Charging and Starting Problem By insanetexan (Read 1,196 times)

[insanetexan]

Ok first off let me say it has been a while since I have had to do this type of work on my scooter.

I have the Linhai engine 257CC in a 2008 Roketa MC-54B. The problem I am having or had started only about a week ago was the charging wasn't at the appropriate voltage. It was only running around the 12 volt mark on the amp meter which is down from where it was normally running around the 14 to 16 volt mark. At the point where the charging started falling off the scoot would die while slowing down for stopping and would crank right back up no problem. What I was thinking was the stator was going bad.

So today I pulled the rear plastics off and checked the charging from the stator wires. I discounted the stator wires and ran a volt test between all the legs as described in the help section. Wires 1 to 2 then wire 1 to 3 then wire 2 to 3. My results were as follows. On any of the legs at Idle I was getting around 54 to 60 volts and and 4600 rpms which on my scoot for some reason is wide open throttle I was get anywhere from 115 to 124 volts per leg. So what I have read that is appropriate voltage from the stator. Now here is the kicker when I connected the stator wires back into the harness and turned the key back on and hit the starter button I heard a POP which sounded like it came from either the R/R or the Blocking Diode and now I am unable to start the scoot. All it does now when I hit the starter switch is just make a clicking noise and again sounds like it is coming from the R/R or Diode not for sure which.

Before I did this testing the wire harness where all the wires from the Stator and R/R and Blocking Diode come together would get so hot you couldn't touch them. They have been doing that since I got the Scooter back in 2011, I just thought that was just normal for it. I am wondering if I am on the right track of needing to replace the R/R and Blocking Diode to get it back running again. Oh and just to clarify things I checked the 2 fuses with my ohm meter and they were good but I went ahead and replaced them with new ones so that part is eliminated.

[alleyoop]

The two fuses your talking about are one on the red wire coming from the battery I think its a 15a or 10a and the other is that on the SOLENOID a 20A fuse?

Usually hearing clicking when you press the start button is the SOLENOID making the clicking. And that can be due to a weak battery or bad Solenoid. To test it JUMP the two terminals on the SOLENIOD and see if it spins the starter. Be careful the motor can start.
Alleyoop

[insanetexan]

I didn't even think about the solenoid, but went and tried jumping the solenoid over and got nothing. The battery is fully charged and the fuses are good. right now the weather outside is horrendous at 100 degrees so it will have to wait till later this evening or tomorrow morning when it cools down just a bit.

[alleyoop]

The RED thick wire from the Positive Post of the Battery goes to ONE of the terminals on the SOLENOID the OTHER POST on the SOLENOID goes straight to the STARTER. So touching BOTH TERMINALS on the soleniod should send 12Volts to the starter. So if you touched both terminals on the SOLENOID and you got nothing then your battery is SHOT or it is wired wrong.
Alleyoop

You have one of the following SOLENOIDS:
#1


#2

[insanetexan]

OK last night I got the solenoid to jump over and engage. So I ordered another solenoid to replace it and waiting for it to come in now. Should be here between Thursday and Monday. When I get it installed I can check the starting again and also see if that corrects the charging problem. That's what I am hoping for anyway.

[alleyoop]

The Solenoid has nothing to do with the charging all the Solenoid does is pass 12 volts to the starter. By the way WHICH SOLENOID does your scoot take #1 or #2 in the pictures I put up?
Alleyoop

[insanetexan]

Mine takes #2 in the pics.

[alleyoop]

Ok, see those two tabs under the plastic green that holds the fuse and where things plug in. Notice also one side says battery(B) and the other side says(M) motor. Those tabs under the GREEN PLASTIC are passing juice to the FUSE which in turn pass voltage to the wires plugged into it.
Alleyoop

[alleyoop]

Well in your case it could be the SOLENOID causing a bad charge. That Solenoid that is on there also feeds the rest of the electrical systems as well as charges the battery, due to the added system they mount on it instead of having an actual fuse box.
So hopefully with the new Solenoid things will look up.
Alleyoop

[insanetexan]

OK, I got the new solenoid in today and placed it on the scoot and I am still having the same problem with the clicking. I guess the next go round is a new starter, (only reason I am thinking starter next is I had the same problem on my lawnmower), Just for snitz and giggles I am gonna try a different battery here later when the temp comes down outside and see what happens.

[ellpee]

If when you jumpered the (old) solenoid the starter cranked, something doesn't compute here. Although I guess the starter could have issues that cause it to act up intermittently. Don't know what a starter costs or what work is involved in replacing it, but if I were in your situation I think I'd try to put a temporary switch between the red cable from the battery and the black one down to the starter, bypassing the solenoid completely as far as the starter circuit is concerned, and see what happens when I flip that switch. Would have to be robust enough to handle the current involved, but can't imagine it would cost more than a few bucks at AutoZone or even Home Depot. Very straightforward electrical connection. If the starter cranks consistently under those conditions, there must be something else going on.

Oh yeah, and if power flows TO the starter via the solenoid, there has to be a ground coming out the other side of the starter, and conceivably that ground is not what it should be -- loose, corroded, whatever? If you already checked that, please 'scuse my redundant advice.

[alleyoop]

Have you got the Solenoid connected correctly:
Alleyoop

[insanetexan]

Yes Alley, I didn't disconnect the old solenoid till I got the new one in. Then I moved the starter and battery cables one at a time, as far as the other wires they are in a clip harness so those would really be hard to get wrong. Just frustrating since I had just started it to test the stator and when I killed it this problem hit me in the arse.

I will continue the updates as I go so if anybody else comes across this situation then they may find the solution here.

[alleyoop]

So if you touch the POS and NEG on the SOLENOID does it spin your starter?
Alleyoop

[insanetexan]

Alright what I found out with the starting problem. I pulled the starter off and jumped it over that way and it turned over just fine(outside of the scoot) mounted the starter back in place and again nothing. So I tried bypassing the solenoid and running a straight hot wire from the battery to the starter and when I did there was an arc from the motor ground. Tried to unscrew it from the engine and lo and behold the damn bolt twisted off ( now only 1 bolt holding the intake manifold on) and that ground wire was all corroded so I made a new ground wire to run from the frame to the motor and screwed it on at the back of the starter. Hit the switch and it fired right up only one or two tapes of the starter switch and she was running again.


That though didn't quite fix the charging problem. Although I do now have 13 volts showing when idling, took it for a test run but it wouldn't rise any higher than that. All the lights stay bright and the fan functions just fine even at that rate just when the fan kicks on the volts drop to around 12.

Now time to scratch my head and try to figure out the charging.