Recently the battery light on my 1993 900 Superlight has been coming on intermittently while riding. It will stay on for maybe 15 minutes; then go off & not come on again for an hour. Admittedly, diagnosing electrical issues is not my strong suit.
So I proceeded to cleaning the battery terminals & all connectors to the terminals, I checked/cleaned the battery ground. Next I traced the various wires from the alternator & the regulator/rectifier & cleaned all of the connectors. At this point there was no obvious problems.
So I verified the battery voltage after a few hours off of the charger. Good. Next I noted the voltage at the battery at idle, as well as at 3,000 rpms (& above). Voltage increased from about 13.5V to 15.5V. This suggests that the alternator is doing it's job. (However, I might mention that during this test the battery ..... light was not on).
Finally, I decided to see if any of my work resolved the issue of the battery ..... light intermittently turning on while riding. After 3 miles into the ride, the light came on & remained on for 15 miles. Then it switched off for the next 35 miles. When I got home (the light was still off), I checked the voltage at the battery which was 13.25V.
So, I am perplexed. Is there an intermittent problem somewhere in the alternator or the regulator/rectifier? A bad connection or short to ground? A faulty battery ..... light? Any ideas would be appreciated. Oh, the only thing I forgot to check was duc96cr's suggestion to check the wire from the positive terminal of the battery & the solenoid. I'll do that tomorrow. Thank you!!!!
So I proceeded to cleaning the battery terminals & all connectors to the terminals, I checked/cleaned the battery ground. Next I traced the various wires from the alternator & the regulator/rectifier & cleaned all of the connectors. At this point there was no obvious problems.
So I verified the battery voltage after a few hours off of the charger. Good. Next I noted the voltage at the battery at idle, as well as at 3,000 rpms (& above). Voltage increased from about 13.5V to 15.5V. This suggests that the alternator is doing it's job. (However, I might mention that during this test the battery ..... light was not on).
Finally, I decided to see if any of my work resolved the issue of the battery ..... light intermittently turning on while riding. After 3 miles into the ride, the light came on & remained on for 15 miles. Then it switched off for the next 35 miles. When I got home (the light was still off), I checked the voltage at the battery which was 13.25V.
So, I am perplexed. Is there an intermittent problem somewhere in the alternator or the regulator/rectifier? A bad connection or short to ground? A faulty battery ..... light? Any ideas would be appreciated. Oh, the only thing I forgot to check was duc96cr's suggestion to check the wire from the positive terminal of the battery & the solenoid. I'll do that tomorrow. Thank you!!!!
