Battery concern By bobf (Read 1,216 times)

[bobf]

ellpee, where did you buy your voltmeter for around $10?

I was out shopping today and here in Casa Grande I have found them in Pep Boys starting in the high twenties. Walmart has one for about $15 dollars in their listings but don't know if they have any in their stores. Other auto stores I went to had price available in the $20 and up. One had rack tags at $14 and $9.98 but those areas were empty. So did you buy locally or through the mail. I was hoping to have the meter installed now so that I could actually tell how much improvement I was making putting in the new equipment.

Just today got a note from the post office that said they had the package and it should be here in three days. So I am assuming it will arrive on Thursday of Friday.. So I guess I could wait a couple days for a voltmeter to arrive and be installed prior to changing out the electrical parts.

[rks]

Try this page......

link

[bobf]

Thanks RKS. That link takes me too what I am likely wanting to buy.

Still lookng for the ones I like locally, for a while yet.

[ellpee]

Don't remember where I got mine, not in checkbook register so must have paid with cash. Had to have been Pep Boys, AutoZone, or what used to be Checker Auto Parts. (O'Reilly?) Mine is actually an analog, old-fashioned needle style, but nothing wrong with digital as far as I know.

[bobf]

Thanks EllPee. I just made the tour of auto place in Casa Grande the last two days. It looks like O'Reilly had the best selections available. They did have some smaller needle styles in the lower price range. So I may end up there.

I just finished running my scoot with my multitestor taped to the housing so I could get both hand free to handle the probes. I found that when the scoot started it was running at 13+ volts at the battery posts. That should be good. But as it warmed up and the fan came on the voltage dropped to 12.3 or 5, I think at idle. So I reached over and raced the engine up to 4k and 5k and more, but the read out did not change. It stayed at the 12 something place and did not move one bit. So I guess the problem of dead batteries may be over for a long time. I hope.

So now I guess it does not matter if I get a built on voltmeter right away. So on Thursday or Friday I will have my project of installing the new parts. I will install a voltmeter on my dash somewhere to avoid these mysterious dead battery events.

Thanks for your help and information.

Have a good day forever.

[rks]

I actually prefer the analog style myself....as you can see here.....not the best location, but I manage...and the voltmeter plus the oil temp gauge, are a lot more useful than the factory installed speakers that use to fill those holes.

[img src="i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj622/rks3526/IMG_0081.jpg" src="" alt=" "]

[ellpee]

I cut a hole in the right side of the dash, similar to where the radio is on the left, and ran wires to some positive connection or other and to ground. Easy as pie. If you truly don't use the radio, maybe you could use that hole. A little bit easier to see up on the dash than down where the speakers are. But yeah, I bet as soon as you hook up that new R/R your readings will look a LOT better. Your description of the current behavior sounds exactly like what I was dealing with, and on the road that 12.3 would ve-e-ery gradually drop below 12. Kicker is, then when I stopped somewhere and wanted to re-start, eventually there wouldn't be enough juice to turn the engine over or energize the CDI for spark.

[bobf]

The front end design is all different on the 250 scoots. So when I finally decide on which gauge i would like, I will have to think about where and how to install it. At least I should have the electrical fix some time tomorrow. No free time to work on it till Friday afternoon or Saturday. That should get the electrical working and then I will have time to consider the gauge and where to install it.

[wolfhound]

Had the same problem on my first scoot, a Tank 150. Disconnected the clock and alarm system and that made a big difference. Also I use battery tenders on my rigs when not riding for a length of time.

[ellpee]

I had mine on a tender too, but it wasn't enough -- on every longish ride, sooner or later the system voltage would drop below 12v enroute, and at a stop sooner or later it would be down close to 10, at which point the CDI won't do its thing. Seems a common enough issue that Roketa (/Jonway/etc., etc., etc.) would do something about it at the factory.

[bobf]

I did find the old unit and have replaced it this afternoon. Works like a charm. I may be able to run it more often and not have to depend on the charger being on it all the time.

I had readings of 13.5v at idle and as high as 14.8v at fast idle. When the engine was cool it ran at 14+ v at idle and after the fan came on that is when it dropped to the 13.5v level. Really nice to know that the scooter itself has been running fine, just the charging system has been bad and caused me to buy batteries that were not really needed likely. I think now I should be able to run more and further from home without fear of walking home.

Now I will continue my search for a decent small size voltmeter. I would like to be able to occasionally just get a quick look at where the idle charge is running. If it stays in the 13+v range and goes up with the faster throttle, then hardly expect to have unwanted dead battery problems.

Thanks for the inputs and help from this forum.

[ellpee]

Great news, bobf. Sounds like you were fighting the exact same gremlin I was. I put quite a few bucks and hours into trying other things -- LED lights, lower-amp fan, headlight cutoff switch -- before breaking down and spending the Benjamin for the better R/R. Should have done it the other way around! The dashboard voltmeter is still a good idea, though; even after ~2500 miles of "all good," I still check it every few miles or so to make sure nothing has gone south in the charging system. I'd like to believe the manufacturers of these scooters are paying attention to all this, but I doubt it.

BTW, my current headache is the fuel system, most likely carburetor; see my thread over in the 250 classroom. Not saying you'll encounter the same problem, but tracking people's experiences with scooters like ours is generally a good plan.

[bobf]

Ok, I finally decided to just pay the price and put a voltmeter on the scoot. I paid $20 and some change for a 2" meter that I bought at O'Reilleys auto store. It is the regular dial type and it is also lighted. I put it on the radio side as there was plenty of room there. The radio is flat, about 5" by 9" and only a half inch or so thick. So I got all that done today and have started the wiring. Tomorrow I will finish the wiring and then begin to put the panels back on.

Having some problems as I recently let my son take a tool box and other items home for him too use. I guess I should have watched him more closely as he took all my drill bits and plenty of other things home. I had to make a couple trips to get drills, and a circle cutter tool. I had a complete set of circle cutters and other specialties, but now my son has them. Anyway, I really don't mind as something else I left at our home in Colorado is a small cabinet filled with nuts, bolts, screws, etc. I will be going up there end of April and plan on bringing it back with me.

Part of tomorrow will be taking the wife about for some of her activities.

If things go well I will consider tomorrow to be a successful day.

[bobf]

All done now and the 2" meter on the left panel looks real important to me. It starts up and 14v and stays there till the engine warms up. Then I see it start to dip but corrects back to 14v right away. Twist the throttle and it will rise up to 15v and then settle back. I can not really see it when riding but it is right handy any time I stop if curious about battery condition at a stop light or in my garage.

Seems like a pretty easy job for anyone else short on volts way too often. About $125 for the controller and voltmeter. A little time taking the front end parts off and wiring under the dash then putting the covers back on.

[ellpee]

Excellent! My experience exactly; should've spent the money months earlier and saved myself a lot of stress and ultimately pointless effort, trying to solve my problem other ways.