Ignition Fail

sunshinen · Post by **sunshinen** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:40 pm

When I try the electronic start, nothing happens. Nothing.

I took the battery out and charged it, put it back in. Nothing.

When I try to kick start, the lever barely moves. It took all my weight just to get it to depress at a very slow speed. ... It was 23 degrees out, so would the oil just too thick for kick starting?

I imagine this is just the battery dying after 3+ years. I have a 3-mile commute. I have heated gloves hooked up to the battery. From time to time it had trouble starting. But it was random, more like a loose battery connection than a dying battery. Is it likely just the battery? Or should I look at something else before I buy a new battery?

Lostmycage · Post by **Lostmycage** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:51 pm

Is it harder than normal to kick or have you had really good luck the past few years and never really had to kick it?

3 years seems about right for one of these batteries' life span. It might be at it's limit. If you've got it pulled, you can take it to most auto parts stores and they can run a diagnostic on it to see if it's still withing spec.

I can't remember if those are sealed batteries or not, but if they aren't your fluid could be low. Read up on the precautions on that if you go that route and use distilled water only - it'd still need to be charged.

Good luck!

siobhan · Post by **siobhan** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:25 pm

sun, it's been really, really cold lately. My kickstart has been thick as sludge, too. I would think after 3 years and with pulling off it for the gloves, your battery has had it. An easy and cheap first try at a fix, so hope it's just that.

I literally could hear the bike whispering to me last night, re-jet me, re-jet me because it was so cold. -8 windchill!

sunshinen · Post by **sunshinen** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:45 pm

Yeah, I'm hoping for the battery. But it's my only vehicle... so thought I'd see if there was anything else I should try so as to reduce my days of hitching rides.

I've never had to kick start before. I have done it ... once or twice, a long time ago, just for ... kicks (oi, sorry). So the trouble there is probably a combination of rust and oil turned sludge by cold.

Lostmycage · Post by **Lostmycage** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:19 pm

OK, then the kickstart isn't out of the norm. If it was suddenly more difficult, that could point to other problems. The extra resistance might have thrown you off enough to not start it out of concern for there being a bigger problem. No faulting that, caution is a good thing.

It does sound like your battery, but even with a near dead one, it should still kick. It will be a lot more difficult than normal with the the oil being so cold.

Good luck!

Post by **ericalm** » Wed Dec 30, 2009 4:29 pm

Some people switch to a lighter weight oil in the winter.

sunshinen · Post by **sunshinen** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:22 pm

A lighter weight oil sounds like a good idea.

Resolution

Well, I discovered one of the nuts was missing, so I guess I will never know if the battery was really dead dead or not. I took it in to an auto parts store and they tested it, but they didn't have the right setting to test it. They tested on the next closest thing they could find, and it came back "needs a charge," but I'm not sure if that means anything. It should have been fully charged, and I just wanted to be done with it, so I just bought a new battery.

The new battery (with both nuts in place) has solved the problems. Buddy and heated gloves are both back to running properly.

But damn, that sunken battery tray and ultra short feed on the negative side is frustrating, especially when working with bare hands at 25 degrees.

Lostmycage · Post by **Lostmycage** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:29 pm

Loose grounds can be a real pain to diagnose. That's now going to be on my short list for random electrical failures.

Excellent news that you're all sorted out!

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:41 pm

Lostmycage wrote:
One other thing to check is the spark plug. Since you probably haven't rejetted, you've been running a tad rich (with the cold we've had lately). ....

You mean a tad lean right? Air is denser at cold temperatures, leading to more O2 being drawn into the intake and a denser charge in the cylinder.

Lostmycage · Post by **Lostmycage** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 5:53 pm

Kaos wrote:
Lostmycage wrote:
One other thing to check is the spark plug. Since you probably haven't rejetted, you've been running a tad rich (with the cold we've had lately). ....
You mean a tad lean right? Air is denser at cold temperatures, leading to more O2 being drawn into the intake and a denser charge in the cylinder.

I never said that!! Someone... took over my computer... and was thinking backwards... late at night... Yeah, busted. I somehow got fuel and air mixed up- the brain said rich and the checking process rolled right out my fingers onto the internet. Good catch. I'm... not sure how I got that mixed up. Ignore the spark plug stuff, lol.

Howardr · Post by **Howardr** » Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:17 pm

I've had 2 instances in the last 2 days where the Buddy's electric start didn't work. The first time I pressed the button, in each instance, there was a faint "click" then nothing. Both times I was able to kick start it, then I shut it down and the electric start worked. Then two instances were about 18 hours and a couple of normal starts apart.
I talked to the mechanic nearby and thought it might be the solenoid. Any other ideas?

Howard

skootergurl · Post by **skootergurl** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 1:39 am

Buddy 125's have high compression that makes them difficult to kick start at any temp. Good rule of thumb is if you can not electric start your scoot hit the horn if the horn sounds off then you can probably charge up your battery if you get nothing or a really weak sound, then you probably need a new battery. 3 years on one battery is pretty good!

Kaos · Post by **Kaos** » Fri Jan 08, 2010 1:41 am

skootergurl wrote:Buddy 125's have high compression that makes them difficult to kick start at any temp. Good rule of thumb is if you can not electric start your scoot hit the horn if the horn sounds off then you can probably charge up your battery if you get nothing or a really weak sound, then you probably need a new battery. 3 years on one battery is pretty good!

I'll disagree with that. I left my grip heaters on overnight, to the point the fuel gage wouldn't even move, forget the horn, I kickstarted mine. It took a long while, and I got leg cramps doing it, but it started