Conquest not charging

[Rory_mcw]

My conquest is not charging the battery, before I start getting into the machine is there a common fault? At idle the red light comes on but with the throttle opened up the v/m shows it is charging. I have fitted a new battery at the start of the year.

Cheers rory

[Mike]

How much riding are you doing above idle? A lot of the small engines have regulators designed to charge at higher RPM but depending on how and where you ride, you may spend a lot of time idling which won't charge the battery. Also, what motor do you have?

[Bazooo guy]

What happens to the v/m idling with the lights on?

[Rory_mcw]

It's all slow riding, maybe 5 mph max, it's a Kawasaki 20hp

I will see what the volt meter shows when I put the lights on. Cheers rory

[Rory_mcw]

When I rrev the v/m shows 14v

When I turn the lights on it drops to 13v

Rory

[JohnF]

Your new battery is bad.

[edit] Well, it could also be really bad connections at the battery, but I assume you've checked that.

[Rory_mcw]

Yes connections are all good.

I will see if I can get the battery checked this week

[JohnF]

How do you know that it isn't charging? If, after a day of riding, you shut it off and right then it won't spin the starter, then okay, it isn't charging. But if you are parking it and coming back awhile later (day/week/whatever) and it isn't starting then that could mean you have a short somewhere.

You also could have an erroneous voltmeter.

I'm still guessing bad battery.

[Rory_mcw]

The v/m light comes on and sits at 12v till i give it throttle. After around 2 weeks Of fitting the new battery I went to start the machine and it would not turn over. The journeys I do are very short. Maybe it is not getting enough of a run to properly charge. I will investigate tomorrow.

Please bare with me, my background is mechanical.

Appreciate the help

[gearhead1937]

if it sat for two weeks could there be a something drawing current while not running? Fan? Radio? Light? Some other accessory?

[JohnF]

The v/m light comes on and sits at 12v till i give it throttle.

That's pretty normal. It's because we need the low idle low enough to operate the shifter which is a little low for the stator (or alternator).

After around 2 weeks Of fitting the new battery I went to start the machine and it would not turn over.

Could be a short, or...

The journeys I do are very short. Maybe it is not getting enough of a run to properly charge. I will investigate tomorrow.

Yes, especially if your journeys are short with a high electrical load - like headlights.

[JoeMeg]

Hi Rory,I have a conquest 20 hp kaw. What your describing is all normal. That brake blower draws alot of current. The stator on the engine is pretty much designed to output at high rpm (these engines are intended to run at or near full throttle, ie; air compressor,generator). A fresh battery should read aprox 13 vdc and charging voltage 14,14.2 right around there. Short hops and extended idling are going to tax the battery. It is not uncommon to see a battery charger hooked up on my argo,I just go by what I last used the machine for.Hope this helps.BTW take the key out,kids have been known to pretend using the blower noise as engine sound,lol.

Joe.

[Rory_mcw]

Thanks guys, it's 22:14 here just now over in Scotland. I will hook up the charger, give it a full charge and check with my multi meter.

I don't run my machine at anywhere near full throttle, usually well below half to a quarter.

I am away to hook up my new winch and check all my connections again.

[swamp donkey]

U need an altima battery u can't beat them with a stick

[philipatmaxfour]

Hi Rory mcw- Most Argos have limited charging ability. There was an alternator kit available from the factory. I feel that part of the problem with machines that idle a lot is the draw from the brake cooling fan which runs at all time when the key is on. Many of us have installed a seperate switch that we turn off when we are not in gear. I often think that I will find time for another run soon but sometimes that doesn,t happen so I plug in a battery minder that plugs into hydro and the argo cigarette lighter . As you know, once a battery has gone dead ,it is never as good as new again. good luck.

The v/m light comes on and sits at 12v till i give it throttle. After around 2 weeks Of fitting the new battery I went to start the machine and it would not turn over. The journeys I do are very short. Maybe it is not getting enough of a run to properly charge. I will investigate tomorrow.

Please bare with me, my background is mechanical.

Appreciate the help