klr surging...problem #1

[Austin]

I use my GPS III Plus as a voltmeter. My KLR has never had what I consider strong voltage but I think my voltage is pretty low... -with key on but engine off, it reads only 8.86-9.4v -@ idle (1400 rpm), it floats between 11.7v-12.1v but occasionally dips below 11v for a moment or two -@ anything above 2500rpm, it floats between 11.7v-12.4v but occasionally gets up to 12.7v but only very briefly, then it drops down to 11.9v and "builds" back up to 12.4v My battery was just charged on a trickle charger (while it was @ the mechanic) but has been deep-cycled a time or two and regularly boils off the electrolyte (only in the summertime). Age of battery is unknown. I was going to buy another battery this spring but should I suspect the charging system? What could be considered normal voltage? Ahh, such things are full of mystery to me and I'm reluctant to work on anything with wires lest I let the magic smoke out. Thanks for the help! Austin in Savannah 89 KLR 650

[Jeff Saline]

On Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:04:20 -0500 Austin writes:

> I use my GPS III Plus as a voltmeter. My KLR has never had what I > consider strong voltage but I think my voltage is pretty low... > > -with key on but engine off, it reads only 8.86-9.4v > > -@ idle (1400 rpm), it floats between 11.7v-12.1v but occasionally > dips > below 11v for a moment or two > > -@ anything above 2500rpm, it floats between 11.7v-12.4v but > occasionally gets up to 12.7v but only very briefly, then it drops > down > to 11.9v and "builds" back up to 12.4v > > My battery was just charged on a trickle charger (while it was @ the > > mechanic) but has been deep-cycled a time or two and regularly boils > off > the electrolyte (only in the summertime). Age of battery is > unknown. > > I was going to buy another battery this spring but should I suspect > the > charging system? > > What could be considered normal voltage? > > Ahh, such things are full of mystery to me and I'm reluctant to work > on > anything with wires lest I let the magic smoke out. > > Thanks for the help! > > Austin in Savannah > 89 KLR 650

<><><><><><><><> <><><><><><><><> Austin, I'll make a guess here that the way the GPS is hooked up electrically to the KLR electrical system isn't allowing it to see battery voltage. If your battery is really only at 8-9 volts with the key on and the engine off I'm guess the bike won't crank. Normal voltage for a resting battery should be about 12.6 or so volts. With the key on but not cranking I'm guessing it'll drop to maybe 12.4 volts. Cranking the battery voltage should be above 9.6 volts. With the engine running the voltage should be well over 13 volts and less than 14.5 volts. There are lots of variables involved but this should get you in the correct area with your testing. So maybe the GPS electrical power is coming from something like the headlight circuit and what you're measuring is the voltage in that circuit. But that's just a guess. Maybe you could get a multimeter and put it on the battery terminals and compare readings. If you don't have one you could get a very small one at Radio Shack for probably around $20. For about the same price you could get one at Sears but it's probably too big to carry on the bike. My guess is the wiring is incorrect for this application. Best, Jeff Saline ABC # 4412 South Dakota Airmarshal Airheads Beemer Club www.airheads.org The Beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota 75 R90/6, 03 KLR650, 79 R100RT

[Doug Herr]

On Mon, 5 Mar 2007, Austin wrote:

> mechanic) but has been deep-cycled a time or two and regularly boils off > the electrolyte (only in the summertime). Age of battery is unknown.

That part would really make me think it is time for a new batt, but Jeff is correct that you need voltage info from much closer to the battery. -- Doug Herr doug@... A16 in Oakland, California

[Austin]

> > So maybe the GPS electrical power is coming from something like the > headlight circuit and what you're measuring is the voltage in that > circuit. But that's just a guess. > > Maybe you could get a multimeter and put it on the battery terminals and > compare readings. If you don't have one you could get a very small one > at Radio Shack for probably around $20. For about the same price you > could get one at Sears but it's probably too big to carry on the bike. > > My guess is the wiring is incorrect for this application. > > Best, > > Jeff Saline > >

Jeff, Ahh yes, the wiring of the GPS. I wired into the unused wires in the fairing. Hmm, not sure what else is on that circuit. The wiring is a mess on this bike anyway, lots of exposed wiring (that I've fixed) but 2 of the turn signals are literally held on with duct tape and the wiring for the tail light and rear signal is in such a state that I'm amazed they work at all. Cleaning up the wiring is on my to-do list, right after the doohickey, and fixing the stripped carb screws, and replacing the crap fasteners that hold the rear seat on, blah, blah, blah. Makes that new Black Cherry FJR1300 look pretty nice. Thanks for the info. Austin in Savannah

[Norm Keller]

In addition to checking the chain for binding links, it might be worth checking the bowl vent hose to see if the end is plugged by debris. I recommend that you do the bowl vent "T" modification because this is a KLR must do and inexpensive. Following those checks, it would be worth checking the fuel petcock diaphragm action. Make sure that you have a drain hose on the bottom of the carb and then drain the carb. Have a look for water in the drained liquid. If you don't know how to identify water, email and I'll explain. Leave the bowl drain open and place a hose onto the vacuum hose nipple on the petcock. Apply suction (vacuum pump or by mouth) to the petcock and fuel should flow from the bowl drain at a considerably faster rate than the engine will consume. Estimate 50 miles per gallon, in other words more than one gallon per hour. It should flow several times faster than this! Let us know the results and we'll consider the next steps. HIH Norm [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]