98 EV Electrical Problems

[screamday]

As though the battery was disconnected?

Yep

[rodekyll]

Relationship to running time, miles, event (gassing up/highway to stop-n-go, etc), temperature or weather?  (Be specific here -- one-word answers don't count)

[Tom H]

I'm still learning the new bike electrics. I had thought a bad battery connection.  After reading this OP again. Could it be a heat related electrical issue that would cut the power like turning off a switch. What might get hot and do this, voltage regulator, a main power relay or the like?

Just a thought that might lead to an answer.

Good luck,
Tom

[screamday]

Relationship to running time, miles, event (gassing up/highway to stop-n-go, etc), temperature or weather?  (Be specific here -- one-word answers don't count)

Ok.....I'll give it my best shot.

Running times/Miles:

1st Failure: From Office to work - 5 Miles, 20 minutes max running time

2nd Failure: From Garage to street corner - less than 100 Ft, less than 5 minutes

3rd Failure: From Garage to Bojangles - 1/2 mile, a little more than 5 minutes running time.

All stop and go traffic , no highway (won't take it on the highway at this point). First two times was mild temperatures.....pr obably around 75 degrees. Last time was cool, mid 50's. Don't remember the last time I put gas in it but it has a full tank. Usually use premium, what is that these days 91 octane??

[Chet Rugg]

A buddy of mine had a 98 ev we were working on that ran fine. We were just adding things hitch,spot lights ,bags things like that.
In fact we were done ready to load and go to a rally.
I had the right side cover off at the time putting in new relays and fuses.
I had reached over the bike from the left side and pushed in the front fuses. While pushing in the fuse my little finger touched some wires that went into the bottom of the relay sockets.
Put the side cover on and was going to start the bike. Nothing nada zip! What in the world happened.
On a 98 ev there is a brown wire that makes a small loop and goes in the bottom of a relay socket towards the front of the row of relays and fuses.
My little finger had hit that wire and pulled it out of its place. Pushed it back up in the hole and every thing was fine fired up ran perfect.
It was a bad crimp on the wire. Finally got the spade out of the socket and it was just built that way the crimp was bad from new the wire just never fell out till I touched it.
Very small spade unlike any I had ever seen. Finally found one at a Chevy dealership and their special crimp tool to fit it.The dealership had to buy this kit to service electrical problems that might arise in the newer pickups that used that size. They had never used any of the spades or crimping tool since they had purchased it. Took the crimp tool and new spade to my shop stripped the end of that brown wire made a good crimp slide it back into the bottom of the relay socket and off we went.
Guess my point is if that wire would have moved out of place while we were going down the road the bike would have been dead and we would have probably went crazy trying to figure out what happened while sitting along side the road.
We just got lucky that it was in my shop when it happened and the problem was visible cause the wire was dangling and I saw it. Pure de LUCK!
Your problem could be something that simple but not visible.
Lot of wires lot of crimps on spades that are inside plugs and everything like that.
I feel your pain and have no real answers except electrical problems can be hidden anywhere!! Good luck with your search.
The Bassa or any with the 1.5 small brain box does not have that brown wire go figure?

Just a story but a true story 
Chet

[screamday]

Thanks Chett........every little bit of information helps......maybe. 

[Chuck in Indiana]

As though the battery was disconnected?

That is what the man's saying. There are very few things that will cause that. Should be easy to find..
I'm sure Wayne will get it. 

[creaky99]

I'm thinking it's a ground problem.

[organfixsing]

Yes I agree with "creaky99". It is most likely a ground prblem from the negative of the battery. Check this ground wire and check that where it bolts to the frame that it has a good connection without paint under neath it.

Cheers
Brian   

[screamday]

Thanks guys......all battery connections have been checked and re-checked.

[pehayes]

Lots of advice here, but no solutions as yet.  So, the 'range' of suggestions can widen a bit.  We'll exclude alien death ray intervention for now.  Tell me what brand and model of battery you just installed.  I've had lots of experience with AGM technology batteries.  While they generally last a very long time, when they fail they do so often without any advance notice.  Perfectly fine one minute and totally paperweight the next.  I have experienced a 'brand new' failure like this in under 30 days.  To be fair, once they exhibit this death symptom they usually do NOT come back to life, even a little.  Do you have another bike with the same size battery?  Do you have a nearby friend with the same size battery?  Can you install a substitute battery and see if the symptoms go away?  Grasping at straws, but the problem persists so everything is still fair game.

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[rodekyll]

You've mentioned three instances of the problem.  Have there been more?  Have you had the problem every time you take it out, or just "sometimes" (percentage would be good if applicable)?

[Dilliw]

You've mentioned three instances of the problem.  Have there been more?  Have you had the problem every time you take it out, or just "sometimes" (percentage would be good if applicable)?

The first time this happened was during the National Relay so that will tell you how long.  We were about 80 miles from the house when the bike just died.  Nothing. 

[screamday]

You've mentioned three instances of the problem.  Have there been more?  Have you had the problem every time you take it out, or just "sometimes" (percentage would be good if applicable)?

I have pretty much quit riding the bike since the first and second incidents I mentioned above. The third time was a test ride to see if the new battery made a difference and it did not.

I had forgotten about the incident that George mentioned. That was a while ago and I'm not quite sure, but after I got it home from that trip I, purely by accident, jiggled some connectors under the right side steering head chrome cover that's just under the tank.  It worked after that.

Patrick......I don't know exactly what kind of battery I bought, I'll have to check. I got it from Batteries Plus and it's a sealed battery. But the problem was happening before I installed the new battery.

[guzzisteve]

"I had forgotten about the incident that George mentioned. That was a while ago and I'm not quite sure, but after I got it home from that trip I, purely by accident, jiggled some connectors under the right side steering head chrome cover that's just under the tank.  It worked after that"

That's where the 4 pin connector is bad on mine, harness side going to ign switch, just like shutting key off.

[screamday]

"I had forgotten about the incident that George mentioned. That was a while ago and I'm not quite sure, but after I got it home from that trip I, purely by accident, jiggled some connectors under the right side steering head chrome cover that's just under the tank.  It worked after that"

That's where the 4 pin connector is bad on mine, harness side going to ign switch, just like shutting key off.

Thanks Steve! That sounds like a good place to start this weekend.

[oldbike54]

Thanks Mona, I am out of the office until Monday, I will respond then.
Roy


Sent from my shoe phone!

 

  Dusty

[Kiwi_Roy]

HaHa, I answered a text and it got cross threaded I guess.

[fotoguzzi]

Thanks Steve! That sounds like a good place to start this weekend.

I'd start with some fresh relays.. you can get them at any auto parts store..

[oldbike54]

HaHa, I answered a text and it got cross threaded I guess.

 No worries mate , it gave me laugh , figured it was just posted in the wrong place 

 Dusty

[Kiwi_Roy]

Did the EV come out in 98 with the 15M ECU as Carl shows on his schematic, my 98 had the large Pizza box.
Carl also shows Fuse 1 in the regulator, mine used fuse 1 in the petcock

[Chuck in Indiana]

I, purely by accident, jiggled some connectors under the right side steering head chrome cover that's just under the tank.  It worked after that.

Looks to me as if you've already found it. Fix that. <shrug> 

[screamday]

"I had forgotten about the incident that George mentioned. That was a while ago and I'm not quite sure, but after I got it home from that trip I, purely by accident, jiggled some connectors under the right side steering head chrome cover that's just under the tank.  It worked after that"

That's where the 4 pin connector is bad on mine, harness side going to ign switch, just like shutting key off.

Steve.....are these the connectors you are talking about? This is a picture I took the first time this happened in 2009. I don't want to just "jiggle" them this time I want to try to find where the real problem is so I'm gonna pull the tank off and see if I can figure out how to test the connections.

[John A]

A visual inspection, then to try and find the actual defect manipulate the wires with the ignition on to see if you can get it to fail. Then I'd disconnect and look for bad things like corrosion and unseated wires etc. the white wire on the left looks like it is unseated. Maybe.....

[azguzzirep]

This is no help at all, but in 1999 or 2000 I could have bought a 98EV two tone blue, just like the one I have now, for $5000. That's what the dealer (Steve in Tucson ) would give him on a trade in.

The bike left him stranded a couple of times and he was mad at it and didn't want it anymore. It was probably worth twice that amount. But when you don't have 5 G's laying around...

[pehayes]

Dig the EV come out in 98 with the 15M ECU as Carl shows on his schematic, my 98 had the large Pizza box.
Carl also shows Fuse 1 in the regulator, mine used fuse 1 in the petcock

98EV has the larger, P8 box under the seat.
The 98EV is a bit of a chimaera.  Half of the wiring looks like Carl's 98EV.  The other half looks like Carl's 1100i.  IIRC, any wiring related to the FI system will follow the 1100i plan.  Regina and I each have 98EV.  Almost identical except for color.  I made a narrative plan for field identification of our fuses and relays.  Maybe print this and keep it in your toolkit.

1998 V11EV RELAY AND FUSE PLAN
VIEWED FROM THE RIGHT SIDE
COUNTING REAR TOWARD FRONT

RELAY #1   Starter
RELAY #2   Horn
RELAY #3   Side Stand Safety
RELAY #4   Headlight
FUSE #1   Fuel Petcock
FUSE #2   Turn Signal Flasher � Parking Light � Instrument lights
FUSE #3   Brake Light (foot) � Horn � Starter Solenoid
FUSE #4   Brake Light (hand) � Headlights � Charging � Tachometer � Idiot Lights
RELAY #5   Fuel Injectors � Computer � Relay #6
FUSE #5   Fuel Pump Relay � Fuel Injectors - Computer
FUSE #6   Fuel Pump - Coils
RELAY #6   Fuel Pump � Coils

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[Kiwi_Roy]

Thanks Patrick, you're right it looks like the 96 California 1100i (not the Sport 1100i)

While I had my EV I ran a direct feed to the Start and Horn relay 30 it made the horns and starter work better, the headlight relay had to be disconnected from the Start relay though.

[screamday]

OK....I've narrowed it down to the connector with the red arrow. I can cause the on and off problem just by wiggling the connector while holding it.

[guzzisteve]

Here is a place that has the connectors & pins or a kit. I knew you could find it.

I'm going to get a kit before I mess w/it on mine, I narrowed it down to the wire. I can then just snip, strip, and crimp on new pins then assemble the connector.

The wire is loose on mine but yours may just be corrosion on the pins.

[screamday]

Here is a place that has the connectors & pins or a kit. I knew you could find it.

Hmmm....did you forget the link?