Hi, guys. I have been putting off listing my '99 for sale 'cause I didn't want to do it, But a guy came by the house last week and wants to by it so I'm doing it. It started and ran fine when he ran it, but later when I was going to get it inspected the battery was too low to start it. I tried to jump the battery off my truck. The battery made a squeeling noise and a puff of smoke came up. I put a new battery in it but nothing happens, no lights, no horn, no nothing. I have checked all the fuses I could find and they are ok. Is there a hidden master fuse link or something, or did I fry my computer. All suggestions are welcome.Thanks:
ronnie
Never had this exact problem. The shop manual shows a "main fuse" of 30 amps in the starter relay housing. It is on the left side, just aft of the battery.
Hope that is all it is. :?
Thanks, that sounds like a good place to start. Maybe it's the fates telling me not to sell it.
It is very important to jump it from a non-running vehicle. Was the truck running at the time?
Quote from: rvance on March 13, 2008, 06:29:58 PM
Maybe it's the fates telling me not to sell it.
Probably so. An automobile is just a machine, but a motorcycle (or an airplane) has a soul. Maybe yours doesn't want to leave the good home you have given it....
Yeah, not only was it running but it was cold so it was idleing at about 1500 RPM. I KNEW better, I just didn't stop to think.
I just got home from work and got on the board and read the post. I have battery problems, too. When I got off work, the bike would not start and the battery was going down. My boss had one of those battery jumpers that you plug in and started the bike. I road home about 25 miles. When I pulled into our shed, the battery was squealing like crazy and smoking. My husband pulled off the seat and got the battery out which was extremely hot and had boiled over just slightly. He thinks maybe the alternator did not cut off and over charged the battery and it might have been the voltage regulator that caused it. Any suggestions on this?
Thanks
Quote from: merrow on March 14, 2008, 06:12:01 PM
My husband pulled off the seat and got the battery out which was extremely hot and had boiled over just slightly. He thinks maybe the alternator did not cut off and over charged the battery and it might have been the voltage regulator that caused it. Any suggestions on this?
Thanks
One possibility, for sure. If you have a voltmeter (and a new battery -- do NOT put the old one back), you might check the voltage as the battery is charging. It should settle in the range of 12.6 - 13.6 volts, give or take. If it continues to show 14+ volts or more after a few minutes, then the regulator assembly is for sure at fault.
One other possibility that comes to mind is that the battery developed a short in one of the cells, causing the others to overcharge. If you still have the battery he removed, it would be interesting to know the open circuit voltage it shows.
Most places that sell batteries, including Wal-Mart, have a tester that for batteries, if you take it to them.
Seems it was the battery. We replaced it did a test run and rode to work and back yesterday with no problems. It was due for a replacement, but I did not know a dying battery would overcharge. Thanks for the advice. When my husband test rode it, he came back making admiring noises, I am going to have to keep an eye on my keys.