electrical system fricked up

[bcbull4]

last wednesday driving home in the dark i noticed my head light kept dimming for like 5 seconds, then getting bright for like 10 or 15 seconds. high & low beams both. then i noticed the dash & dash lights were dimming & coming back at the same time. but i got home no problem.
no issues thursday while driving or starting/shutting off.
friday morn was colder & bike clicked a couple times before starting. i figured it was the 60 weight oil was hard to crank over. got to work, but after work (now 80 degrees) the bike just click & was dead. no lights were left on, nothing like that. but i push started it. got home let it run a long while & it started fine 4 hours later.
saturday morn started right up & i started it a total of 8 time saturday... NO problems.
sunday started it up & drove 20 minutes, the red engine light came on & off twice. turned bike off for 1 hour, dead when i tried to start. push started & headed for home, started sucking air, backfiring & died twice, once while coasting at 35mph. had to push start again. the whole ride home the needles kept dropping to 0's & the clock when blank, head/tail lights kept dying & coming back on, etc, etc... now the fuel pump doesnt even turn on when i flip the switch, wont even click when i hit the starter....

 

[Buellysses]

Check your battery connections. You have a loose cable. If the connections to the battery are clean and tight check the other end of the ground cable.

 

[LeFox]

battery connections, as buellysses said [up]

 

[dave_xb12r]

yeah I would check the battery connections like Lefox said that buellysses said

 

[LeFox]

is there a echo in here [confused]

 

[bcbull4]

okay, but why was the red engine light coming on? i guess if the connenctions were loose it could of cause bad sparks, but otherwise the engine light came on before my bike started acting up/dying...

 

[Buellysses]

I believe the light will come on with low battery voltage. (not sure on that one) Also, if you are fluctuating the voltage on a computer controlled device (ECM) there is no telling how that device will behave.

Tackle it one problem at a time. Get your battery situation squared away then see if the light goes away.

is there an echo in here

(give him a break fox, he's got a long way to go to catch up to you in post count)

 

[LeFox]

okay, but why was the red engine light coming on? i guess if the connenctions were loose it could of cause bad sparks, but otherwise the engine light came on before my bike started acting up/dying...

Also, if you are fluctuating the voltage on a computer controlled device (ECM) there is no telling how that device will behave.

that and the low voltage will give less power to the fuelpump, resulting in less pressure, with also bad ignition, blablabla...
1 malfunction has several consequences

I believe the light will come on with low battery voltage. (not sure on that one)

that is incorrect, though

 

[Buellysses]

Trouble codes
11: TPS
13: O2 sensor
14: Engine temp sensor
15: IAT sensor
16: Battery Voltage

Low voltage/charging system problems should light the check engine. Or are these codes just historic codes that wont light the trouble light?

 

[LeFox]

yep, in theory...

if your voltage is low, you can't start the damn thing to get the light to light up.
at ignition on, the light always burns to show, hey i'm working...if it's not burning then it's most likely that your battery is too flat to even think of giving you a error code

however, it will light up when riding and there's not enough voltage...but that's not your battery

 

[The Tin Man]

I had the same problem with mine. It was the negative battery terminal which was loose. Funny thing is it only happens when u sit on the bike. I figured it out when trying to ride home the bike kept wanting to shut off so i stood up on the pegs and everything was fine until I got home and tighten the terminal. My engine light came on as well and went off as soon the connection was fixed. I must have looked pretty dumb standing on the pegs all the way home...Did i mention i am 6'2" on a buell standing uo....lol.

 

[bcbull4]

alright, that gives me some things to try... to bad work has been so heavy lately that i havent even had time to look at it.

 

[Buellysses]

Tin Man, that is funny as hell. That must have been a pretty amusing ride.

Thanks for the insight fox. (too bad they don't have a worship smiley face) [up] thats the best I can do.

 

[The Tin Man]

I got a lot of strange looks from oncoming vehicles...lol

 

[FIDOSOL]

Hey Tin Man I guarantee there was at least one person thinking "I wonder what he knows that I don't....?"

 

[The Tin Man]

I also bet a few of them were thinking I was standing on the seat being as tall as I am and the bike being small and all.

 

[LeFox]

Thanks for the insight fox. (too bad they don't have a worship smiley face) thats the best I can do.

how's this

 

[Buellysses]

Perfect!

 

[bcbull4]

so i threw a new battery in there last night & it started right up & ran. i only had time to ride 4 miles, but all the probs were gone.

 

[bcbull4]

my question is.... how could the battery die while im riding, unless the charging system was messed up? the old battery was connected tight, so it wasnt a loose connection. how can i test to see if its the charging system or the old battery? all i can think of is to just ride & see if it has the same probs with the new battery. any simple ideas?