Rotax Battery/Electrical Help

Chuck Groat · Joined: 04 Apr 2002 Posts: 60 Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Yes, I'm also on my second charger. This was the first thing I tried when the batteries started to die.

Stephen Buckley · Joined: 18 Jul 2001 Posts: 861

Unplug everything except the battery + and - leads, the wire to the starter and the start switch and circuit breaker. See if the motor will turn over.

Stephen Buckley · Joined: 18 Jul 2001 Posts: 861

Is the battery a: FIAMM-GS Type FG 20651 or FG 20722???

Stephen Buckley · Joined: 18 Jul 2001 Posts: 861

Many of the like-type batteries (used on home security systems) have SMALLER terminals than the Rotax-spec battery. That's an easy way to tell.

Chuck Groat · Joined: 04 Apr 2002 Posts: 60 Location: Salt Lake City, UT

FIAMM-GS FG20722

Stephen Buckley · Joined: 18 Jul 2001 Posts: 861

Do you use the plastic battery cover that is supplied by Rotax? It has routing channels in it for the wiring. I've seen some people use an aluminum strap... that's a shorted battery waiting to happen!

A real quick way to test everything is to charge your battery, then install it on another kart. See if the problem follows. Or vice versa... put someone else's good battery in your kart.

Other stuff: have you run in the wet lately? Washed the kart recently? Do you have the cable ties too tight around the wire harness or is the harness pinched somewhere? Check each connector on the harness and motor for metallic particles embedded into the seating rubber.

[ July 25, 2002: Message edited by: Stephen Buckley, 73z Rotax,ICA,ICC ]

George Jounakos · Posted: Thu Jul 25, 2002 10:34 pm Post subject: Rotax Battery/Electrical Help

Have you tried using your battery with someone elses set-up? If you do try this charge the battery using the 'other' set-up not yours. One other thing you can measure is the voltage at the battery when the charger is connected. With the light on the charger showing 'GREEN' the voltage should be about 13.2V, the the light showing 'RED' the voltage should be about 14-14.5V.

Blake Newson · Posted: Sat Aug 03, 2002 9:33 am Post subject: Rotax Battery/Electrical Help

A very quick way to check the rest of your electrical system, would be to check the current that is draining from your battery, when the ignition switch is turned on, off etc. There should be very little current being drawn from the battery when the switch (breaker) is in. There should be NO current being drawn when the breaker is out. To do this you will have to put an ammeter in series with the red lead of your battery. If you have the meter in series when you push the starter button, be careful, this will draw many amps, and may overload or damage your meter. Compare your results with a friend.
I have about 6 race weekends on my original battery and it still works great. I can charge it on Friday and it's good for practice on Saturday and race on Sunday, no problem. I have a very thin layer of rubber under the battery to help isolate it from vibration.
I agree with the others above, that you must always use the Rotax supplied charger and NEVER let the battery drain competley. These are somewhat similar to lead acid car batteries, if you drain them fully a few times, they are scrap! Let me know if you need the current draw information, I could try it on my kart.

Mikko Nassi · Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2002 8:53 am Post subject: Rotax Battery/Electrical Help

quote:
Originally posted by Mike Moya:
you might need to just clean out the starter bendix with some brakeclean cuz it gums up with chain lube and just does what you described. It's underneath the black cover forward of the clutch. BTW, email me, Bye.

Thats the first thing I thought of as well when I read that the starter still spins.

When I've had a dead battery, it spins the engine very slowly a few times, and then just stops.....if the starter is just spinning around, its very likely the problem Mike described.