charging system problem

[Wolfeyes]

greetings,

I have just posted this in the vintage forum as well so some of you may read this twice. I have a 1980 kawasaki kz1000 that died on me yesterday 5 blocks from home thats a ***** of a bike to push in 80 degree weather. anyways it stalled out on me in 2nd gear and the battery was completly dead no lights no nothing couldnt start it with the elctric start or the kickstart. it is a 3 day old battery in the bike so its not an old battery. so i am wondering if anyone has any idead as what the problem could be thanks in advance

[QKENUF4U]

sounds like the main fuse blew. will more than likely be located on the STARTER RELAY (+ battery cable runs down to it then another cable runs to the starter motor)

[Wolfeyes]

its not the fuse checked that already the battery still has a small amount of powerfor the lights when i checked it this afternoon but the push button start does nothing but dim the lights, it doesnt even make a noise and the kick start does nothing, but when we jump it she starts fine then dies immediatly when jumper cables are removed

[QKENUF4U]

got a problem if the bike shuts off when ya remove the cables.
first thing i would do is make sure the cables are tight/clean. make sure the battery is not DRY (fill w/ distilled water)
then check the charging system with a volt meter at the battery.
off = 12v +
idle = 12.5v + (prob. closer to 12.8-13v)
3000rpm = 13.5v+ (prob. closer to 14v+)
might want to charge that battery for the next 8hrs (8hr at 2 amps) and make sure its not just a bad battery. you could pull it out and have a shop do a load test to tell ya the condition of the battery.

[Wolfeyes]

if i have a charging sytem problem what are the main componenets in the charging system if you dont mind answering that im hoping to fix it up cheaply since i am in the process of moving my family into our first house

[Rubline]

I had Two Z-1's way back when. They were notorious for overcharging. After 200 miles or so, the battery was dry, cooked the acid out of it. I learned to live with. Could that be your problem?. at the time, there were no answers for overcharging problems.

[Wolfeyes]

not an overcharging problem due to the battery dien and on top of everything i charged the battery yesterday and was getting ready to troubleshoot the charging system then when i went to start the bike she wont start. she tries to start but wont kick over completly anyone got any hints to what can cuase that

[QKENUF4U]

loose cable,dirty connection,bad battery

[Wolfeyes]

well as i was trying to start it today i noticed gas leaking from the left side of the carb and the choke im thinking the carb might be clogged?

[QKENUF4U]

carb wont make it not turn over unless youve hydrolocked it. try pulling the plugs and then trying to crank it over. if its hydrolocked it will shoot gas EVERYWHERE so have some rags over the plug holes.

[wiredgeorge]

Wolfeyes, the carb problem has nothing to do with the bike quitting. You have a couple of problem spots where this problem could happen. FIRST thing to check is the wire coming off your neg battery terminal. It screws into your engine. Make sure it is tight. Second problem spot is the right hand switchgear connector where the switchgear connects to the wiring harness. This connector is under the tank on the right side of the frame neck. If it is a tad loose, your bike will DIE... Clean this connector with contact cleaner, use some dielectic grease on the contacts and use a wire tire to keep it firmly together. It tends to pull apart when you jiggle the tank or remove the tank. Next possible problem area is the kill switch. They have a bb that sits under the switch and provides detent for the switch. The bb sits in a plastic slot that wears and the switch loosens with age and will easily lose contact. ALL your power goes through that switch and it could be the kill switch is bad. I can repair them and explain how but it is easiest to just replace the right side switch gear with a better one if this is the problem. Last problem is the igntion switch. All your power goes through that switch and the connector to the right hand switch gear. This connector is in the headlight bucket. Again, open, clean and lube as in the previous example of connector rehab but if the problem is anywhere, it is more likely the igntion switch itself. They have plastic bits that wear and the contacts get loose. www.z1enterprises.com sells a replacement switch that is easy to install and comes with two keys. The keys will work on your gas cap but you will need to keep the original keys to open your seat or lock the forks.