Dead new battery

[nhcop]

Originally Posted by wyo guy

First off, this site is great!! I have benefitted greatly from all the discussions posted here and been able to fix any issues I have run across with my gz.

nhcop,
I had the same issue a year ago with my 04 gz. Seeing you are having the same symptoms with your bike prompted me to register. Start on pg. 168 of the service manual (avail on this site) for some guidance. Your Rectifier is probably shot and your battery is not getting any juice from the stator. The stator puts out around 60 Volts AC and the recitifier (looks like a metal block with fins) located on the left side of the bike changes the 60 VAC to around 13.5 DC. If you start your bike up and unhook the two wire connector comming of the rectifier you should read at least 13.5 volts. If it says -13.5 volts no big deal, just swap your meter leads around. I was able to pick up a rectifier on e-bay for about $29 + Shipping. A dealer wants over $100.00. I hope this helps you out.

I did notice that the bolts holding on the rectifier were loose when I bought it. I tightened them up not thinking much of it. Makes me wonder??

[nhcop]

got a multimeter today. battery was fully charged and it was sitting at around 12.17 Volts Fired up the bike and it jumped to 13.6 Volts. Guess this means the charging system is working..... Now I guess i need to run it till it dies again and check the battery with the meter..

[blaine]

Originally Posted by nhcop

got a multimeter today. battery was fully charged and it was sitting at around 12.17 Volts Fired up the bike and it jumped to 13.6 Volts. Guess this means the charging system is working..... Now I guess i need to run it till it dies again and check the battery with the meter..

Yes,It's charging fine.Starting to look like you had a loose connection that got moved or tightened while you were checking things.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by nhcop

got a multimeter today. battery was fully charged and it was sitting at around 12.17 Volts

Your "good" battery may NOT be.
Nominal no-load voltage is 12.6 V.
I've seen good ones read as low as 12.4 but never that low.
Might be OK but it would make me a little nervous.

Might want to measure the resting voltage of your car, truck, etc. ......just to see if the meter might be reading a bit low.

[mrlmd1]

Your problem is your battery, like most of us have been telling you all along. Your charging system works fine as you simply found out.
Looking for more exotic fixes like stators and rectifiers etc, which are very rare to fail, will get you into trouble.

Did you get the battery new, or was it "new" when you got the bike? You don't know how the PO first charged it, if ever, when he got the battery.
I don't care how new it is - charge it again, take it to a battery shop and have it load tested. That is the only way to see if it is good. Resting at 12.17V does not represent a full charge, it should be 12.6-12.8 V at least. If I recollect correctly, the starter draws about 80 amps, and you are marginal at 12V to turn it over more than a few times.
If you get a new one, after you charge it and install it, put those little jumper lead plugs permanently attached to the battery terminals to make it easy to connect the charger/tender without having to take off the side cover each time.
The best way to maintain your battery is to ride the bike on a regular basis.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

, it should be 12.6-12.8 V at least.

Once upon a time......but not anymore.

I've seen several small batteries lately that have a nominal, no-load voltage at 12.4.

The built-in meter on both my Cub lawn mowers show those batteries down around 12.2 but I don't think I believe that; gotta get my digital down to the shed some day and double check them. I'll be shocked if they really do come out to 12.2......as they are working just fine.

[mrlmd1]

The smaller batteries may be different, but isn't a fully charged wet cell 2.1 V? And the amp draw on the starters for those small engines is a lot less than the GZ so those batteries, even if not fully charged, may suffice to start the mower. Check them with a better meter like you said, or load test them, or if they work, don't screw with them, what's the difference and who cares, if it works? If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

The smaller batteries may be different, but isn't a fully charged wet cell 2.1 V?

Yes, that's right for a "conventional" lead acid cell BUT the chemical composition is somewhat different these days, with the addition of things like calcium to the plates. I don't think the old hard and fast rule applies anymore. It is more about the current it is able to supply than the precise voltage.

[nhcop]

DEAD ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.

Today on the way home from work she died. Absolutely no power in the battery. Not even enough to see the headlight. Tried to pop start it for several minutes with no luck. I called my father in law who came with his jumper cables. I jumped it off his battery (truck was off). I made it about a 1/4 mile and it died again. Jumped it again and made it another quarter mile before it died. Fortunately I was close to home and coasted in.

I put my meter on the battery and it was reading around 6Volts. I went down to my local shop and asked him about getting a new battery. He told me its more likely my charging system and not the battery. He stated that once the bike got running it should be charging the battery to the point where it will at least keep the engine running. He thinks my stator is shot.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH this is annoying.
Im charging the battery again and going to check it with my meter again.

[magnum44270]

yep, just like an alternator in a auto. when it goes bad, you run off the battery till it dies, then nothing