Hot Cranking Problems

[YellowJacket!]

Check your fuse block too.  If you are still using the original fuse block and its all old and corroded, you are proably not getting enough juice to the starter.
May want to check your ground connection as well as the connection at the starter.

Just some ideas.

David

Think I may have figured it out - everything was completely dead when I got ready to leave work Friday, so I checked the fuses and the main 30A fuse had a clip that was loose on one side and pretty corroded (and the plastic appeared to have melted under the clip).  I walked to Auto Zone and got some in-line blade-style fuse holders and replaced all four fuses with those, and she's been cranking well since then with no apparent loss of charge.  So in my theory, the loose, corroded clip created a partial connection that was generating a lot of heat (hence the melted plastic) instead of passing full amperage from the stator to the battery.  But there was still enough current flowing to charge the battery to some extent (hence the battery never completely dying).  I guess I'll find out in another week or so if this one sticks.  Hope so!

There's a ton of strange speculation going on in this thread.  Can't even begin to follow the various proposed explanations. 

Heh heh heh...seems like  was finally right!  :-)

David

[jim_bowie]

Ha, I'm going to wait until the thing runs well for more than a week before I hand out credit for a solution - but yeah, looks like you called it.  Thanks for the help!  I was getting pretty frustrated.

[Kid Jedi]

+1 Yellow Jacket

[GT @ oh.]

You guys probably wont believe....... but I was gonna say check the fuse box...... 20+ years ago I had a similar problem and thats what it ended up being the original fuse box was shot and getting poor connection.

[YellowJacket!]

Ha, I'm going to wait until the thing runs well for more than a week before I hand out credit for a solution - but yeah, looks like you called it.  Thanks for the help!  I was getting pretty frustrated.

heh heh.... I learned from experience.

I had looked at my fuse block and it looked OK but I never really checked it.  Mine did exactly what yours did.  While the tabs were holding the fuses in place, they were corroded and weak.  The first time I took a fuse out to check it, one of te tabs broke off.  The second fuse did the same thing.

I ended up getting a fuse block from Radio Shack and taking the fuse holders out and sticking them into the OEM fuse block.  It still works but my next project is to put in a newer automotive style fuse block.

David

[jim_bowie]

Right now I've got four heavily-taped tendrils of yellow wire floating around under the seat with the in-line fuse holders at the ends. Untidy as it is, I kind of like it - reminds me of the intestines inside the frog I dissected in high school.  It helps with the Vision-as-cantankerous-female-companion metaphor when there are a few things that look biological floating around inside.  Maybe I'll put a wig on the headlight next?! Might be taking it too far.

[Kid Jedi]

ya..


wig on the headlight bucket,

lipstick on the headlight...

Skirt on the rear swingarm....


Sorry what were we discussing?