'99 vfr fail

Discussion in 'Mechanics Garage' started by mikromo, Apr 11, 2017.

  1. mikromo

    mikromo New Member

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    So. my son and I decided to take a ride Sunday, took off, went to a gas station that has ethanol free premium and gassed up. Went to restart the Viffer, and the
    instrument panel blinked twice went dead....then nothing. Had to be towed home (4 miles $92.00). 1st time the Vif has ever failed me. So, went through all the fuses,
    all good, battery checks out good. Only things I've checked so far, anyone have a direction I should go? I'm off tomorrow, so I'll start in ernest tomorrow. Bike is
    a '99 34,000 miles, owned it since 07 or so, first issue. Can the dreaded voltage reg fail after all these years? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
    thanks,

    Mike
     
  2. Allyance

    Allyance Insider

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    Check all major connections, corrosion can pass voltage, but not current. Low voltage systems are notorious for being sensitive to corrosion. If reg failed battery would not charge, therefore check battery again, check terminals and check stator connector for heat damage. Put you volt meter on the battery, does it drop alot when you turn key on?
    Someone here will direct you to the "drill".
     
  3. mikromo

    mikromo New Member

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    absolutely nothing happens when you turn the key....clock works
     
  4. B6_Dolphin

    B6_Dolphin New Member

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    It could be the contacts in the ignition switch. You can try spraying WD-40 down the key slot, and working the key back and forth from "on" to "Off" to clean/wipe the contacts from built-up carbon & other gunk.
     
  5. mello dude

    mello dude Administrator

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  6. mikromo

    mikromo New Member

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    Despite my battery charger showing the battery was good, Yesterday I hooked it up to my meter....12.4 volts, turn the key........ .3 volts. Bought a new battery, back to
    perfect.
     
  7. skimad4x4

    skimad4x4 "Official" VFRWorld Greeter

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    "Perfect" Hmm?

    Not wishing to put a downer on things, but these bikes have a well documented history of charging system gremlins and yes the RR, stator and loom connections can fail at any time especially if you are still running the original RR from 1999!

    You may want to keep a close eye on your charging system, just in case the apparent battery failure was actually a consequence of a failure elsewhere in the charging system.

    If you have a multi-meter available then running through "the drill" checks described in post #9 on the thread linked by Mello will give a reasonable idea if the bike still has other gremlins to deal with. Just remember to do the checks twice - once with the bike cold and then again soon after the bike has been for a 20 minutes+ ride by which time the bike and electrical system will be hot. That way any heat related faults like breakdown in the stator winding insulation should be apparent.

    You might also want to fit one of those Cheap LED volt meter displays. Whilst they will not prevent any electrical gremlins a meter will at least allow you to keep an eye on the system volts whilst you are riding. They can be picked up for just a few bucks from the likes of ebay. What you want is one with the volts displayed in numbers - like 13.5v (not a series of pretty lights which are not really very helpful). Whilst these meters are not particularly accurate you should soon get a feel for what is normal behaviour with your bike - so normal volts before and during starting, as well as idling and running. What you are looking for is reasonably stable and consistent numbers. If you spot the volts rocket upwards or drop through the floor it should at least give you a chance to head for some place safe - before the battery drains and you end up stranded at the roadside.


    Take care



    SkiMad
     
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