'68 Raider 12 battery won't stay charged

[Floyd Pink 44]

Is there a reason why the battery won't stay charged? Does it get the electric to charge the battery thru the key switch? 

 

1968 1 6231 Raider12. 

Battery, points condenser, no coil,  no solenoid 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Floyd Pink

[SylvanLakeWH 28,093]

How old is the battery? May be time for new one.

 

Can have it load tested. Auto parts places should do it for you.

 

Also check for draw down / “drain” from some source.

 

[pfrederi 18,558]

You have a magneto points ignition system.  Your battery is only used to crank the engine and run the lights. The stator provides AC power to the voltage regulator which converts it to DC.  It is attached to the battery via the R terminal on the ignition switch.

Not using lights a fully charged battery will start you many many many times.

Hook up your multimeter you should show 13.5 to 14.5 when the engine is running

[pfrederi 18,558]

I just noted yours is a 68 It would have a 3 terminal ignition switch    Your regulator is wired directly to the battery not through the switch

 

 

 

Edited February 12, 2022 by pfrederi

[Floyd Pink 44]

43 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

How old is the battery? May be time for new one.

 

Can have it load tested. Auto parts places should do it for you.

 

Also check for draw down / “drain” from some source.

 

Brand new battery. When I start it just one time on a fully charged battery it's not going to start again. Drain the battery from 13 volts down to 6 or 7 volts.  Running its generating 13.5 volts. I discovered the  (M) terminal on the switch is loose inside the switch. Original switch. Possibly both switch and battery are defective. 

Edited February 12, 2022 by Floyd Pink

[Floyd Pink 44]

22 minutes ago, pfrederi said:

I just noted yours is a 68 It would have a 3 terminal ignition switch    Your regulator is wired directly to the battery not through the switch

 

 

 

Everything is wired correctly. Must be the switch as I discovered the terminal is loosen inside of the switch or the new battery is defective 

[SylvanLakeWH 28,093]

I would have the battery tested. It's not unheard of that they are defective... and correct the switch issue. I bet one or the other...

[squonk 43,361]

What kind of shape are your battery cables in? 

[Floyd Pink 44]

1 minute ago, squonk said:

What kind of shape are your battery cables in? 

New

[Floyd Pink 44]

Just now, Floyd Pink said:

New

I want to thank you for your time and help on the belt issue. I finally engineered a tab for the inside of the cover... I pushed a bunch of snow last week. Just couldn't let it die or shut it off. Would not restart. 

[squonk 43,361]

A good battery shouldn't die that quick. I'm concerned that you stated the voltage drops to 6-7 volts. either the battery is bad or the starter is drawing so much it's sucking it right out. Get that battery tested. 13.2 volts is kinda low for a running engine. Have you cleaned the regulator terminals and it's grounding points? 

[pfrederi 18,558]

A fully charges battery will start a magnet engine many many times (assuming you aren't running lights ..so either battery is bad or you have a major parasitic drain.  (could be an internal short in you ignition switch drain B to M (magneto is really a ground)

[Floyd Pink 44]

6 hours ago, squonk said:

A good battery shouldn't die that quick. I'm concerned that you stated the voltage drops to 6-7 volts. either the battery is bad or the starter is drawing so much it's sucking it right out. Get that battery tested. 13.2 volts is kinda low for a running engine. Have you cleaned the regulator terminals and it's grounding points? 

I have it narrowed down to the battery. I fully charged it after I took it off the horse. Checked it an hour later and it dropped down to 9 volts. Hooked to nothing. Can you recommend a battery for it? Not going the Walmart way again. Battery tray is small. 9 1/4" x 6 1/4" if I remember correctly. 

[squonk 43,361]

Any company can sell a bad battery. Happens to them all. Last 3 of mine were all from WM. I've had good luck with Tractor Supply batteries too. There is like 3 companies that make batteries. You may not like a brand, go to the store next door and get the same thing with a different sticker. If your battery was new it should be under warranty.

 

[SylvanLakeWH 28,093]

[Floyd Pink 44]

2 hours ago, squonk said:

Any company can sell a bad battery. Happens to them all. Last 3 of mine were all from WM. I've had good luck with Tractor Supply batteries too. There is like 3 companies that make batteries. You may not like a brand, go to the store next door and get the same thing with a different sticker. If your battery was new it should be under warranty.

 

You're right about the battery companies. But the same battery company has several price ranges of products. I guess I was thinking about the CCAs of a battery for a Raider 12. The one I bought (just out of the 90 days for warranty) is 275 CCAs. Is this enough battery? 

[953 nut 59,251]

24 minutes ago, Floyd Pink said:

one I bought (just out of the 90 days for warranty) is 275 CCAs. Is this enough battery? 

275 CCA should be fine, that is what is in my 418, starts warm or cold. Take it back to Walmart anyway, they will probably exchange it for free. Customer relations is a big part of their culture these days. The warranty probably would be for you to return it to the factory.

[kpinnc 14,280]

Add a voltmeter. They are cheap (6-8 bucks on Fleabay) and you can attach the positive to the orange wire that powers the cigar lighter. Negative straight to a ground. It only powers when the keyswitch is in the run position.

 

Even at idle, mine charges pretty good. At least this way you know whether you have a charging issue or a weak battery.

 

Full throttle it charges at about 14.5 vdc. With the engine off, you should read about 12.6- 12.8 vdc.

 

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by kpinnc

[Floyd Pink 44]

What would be the problem if only charging at 13.5 amps? Be gentle. 😂

[lynnmor 7,714]

1 hour ago, Floyd Pink said:

What would be the problem if only charging at 13.5 amps? Be gentle. 😂

 

I think you mean 13.5 VOLTS.  13.5 volts is OK, but it will charge faster and more completely if the voltage is a bit higher than that. 

[pfrederi 18,558]

If you took that reading with your bad battery I would just forget it.  See what you get when you put in a new battery

[squonk 43,361]

13.5 is only .8v over a battery at full charge. It will be ok with a good battery but a weak one will give you issues. 

 

[kpinnc 14,280]

I've got two of the "Duracell" batteries from Costco this year. I can't yet speak for longevity yet, but they have been great so far. 

 

300CCA- only about $34 with a core. 

 

 

Edited February 13, 2022 by kpinnc

[lynnmor 7,714]

East Penn makes a number of different brands, Duracell is one.  My opinion is that their brands are as good as they get.  Discount stores often don’t sell the highest capacity batteries, so take that into account when comparing.