After Winter: Will Not Start, Need Help!

[GuantanamoShrey]

Hi guys,

Ive had my 2005 fz6 stored in a warehouse all winter and would start it up now and then and it worked fine.

I brought it home last week on a 50 degree day , I dont havea garage so its out in a fenced area.

I tried starting it a few days later and now it seems like the battery works , all the guages are seen and lights work but when i hit the ignition it tries to start but then ends up making a clicking sound.

I know one of the days it rained heavily and it has been pretty cold since that day so Im not sure if something has shorted or if if its just too cold to start.

Please let me know if there is anything I should check or do. The bike has never given any problems like this since I bought it but it is the 1st winter ive had with it.

Thanks for the help!

 

[ChanceCoats123]

Did you keep the battery on a tender or anything? Typically you hear that clicking noise when the starter motor can't turn the engine over. The cold weather would also not help because the battery would lose some of it's juice, especially if it's an older battery. The easiest thing you can do is to jump the bike with a car. Do NOT have the car running, just jump from battery to battery. The car battery is more than enough without the car being on.

 

[FinalImpact]

FWIW: if it was not driven for say 15 miles and held about ~ 2500 RPM for 15 min, its very likely starting it took more energy from the battery than was put back while running. That said, after starting it several times (and not riding it) it kills the battery.

Unless there are added electronics like an ALARM, its simply better to leave it be for 3 or 4 months than start it every 3 weeks.

Aside from draining the battery the engine never really comes up to temperature and when it DOES COOL DOWN, it pulls in moisture from the air into the exhaust, intake, oil and crankcase.
- RIDDING for 30 minutes allows that moisture to evaporate once everything comes up to temperature.

Moral of the story; Leave it be (let it hibernate)...
FWIW: If a battery is low/dead (below ~12.3V) AND the ambient temperature is freezing, a dead battery can be damaged (they may freeze and break internally). Warm it slowly and charge it.

 

[FIZZER6]

Battery is shot.

If you store a bike over winter either put a trickle charger on it or take the battery out and bring it home and keep it in a climate controlled location.

 

[FinalImpact]

Unless there is a drain like an alarm, 2 - 3mo is not big deal. 4 years running I've left it sit for 3 - 4mo without starting it. When left: voltage at 13.00 vdc (from riding, no tending or trickle charge)! Months later 12.99 vdc.

My 5th year with bike and battery install date was April of 2008.

Granted, its loosing ground at 12.92 vdc this year (aged)... But thats no tending and never charged...
If you idle across town with fan on and dual lights you likely need a tender. If ridden briskly and parked, it should be fine.

 

[Motogiro]

When working with batteries as well as with other mechanicals, wear protective eyeware!

As previously said, Do not jump start your bike from a car that has the engine running! Car alternators put out too much amperage for the bike's regulator/rectifier and may damage it.

Check your battery connections to rule out the simplest possibilities of poor contact. Put the battery on a charger that is designed for bike batteries. Any 2 amp charger is probably okay. After the battery has been fully charged have it load tested. The battery may be good but has just not been given a decent charge. If it passes the load test your back on your way on the cheap and saved a few bucks. I have a battery that is 5 years old. It's has lost .2 volt over the 5 years but has all the cranking amps I need.

You can't assume because the battery is in a discharged state that it is no good. Well you can assume it but.......
The battery is a storage device. you can deplete the charge and you can recharge it if it is still healthy. Charge and Test it!

Another factor involving leakage (Slow Discharge) is when a battery gets dirty. Clean the battery. As dust particles and contaminates collect between the terminals it can create a path for low current discharge. I've had car batteries that were very leaky from acid and contaminates. A little baking soda will neutralize the acid. Finish off with dish soap and water using a tooth brush and rinse.

 

[FIZZER6]

Unless there is a drain like an alarm, 2 - 3mo is not big deal. 4 years running I've left it sit for 3 - 4mo without starting it. When left: voltage at 13.00 vdc (from riding, no tending or trickle charge)! Months later 12.99 vdc.

My 5th year with bike and battery install date was April of 2008.

Granted, its loosing ground at 12.92 vdc this year (aged)... But thats no tending and never charged...
If you idle across town with fan on and dual lights you likely need a tender. If ridden briskly and parked, it should be fine.

But how cold does the bike sit for those 3-4 months? Much different at -20F vs. mild winters around 32F! :thumbup:

Also voltage readings on a sitting battery is not the only indication of health. Put a load on it and then read the voltage again...if it dropped then the battery only has a surface charge and is loosing the ability to hold the charge .

 

[FinalImpact]

^^ + 1 all true and valid points as are Cliff's! +1

No load gives you an idea of basic **system health** only that is correct. It's basically a gauge that all is well, should it maintain those 12.85 ~ 12.99 vdc values. It implies there is Minimal internal resistance and external load as its stable and not declining after sitting for 2 mo or more. In short, its tool best use for monitoring change. Take a look at quote below for more info....
My battery is going on 7+ years and if called upon to crank that engine for 10 45second cranking sessions I can assure you it would barely be turning on the 9th and 10th go round.

Lead acid batteries in the cold will drop voltage. Testing and charging should always be done around 68°F once the battery is fully acclimated.

That said, a fully charged battery can sit in the frigid temps and be just fine. Its when they are discharged and left in those sub-zero temps that damage occurs. Most of us have started our cars in sub-zero temps. The batteries can handle it. However, this 10Amp/hr battery has little reserve capacity so keeping it in good health is very important.

That said, as the conditions inside deteriorate, the plates sulfate and build resistance. This internal resistance is the huge killer of batteries too. Its what creates heat when being charged.

To your point; for the bikes, most of us are not going to ride in -20°F temps; so why start the bike? Inside the engine the internal reciprocating clearances will be tight; oil like like honey, and the battery and starter will be tested thoroughly just to start it. Its really inducing more wear and tear than there is benefit. The longer it stays below **normal operating temps** the greater the wear. So its just not a value add to start it unless its going to be used.

LEAKAGE CURRENT KILLING YOUR BATTERY??

LEAKAGE CURRENT KILLING YOUR BATTERY??
Here is a some info I gathered while the bike was apart for other reasons. Its looking specifically at current draw while the bike is OFF and sitting. For this test the NEGATIVE battery lead was disconnected and the meters test leads were connected to the battery and the bikes ground lead forming a current loop. Essentially any energy drawn from the bikes battery had to pass through that meter via the two test leads. Now we can measure current draw.

FWIW: the FSM does not list a standard value for current draw when the key is off. The value here seems reasonable. Also - bike is designated for the states (US).

CURRENT DRAW; KEY OFF - Powering the Meter only to keep Time:
CURRENT = 0.001Amps Although it kept switching from 0.001 - 0.000A. Given the range of the meter - I'll call it 0.0005 Amps. I placed a current meter between the battery and the Negative lead.

10Ahr battery loosing 0.0005A equates to this:
10Ahr/0.0005A = 20,000 hrs <How long it could run from battery

20,000hrs/24hrs day = 833 days to kill that battery

In short, the battery will kill itself before my bike does. Batteries have their own internal resistance which is more than the load of the meter keeping time.

On to more exciting things!
What if we leave the key on and don't start the bike?? OUCH! This one hurts the battery FAST!!! Once the fuel pump does its thing and shuts off, the ECM and lighting are drawing 1.7A!!!!

10Ahr battery loosing 1.7A per hour - your done in a couple hours I bet. Don't leave the key on!
10Ahr / 1.7A = 5.8 hrs. But I doubt it will start the bike in 3 hours.

Technical info on current draw:
With the key off the only only thing connected to the battery is the RR. So, if your RR has a bad diode, it would be wise to unplug it and repeat this test. If the current read through the meter drops, your RR is the source of the current loss. If it has no change, than your ignition switch may be dirty and conducting electricity to other components.

And if you're wondering why I didn't use the lower current range of "micro amps" on the meter, well it goes like this; Free is a good price even if certain functions don't pass calibration and can't be trusted.

 

[2006_FZ6]

Phooey, add me to the list as well. Tried starting the Fizzer after work today but had the same symptoms as GuantanamoShrey. Bike was on a battery tender all winter, stored in the garage, unheated but insulated.

Cleaned the terminals but they were clean already. Tried jumping the bike from the wife's CRV, no luck.

Put my charger on the battery for 3 hours and it would barely turn over once before dying.

Any battery favorites or recommendations??

 

[ShoopCE]

In January I thought I had killed my battery so I searched, and searched, and ended up buying a Yuasa YT12B-BS. I got it from Powersportsplace.com for about $78. The dealer wanted almost double and Revzilla wanted $100. The dimensions and connections are identical. The output is close but I think the replacement has a bit more current.

This version is also an acid glass mat (AGM) but is delivered dry and you have to pour a bottle of acid into the battery then seal it. This means the shelf life is indefinitely long. You can see the advantage to the retailer.

Anyway, before the battery arrived I jumped the bike and put it on the tender for days. My battery seems to have made a remarkable recovery. But I'm hanging onto the new one still in the box.

Be sure to check the fuse in your lead to the battery tender. Somebody that looks like me tried to jump start the bike using that lead and fried the fuse. I would know better.

Chris

 

[FinalImpact]

JM2C but if all is well I'm not into tenders. If you ride short trips and idle a bunch you likely need a tender. Once started I seldom go less than 20 miles so I have no need for it and feel it may do more harm than good.

Batteries like to have their state changed. i.e. be used. Its not harmful. Yet trickle charging can lead to sulfated plates which damages a good battery. So, draining it to its lower limit and then charging it with about 2.5Amps for 5 - 8hrs and then perform top-off charging for another 6+ hours many batteries will come back as it reorganizes the structure inside.

I've done it to several and instructed others and it can work. Repeat twice for best results.

Every year mine has sat its lost 0.02V... I thought I'd replace it last year, but its still kicking... Tho its voltage after being off for 4hrs (2015 season) is down to 12.88vdc... A good run - 2008 to 2015. It will be replaced sometime soon.