REALLY dumb question here (keith :( )

zaknafien · Joined: 25 Mar 2002 Karma :

How do i use a voltmeter/multimeter to check for shorts??

im missing riding way too much and want to see if i can find the problem.
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02 Firestorm.

zaknafien · Joined: 25 Mar 2002 Karma :

just been in garage and decided to try starting it, got it going for about 10 seconds then it died and battery had dropped from 1 bar to 3 Sad

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02 Firestorm.

Korn · Admin Joined: 01 Feb 2002 Karma :

What exactly are you trying to diagnose?

zaknafien · Joined: 25 Mar 2002 Karma :

well everyone's said the problem with my bike (draining battery within seconds) sound like i have a short somewhere and someone said to check it with a voltmeter/mulitmeter but i dont know how.
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02 Firestorm.

Korn · Admin Joined: 01 Feb 2002 Karma :

Ok from what I understood the battery was fine, you hit the started for a few seconds and it died?

How long exactly was the started going?

Does it drain when left overnight and not in use?

Do you have an alarm fitted?

How old is the batter?

zaknafien · Joined: 25 Mar 2002 Karma :

Ok lets see,

Kickstart · The Oracle Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

Hi

You can use a voltmeter across the terminals of the battery to check if the bike is charging. It should give a reading of 13~14V when running it charging.

To check for a short you really need a way to measure for a circuit, such as an ohm meter or the resistance setting on a decent multimeter

There is no way a battery should be killed, or even really affected by 15 seconds of running. Even running the starter motor for that long would have little effect on the battery charge. Most things on the bike go through a fuse, and you would have to draw a HELL of a lot of current to use that much battery charge, and the fuse would almost certainly blow. From the top of my head the only circuit that isnt really fused that could cause a problem is for the starter motor. This uses a small current from the button to operate a relay. The relay just switches the main feed from the battery to the starter motor on. I would check this relay out first as the main feed from the battery is not (I think) fused.

All the best

Keith

Korn · Admin Joined: 01 Feb 2002 Karma :

Could be a short in the starter motor Question

If you've got yourself a multimeter shove the probes onto the battery terminals and measure the drop when the starter is on. It shouldn't drop too much, under 50% certainly - I haven't messed much with NSR electrics so I don't know the exact figures but from what my SR125 and RVF do it should drop around 25% when the starter is turning, if it takes a steep dive then there may be a short in the motor. This would also explain it keeping charge normally because the starter motor circuit is behind a relay and only closes when you hit the button.

Hex · Party Boy Joined: 04 Feb 2002 Karma :

even if there is a short across the starter motor this shouldn't stop the bike running?

unless of course the starter motor isn't stopping when the starter button is reliesed and its still engaged? this could possibally stop the engine but this should be very auidibal shouldn't it

the HT lead isn't earthing is it? (I know this shouldn't cause a battery problem but it could explain the reason why the engine dies?