. Charges OK but will drop too low for a start in 8 hours if cold or 24 hrs if warmer weather.

I now have a charger/tender with a permanent plug that I connect at the end of each day. No more starting problems but still a worry if I'm out overnight. New battery coming.

 

[RockyIII]

Hi Canberra, these British bikes are just as crazy as me I think. They are just the bikes you love to hate. I'm from North London.

I agree on the charging thing but I live in a condominium with a parking space an no close by socket to power a charger (which I don't have). So I need to take as much precaution as I can in my situation. If I need to again, I can just jump again from the car, I suppose.
If I'm lucky the Yuasa might hold a charge or if I just jump on it everyday for a ride, that might keep it going. I'll try and turn it over tomorrow morning again and see if it starts 1st time again.

I guess if it doesn't start 1st press then the battery is losing some power over time.

Any other tips?

 

[CanberraR3]

Check for any leakage - things like a clock or whatever draining even just trickle when the key's off. There seems to be a critical point so even a small leakage could make the difference. Perhaps also try a second battery which you can leave on a tender and swap them over every couple of weeks. Good luck.

 

[RockyIII]

CanberraR3, thankyou, actually brings me to my next question funnily enough. The past couple of times I have ridden the bike it has run fine, but when I get back to my place and park it up, it has started leaking blue coolant from a tube underneath the engine. I know, I'm going through numerous crazy problems. What is the leaking coolant suddenly all about? any ideas?

OMG what is happening to my bike. Please let this phase pass!!

 

[CanberraR3]

You sure it's blue and not green? Anyway, sounds like your overflow is overflowing. You said it's hot there just now so it stands to reason there might be some overflow. When the bike's cool just make sure you have some, but not too much, coolant in the bottle.