[dansdad]

..suddenly died while i was out warming it up...no pwer, no lights, battery is good...fuses good

what could it be this tme?

 

[Lucky#13]

May not be charging . Did it drain the battery while you were riding ?

 

[knightslugger]

How did you test the battery?

 

[dansdad]

thanks for the replies...

anyway, after pyushing the bike a half mile back to the garage i hooked it up to the battery tender and it said that it was almost fully charged...fuses good too...a few moments before it died though the bike ran like it was dying ...sputtered a coupl of times

 

[Lucky#13]

thanks for the replies...

anyway, after pyushing the bike a half mile back to the garage i hooked it up to the battery tender and it said that it was almost fully charged...fuses good too...a few moments before it died though the bike ran like it was dying ...sputtered a coupl of times

Sounds like a fuel problem if it sputtered .

 

[knightslugger]

i don't think we can nail it to fuel quite yet. No power = dead battery. when he hooked it up to the charger, it's interesting that it said it's 100%. Have you checked your fuses yet? More importantly, have you checked your main 30A fuse?

if the battery is 100% and you don't have any power, chances are high that either your main fuse has blown or you have bad connections to the battery. check the fuses and refresh the connections. report back.

over.

 

[fog]

Check the battery connections and the ground strap to the frame. Check means remove and clean and then re attach.

FOG

 

[dansdad]

good ideas...i dont even know where the main 30 amp fuse is and where the main ground should be...i'll check those

 

[Splash]

Longshot (but first place to look on zx900a's): sidestand switch?

 

[dansdad]

would a sidestand switch make the electics die though? or just the engine?

 

[knightslugger]

would a sidestand switch make the electics die though?

No.

 

[dansdad]

cool...didnt think so

 

[dansdad]

tested red and black sides of circuit...red tested ok...bike started when hooked up to my car battery and blk side ground to chassis...bike has no power when ground cable is hooked up to blk car battery cable...

so looks like i have to trace the black (-) cable to where it is screwed on to the bike...it migh have come off while i was out riding.

any suggestions on where this blk cable is screwed on to the bike?

 

[fog]

It's right there in front of you next to the battery. This is one of the connections I said to renew.

FOG

 

[dansdad]

thanks fog...so I can just make sure that it is securely screwed on to any part of the frame and that should be good enough? when i looked earlier it went under the left side and then looks like towards the front under the carbs

 

[knightslugger]

thanks fog...so I can just make sure that it is securely screwed on to any part of the frame and that should be good enough? when i looked earlier it went under the left side and then looks like towards the front under the carbs

You should remove it, clean the crap out of it, clean the hell out of where it attaches to the frame, and make sure it's good and tight. both the positive and negative cables, both sides of the cable, and the battery posts themselves. use water and baking soda powder and water mixed into a paste and a hard bristled tooth brush or other suitable device to clean everything. use a wire brush to freshen up all the surfaces. after words put a protective coating over the terminals to help prevent future corrosion.

 

[dansdad]

thanks knight-dude--i'll do that...anyway, i think its been doing this intermittent voltage thing due to corrosion or a loose connection...if its loose will it affect the way the bike runs ?( stuff like sometimes not wanting to rev, dying for no reason or sputtering ?).

 

[fog]

FYI, the bike will not run without a battery in place. So any break in the battery connection will stop the engine.
FOG

 

[knightslugger]

stuff like sometimes not wanting to rev, dying for no reason or sputtering.

Not wanting to rev sounds like a jizzed up pilot jet. Depending on the nature of the engine death, it could be a few things from fuel to mechanical/electrical. A clogged Cap vent will prevent fuel from flowing down the lines, debris in the fuel line can clog the inlet into a carb, petcock malfunctions... electrical shorts or varying degrees.

 

[dansdad]

thanks FOG!