04 1150 GS loses all electric

[pschretlen]

I have a new (to me) 04 1150 GS. 54k miles. It has an added on Garmin Zumo and Piaa lights. I have had 2 occasions where the bike shuts down (in my driveway). No electric. even down to the clock. A few minutes later the clock starts up and the bike can run again, all the electric pieces work. I have checked the battery post terminals and they are tight. The bike has a lithium battery. thoughts?

 

[dieselyoda]

Grounds, any one or all of them.

 

[pauls1150]

Looking for clues first... very necessary in any troubleshooting task, especially "remotely"...

When you say the clock is included in the outage, does this include the entire RID (Rider Information Display), the temperature and fuel indicators? A "yes" points to a "primary" +12 issue.

Can you connect a voltmeter directly across the battery and leave it there, in a visible place, while you go for a ride? Then when it dies, if the voltmeter drops, that would point to a bad battery, internally either an open or short.

If that's fruitless, connect the voltmeter in a totally different place, between a red wire (+12) and any other actual ground; that may start you on the actual path; try a few different places to narrow it down further.

Possibly the voltage is not going to zero; if it's dropping below the point that the computer can run the bike, it can still look like there's nothing, but you'd still need to narrow down where either a break or a short exists.

Jiggle any wire harness you can reach, especially the bundle that leads down to the starter area (a bad starter or starter relay can cause melted wiring inside the harness where you can't see it unless you cut it open), and also physically scrutinize any wire you can see.

Do you have the schematic diagram? Get it from the MacPac's website (and thanks again to Doug R for making it easy to read!).

 

[happy wanderer]

I'd load test that lithium battery and check into it's specifications.

I'm not a fan of lithium batteries in oilheads. The weight savings do not justify the expense for non race bikes IMO.

 

[pschretlen]

Looking for clues first... very necessary in any troubleshooting task, especially "remotely"...

When you say the clock is included in the outage, does this include the entire RID (Rider Information Display), the temperature and fuel indicators? A "yes" points to a "primary" +12 issue.

Can you connect a voltmeter directly across the battery and leave it there, in a visible place, while you go for a ride? Then when it dies, if the voltmeter drops, that would point to a bad battery, internally either an open or short.

If that's fruitless, connect the voltmeter in a totally different place, between a red wire (+12) and any other actual ground; that may start you on the actual path; try a few different places to narrow it down further.

Possibly the voltage is not going to zero; if it's dropping below the point that the computer can run the bike, it can still look like there's nothing, but you'd still need to narrow down where either a break or a short exists.

Jiggle any wire harness you can reach, especially the bundle that leads down to the starter area (a bad starter or starter relay can cause melted wiring inside the harness where you can't see it unless you cut it open), and also physically scrutinize any wire you can see.

Do you have the schematic diagram? Get it from the MacPac's website (and thanks again to Doug R for making it easy to read!).

Thanks for the info. Yes all the electrics are out. I will check into this over the weekend.

 

[52184]

This is a LiFePo4 battery? IMHO this sounds suspiciously like an intermittent open on an internal bus connection in the battery.

Best,
DG

 

[pschretlen]

This is a LiFePo4 battery? IMHO this sounds suspiciously like an intermittent open on an internal bus connection in the battery.

Best,
DG

yes that is the battery. As I am not familiar with LiFePo4 batteries is there anything that I can do to remedy this or test for it?

 

[52184]

yes that is the battery. As I am not familiar with LiFePo4 batteries is there anything that I can do to remedy this or test for it?

I personally don’t know of a way to test it other than substituting a known good battery and see if the problem still presents.

Best,
DG

 

[BC1100S]

yes that is the battery. As I am not familiar with LiFePo4 batteries is there anything that I can do to remedy this or test for it?

Have you followed up on the previous suggestions? Please post progress on those before introducing other variables. Follow a process of elimination to find your problem.

 

[happy wanderer]

yes that is the battery. As I am not familiar with LiFePo4 batteries is there anything that I can do to remedy this or test for it?

Answered in Post #4. Load test the battery. Unless you have the gear to discharge and recharge it while logging amps and volts, no, there is no other way to test the battery.

 

[pschretlen]

Looking for clues first... very necessary in any troubleshooting task, especially "remotely"...

When you say the clock is included in the outage, does this include the entire RID (Rider Information Display), the temperature and fuel indicators? A "yes" points to a "primary" +12 issue.

Can you connect a voltmeter directly across the battery and leave it there, in a visible place, while you go for a ride? Then when it dies, if the voltmeter drops, that would point to a bad battery, internally either an open or short.

If that's fruitless, connect the voltmeter in a totally different place, between a red wire (+12) and any other actual ground; that may start you on the actual path; try a few different places to narrow it down further.

Possibly the voltage is not going to zero; if it's dropping below the point that the computer can run the bike, it can still look like there's nothing, but you'd still need to narrow down where either a break or a short exists.

Jiggle any wire harness you can reach, especially the bundle that leads down to the starter area (a bad starter or starter relay can cause melted wiring inside the harness where you can't see it unless you cut it open), and also physically scrutinize any wire you can see.

Do you have the schematic diagram? Get it from the MacPac's website (and thanks again to Doug R for making it easy to read!).

MacPac website?? Please elaborate and thanks

 

[pauls1150]

https://www.mac-pac.org/ Electrical diagrams link near the bottom, enjoy!

 

[pschretlen]

macpac

Thanks for the link. AND I have been riding the bike most of the week without an electrical shutdown. Still waiting.