Loss of engine power when using lights

[Grasshopperus]

Hi all, wondering if anyone can help me with a little problem I've got.

had a weird problem coming back from work yesterday. When I hit ~12K RPM the engine ran out of power, I had been riding for about 20 minutes and this had never happened before. At 12k it would stop accellerating quickly and bog down as if the fuel mix was way too rich.

I pulled over and did the ol' turn-off-turn-on trick (yeah I'm in IT) but the battery was too flat to start the bike again. I got a jump start from a friendly local and was on my way again. I kept the lights off as I knew it was an electrical charge problem of some sort.

So, charged the battery up this morning and went for a ride, it is absolutely fine with the headllights off, pulls hard up to the redline of 19K. With the lights on, 12K is the wall. I can always reproduce the problem and turning the lights off fixes it straightaway.

I've done some reading on these forums and have some multimeter readings

battery resting voltage = 13.0v
with ignition on = 12.9v

engine idling, lights off = 13.1v
engine idling, lights on = 12.5v

engine (6k & 10k & 19k rpm) , lights off = 13.3v
engine (6k & 10k) , lights on = 12.8v
engine lights on hitting 'the wall' @ 12k < 10v

The tacho is also a bit crazy now too, it seems to stick at 16k when in neutral and I'm revving it (lights off or on) and then go up and down real fast bearing no relation to true engine revs

The battery is 3 months old.

Nothing has 'happened' to make this occur. Hasn't been dropped and hasn't been worked on recently.

The bike's manual says 14-16v is the normal charging range.

I'm in my garage right now using the laptop and tinkering, I'm going to test the regulator/rectifier using dangerousbastard's standard response in this subforum (stator wire to frame resistance and voltage) and will also go and check all electrical connections (especially earths).

If anyone can shout out with a recommendation then I'll act on it immediately.

Cheers
Grass

[quickbuck]

I'm going to test the regulator/rectifier using dangerousbastard's standard response in this subforum (stator wire to frame resistance and voltage) and will also go and check all electrical connections (especially earths).

Good diagnosis that man.
It will most likely be Reg/Rect Failed.

What you can ensure in the mean time is that all your plugs are free from corrosion between the pins.....

the 12k rev thing sort of puzzles me for the moment though.... Might be where your engine is normally "Coming on Cam" and the poor ignition system (CDI's) just can't handle it with a reduced input voltage.... And CDI's won't work below 10v anyway....

[Grasshopperus]

sorry then pun in the title but I removed the plug from the side of the R/R and it's not pretty

Attached to the burnt plug there was a pretty burnt wire that detached as I was removing the plug.

I guess I'll just trim the wire and reattach it (hoping that whatever caused the burn was a one-off by a previous owner)

[quickbuck]

Yup,
hope it was a "One Off" and not a symptom of something else......

This goes along with my Smoke theory I mentioned in another thread....

[Grasshopperus]

took bike for a 45minute ride today (with the lights on) and it's sweet as! haha! I'm so frickin' lucky.

The 'fix' was to just clean up the female connector to the R/R and to reattach the wire to said connector.

Now the bike is overheating but that might not be related.

[quickbuck]

Now the bike is overheating but that might not be related.

Nope, that will be a different issue.....

Check to make sure there is some green stuff in the coolant. Oh, and it is at the correct level. ie, full inside the Radiator, and about 1/4 way up the catch bottle... That should be marked.

Ensure the line between the catch bottle and the Rad is not blocked, or split too.....

OH... and while you are there, make sure your water hasn't got oil in it... and check to make sure your oil isn't milky....

[Grasshopperus]

I've noticed that the coolant level in the reservoir tank has suddenly raised quite a bit. The bike overheated on my 40 minute ride today; was slightly higher than normal for the whole ride and got to about 80% of max (according to the temperature gauge) as I returned home.

After it cooled down, with the engine off, I opened the radiator cap and some green coolant started coming out as soon as I started unscrewing it. When I got the cap off I looked into the radiator and couldn't see any coolant from half-way up the radiator. As soon as the cap was removed the tube from the coolant reservoir started pushing water into the radiator until it filled up.

It seems as though the reservoir wanted to give it more water but the radiator cap was blocking it.

I assume this means the radiator cap is stuffed or something. I CRC'd it up and will keep an eye on it.

Sound right?

[CookMySock]

With any overheating, you should get the cooling system checked for combustion gases, just to rule out cylinder head gasket leakage, then go for leaks, radiator cap, thermostat, blocked radiator, in that order.

Steve

[quickbuck]

I've noticed that the coolant level in the reservoir tank has suddenly raised quite a bit. The bike overheated on my 40 minute ride today; was slightly higher than normal for the whole ride and got to about 80% of max (according to the temperature gauge) as I returned home.

After it cooled down, with the engine off, I opened the radiator cap and some green coolant started coming out as soon as I started unscrewing it. When I got the cap off I looked into the radiator and couldn't see any coolant from half-way up the radiator. As soon as the cap was removed the tube from the coolant reservoir started pushing water into the radiator until it filled up.

It seems as though the reservoir wanted to give it more water but the radiator cap was blocking it.

I assume this means the radiator cap is stuffed or something. I CRC'd it up and will keep an eye on it.

Sound right?

Right....
We had EXACTLY the same symptoms with the ZXR450 Race bike.....
We hoped it was the cap too, but no such luck.
So out with the thermostate in case it was that..... Then start engine with cap off, and it was blowing bubbles like a Jet Ski! (Seen the learning to swim ads on TV?)

Sorry to say, it sounds like a Blown Head Gasket.
Hence I asked the colour of the oil....

[Grasshopperus]

Ah right, I guess that means I should drain both the engine oil and the coolant and look for impurities in both?

I'll probably ride it for a little bit and just hope that it was a 'one-off' (a bit of a pattern developing here I know)

BTW, thanks for all of your helpful replies.

Cheers

[quickbuck]

Umm,
Personally I wouldn't ride it.
The fact it blew all the coolant into the catch bottle is a pretty sure sign.

If you want to test further, drain all the coolant, and replace.
Check the old stuff for rainbows, sure. Then start your bike and leave idling for a while.
They heat up pretty quick at idle, and at least you don't get stranded!

Now, keep an eye on your catch tank after the temp gauge rises.... This is when your thermostat opens.
If it fills again, then shut it down and I guess take it to the bike shop..... OR, find a friend who has done one before.

I understand you are pretty cleaver at IT. I can see that by your diagnosis of the previous fault.
The trouble with this one is it never gets any better by rebooting...
Believe me, we tried that on a Race Day, and lost a bucket load of points..... (Yes, still a bit sore about it).

OH, and IF there is any water in your oil, DO NOT run it! You will put water on surfaces and in bearings that will never thank you.

[Grasshopperus]

Thanks mate. Just about to drain the coolant now. Will let you know how it looks and how it runs after a refil.

[CookMySock]

Ah right, I guess that means I should drain both the engine oil and the coolant and look for impurities in both?

No, re-read what I typed above. Many mechanics have a test kit they use to detect combustion byproducts in coolant. Or else do the bubble check.

I'll probably ride it for a little bit and just hope that it was a 'one-off' (a bit of a pattern developing here I know)

Suggest that you do not. If its a stuffed head gasket its an inexpensive fix. If you keep riding it you might fuck then head, then its toast.

Steve

[Grasshopperus]

Ah right, thanks DB.

While you were posting for the second time, I've steamed ahead and drained the coolant and there is absolutely no rainbow-slick thing or any smell of petrol or oil in it. It's very clean.

I'm going to test using quickbuck's method (run at idle and see if it all gets blown back into reservoir tank) and see what happens then.

I do see what you're saying and yeah, better safe than sorry eh. But I'm headstrong and also need the bike to get to work tomorry

[Grasshopperus]

Refilled coolant. Idled bike for 20 minutes in the garage. A little white smoke at the beginning (may be due to using choke) then no smoke for the next 15 mins. Temperature gauge did not exceed normal temp (30% by gauge) by much at all. Reservoir tank had bubbles coming into it consistently until 5 seconds after engine turn off.

Reservoir tank did not get pumped up at all. A couple of minutes after engine turn-off res tank dropped by ~50mL