Cali II, mostly dead to completely dead - Solved, at least partially

[hidn45]

Well, I had an intermittent starting issue over the winter, but it kept getting re-prioritized while the snow was on.  Now it's Mud Season, & the issue has become a concern.

Occasionally when starting the Cali II ('86) over the winter, I would get just a relay click.  After a few tries (pushing the button harder, of course) I would get the anticipated response & she happily sprang to life.  This last time, though, she turned over a couple times & then all went dark - nothing but the starter spinning to a stop.  No lights, no dash, no nuttin'.  Dead.  I didn't have time to investigate at all yet, but I'm hoping the hive mind here will give some guidance on the most likely suspects.

Battery connections seem a likely thing to cause total shutdown, but I don't know that I've ever had a vehicle go completely black like that while starting.  Ignition switch?  Ground cable?

Looking forward to digging in & solving this - it's time to ride (FINALLY)!

TIA

randy

[oldbike54]

 What type of battery ?

 Dusty

[pehayes]

Probably on the right track with wire connections.  Don't forget to remove and clean the distal or business end of the grounding cable.  What is the age of your battery and what technology?  What is the standing voltage at the battery posts when it just sits there overnight in the garage?  What is the standing voltage at the battery posts if you turn on the key and the headlights but before you crank?

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[fotoguzzi]

how old is the battery? I'd start with a load test.

[hidn45]

It's an AGM stock size battery, new about a year & a half ago.

It's finally quit raining for a bit, so I'll get the meter out tonite when I get home.

[Kiwi_Roy]

That's exactly the symptoms I expect with battery terminal oxidization, the lead oxide is a perfect insulator.
The last tiny point of contact melts with the cranking current and everything goes black.

Scrape and protect with Vaseline, it won't happen.
Do the same with the main ground which should be to the gearbox not the chassis.

[chuck peterson]

The "just a relay click..." sounds like startus interuptus to me...I had it on a cal III. Send fused 12v to the starter relay straight from the battery instead there and back again thru the harness, but clean and check all your grounds. Night and day difference in my confidence with the bike, too...I hear tell its continued on with much later models...big Breva, sport 1200, Ev?...

[hidn45]

I looked at startus interruptus, but everything I saw was for newer bikes.  The direct connect does sound like a good plan, though - I'll investigate that some more...

So I went out to see what I could see...  Lots of volts, so I turned the key just to see, & lo, there is life.  Well, might as well give it a shot...  Push the GO button - one good 'klack' & all is dark again.  But, there is hope...  Might as well start with the easy stuff, even though everything "looks ok".  Cleaned & brightened, greased & re-tightened, we try again.

Barely touched the starter & she's purring like a kitten.  She always did start well (unless it's raining...)  Wouldn't have thought that was it from looking at it, but that just goes to show ya....

Once it decides to be a bit warmer I'll take some time, get out my stool, & go through the starter circuit top to bottom.  May even strip the starter down & spiff it up a bit.  For now, though, it's good to know that my baby's ok &, with a little work, she'll be good to go....

Thanks, all, for the kind responses.  The collective knowledge of the group here is an invaluable resource that, luckily, I have rarely needed (although I've probably jinxed that now....).  I hope to be able to get going on my T3 project soon though, so I'm sure I'll be dipping into the well again before too long....

Thanks again!

randy

[Daniel Kalal]

...direct connect does sound like a good plan...

I'd guess that pretty much all the Cal2s that are still running have had this problem (mine did).   The factory wiring of the starter relay is a bit odd--the same wire that supplies power to the relay is also sending power to the starter solenoid, which misses the point of having a relay in the first place.  You can run a new wire from the relay to your solenoid quite easily--the connector is there already (which effectively connects the battery to the solenoid with a minimum of yards and yards of wire)

Yes; you can clean everything and that will help (as does briefly connecting the two posts on your starter with an open pair of pliers), but the fix is so easy, I'm surprised it hasn't been done to yours.

This is well-covered in Guzziology* (you should get a copy); including the diagrams of where you need to add the new wire.

*We all have respect for Dave's work, which is why you'll not see photocopies of the relevant page on this site.

[hidn45]

I do have a copy of Guzziology, but I must admit, I haven't devoted the time I should have to it to be as familiar as I should with it.  Guess I just didn't think to look there....  I will review & implement the procedure forthwith....  Thanks Daniel!