Doesn't Charge ~ + terminal on battery looks melted!

[Ice]

Hi,

I have an '82 Suzuki GS1100G. I took it out for the first ride of the season Friday after replacing the clutch, and after turning it off/on about 7 times over the course of the ride around town; the battery was dead and would no longer start. Thankfully it finally died literally right in front of my garage!

I am going to go check all the electrical connections, and go through the stator papers, but I wonder if the melted positive terminal on the battery might help narrow down the culprit?

The battery seems to be fine as it has maintained a voltage of 12.5ish (was not connected to the bike) over the weekend. It is an AGM battery.

The bike will run without the battery, although the voltage coming from the positive lead that connects to the battery seems to max to at around 10v @ 3000 rpm. That does not seem correct to me (?).

Anyways, I'm inexperienced when it comes to diagnosing and fixing a bike's electrical system, so any help or tips is appreciated. Once again, I'll check out bassclif's website and the stator pages.

Thank you,

Kevin

[eil]

When you say "melted battery terminal", do you mean the connector crimped to the positive wire, or the terminal on the battery itself? (Or both?)

First thing that comes to mind is that the positive wire might not have had a good connection with the battery connector. Which heated it up, increasing the resistance further, starting the downward spiral which eventually resulted in the melting of the connector.

If the actual battery terminal is melted, I think that would only happen when engaging the starter. Unless part of the frame or seat pan touched the terminal (which I think you'd notice due to the fireworks), that's the only thing I can think of that would draw that much current through the terminal without popping fuses and burning up the wiring harness. Was it the starter working properly before you noticed this?

Going through the stator papers is a good idea.

When checking battery voltage, remember that it has to be under load in order to be accurate. A bad battery can still read 12V with a multimeter.

[Ice]

Its on the battery itself. Here is a picture,



Is it possible there is an internal short in the battery? I have 12 days to warranty the battery.

[posplayr]

Its on the battery itself. Here is a picture,



Is it possible there is an internal short in the battery? I have 12 days to warranty the battery.

charge the battery and do a Quick Test

[Ice]

I did the quick test. The battery voltage hardly increased during the 2500 or 5000 rpm steps (from 12.12idle to 12.2-12.25). Afterwards the battery is reading about 12.44v. Battery was charged to 12.78v

I did the test twice.

[argonsagas]

Any melting at the terminal strongly suggests a loose or corroded connector.

As Eil said, the corrosion would increase resistance and thus increase heat, while a loose connection could cause arcing under heavy load, such as the starter creates..

[BIG_brother]

Replace both battery cables with braided wire and then make sure your ground has a good clean connection on the engine somewhere. Sounds like old corroded cables. Maybe a bad stator

[posplayr]

I did the quick test. The battery voltage hardly increased during the 2500 or 5000 rpm steps (from 12.12idle to 12.2-12.25). Afterwards the battery is reading about 12.44v. Battery was charged to 12.78v

I did the test twice.

OK I'm guessin your steps were


1.) key off................12.78v

2.) key on ?????

3.) at idle ................12.12v

4.) at 2500 rpm .........12.2v

5.) at 5000 rpm..........12.25v

6.) key off.................12.45v

Given the difference between 1.) and 6.) you discharged the whole time.
you are not charging at all.

Not sure of what to make of the melted connector, but you could do the diode tests on the regulator to make sure there is no short in the R/R.

I would then do the Phase B Stator tests to see if you are getting a clear indication the stator is bad, but is seems to must be if the diodes are ok in the R/R.

[eil]

Is it possible there is an internal short in the battery? I have 12 days to warranty the battery.

No, not likely. An internal short would manifest itself as either the battery dying, heating up while just sitting there, or exploding.

With that melted terminal, it might be worth trying to return it under warranty, but I can't see how that kind of damage could be the battery's fault, unfortunately.

[Ice]

I just want to make sure this is the correct stator for my '82 Suzuki GS1100G. It looks like it and it says it is, but I just don't want to pull a dumbass.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ricks-Electric-Stator-Suzuki-GS1100GL-GS1000G-GS1100ES-GS1100G-GS700E-GS1100GK-/300887434240?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item460e49e400&vxp=mtr

I noticed it has two of the rubber grommets (I only have one), and has a molex type connector (mine are butt type). So, looks like some soldering work has to be done.

Also,

Providing the r/r isn't damaged as well, would running this new stator with the original r/r be a bad thing? I do plan on replacing it at some point, but if it's safe then I'm not going to worry about it immediately. I would just like to get some riding in! Weather is too nice!

Thanks,

Kevin

[posplayr]

It is possible to improve your charging but there is a strong tendency for shunt r/r s to burn stators

[Ice]

Purchased the new Rick's stator from ebay, $118. I also took the old stator out. I believe it's the original stator (the color coding on the cables match)! Pretty old! Not sure about the r/r. I believe the ground has already been run from the r/r to the battery, so it may have been replaced by a previous owner.