CLOCK GOING TO 00.00 - Not Fuse 3

[robc]

Evening All,
Over the Christmas period and during the bad weather my 2002 1150GS was parked up for about a month. Long enough for the battery to go flat and the clock to go off.

Last week I bought an Optimate 4 to recharge it. Optimate says the battery is in good condition. Can I believe that? The battery was new around 1 year ago, just before I bought the bike.

After recharging it I turned on the ignition and the clock showed 00:00 as expected. After a few minutes I turned off the ignition and the clock went off. Not as expected. Turning on the ignition again and the clock shows 00:00 again. Again, not as expected.

Searching this forum I found many threads describing similar symptoms and the fix has always been to replace fuse 3. This I did today but no joy. The original fuse appears to be ok too.

The bike starts, lights work, horn works, oil temp and fuel gauge work.

A HID was fitted by a previous owner. I've had the bike almost a year with no issues that can be attributed to that so I'm assuming the conversion is tickety boo.

The bike is garaged every night (as it was by the previous owner) and it's parked in an underground car park when at work.

What to check next?

I saw some posts saying a potential cause could be the accessory socket is causing a short circuit but that blows fuse 3. My accessory socket appears to be badly corroded - it's gone green.

All help appreciated.

Regards

Rob C

 

[roddy]

I saw some posts saying a potential cause could be the accessory socket is causing a short circuit but that blows fuse 3. My accessory socket appears to be badly corroded - it's gone green.

can't help too much with the clock going to zero, but it would be a good measure to get the aux socket cleaned out, if it's next to the starter, it's a easy task to take the whole thing off and disconnected from the battery so you can clean it properly.

The only obversation I can make regarding the zero clock is if you set the time before you start the bike does it zero after it's started if so this would point to a battery with a low capacity

 

[illustratedman]

00

Test the battery properly not with an optimate would be my first step.

 

[Stewart H]

Whilst you are cleaning the acc socket, take the starter cover off and clean the acc socket connector at the same time, mine was very green.
Stewart

 

[davegs]

Battery

If it's a gel it's probably had it, don't take too much notice of what the optimate says though they are very good I find.
Dave GS

 

[raginmund]

I have the same issue. And the same optimate. And home-fitted HID by previous owner.

It doesn't bother me, but would be nice to know the cause.

 

[mr_magicfingers]

Is the clock going dead when you try to start it? Low battery can cause it, mine was doing it and not turning over well. Optimate didn't fix it, battery was simply on the way out. New gel battery from sherlocks and I haven't seen the problem return, hopefully I won't till this battery dies in a few years.

 

[HarryMcGuinness]

Evening All,
Over the Christmas period and during the bad weather my 2002 1150GS was parked up for about a month. Long enough for the battery to go flat and the clock to go off.

Last week I bought an Optimate 4 to recharge it. Optimate says the battery is in good condition. Can I believe that? The battery was new around 1 year ago, just before I bought the bike.

After recharging it I turned on the ignition and the clock showed 00:00 as expected. After a few minutes I turned off the ignition and the clock went off. Not as expected. Turning on the ignition again and the clock shows 00:00 again. Again, not as expected.

Searching this forum I found many threads describing similar symptoms and the fix has always been to replace fuse 3. This I did today but no joy. The original fuse appears to be ok too.

The bike starts, lights work, horn works, oil temp and fuel gauge work.

A HID was fitted by a previous owner. I've had the bike almost a year with no issues that can be attributed to that so I'm assuming the conversion is tickety boo.

The bike is garaged every night (as it was by the previous owner) and it's parked in an underground car park when at work.

What to check next?

I saw some posts saying a potential cause could be the accessory socket is causing a short circuit but that blows fuse 3. My accessory socket appears to be badly corroded - it's gone green.

All help appreciated.

Regards

Rob C

Your issue with the clock sounds quite unusual.
The clock is on a permanent power supply and it will go off if the voltage level drops below approx. 7V --> e.g. Battery flat, during start up with faulty starter, etc..

If the clock goes off with the ignition off I would try the following

• 
  Measure via a multimeter the (permanent) 12V+ supply on the plug of the display unit with the ignition switched off. You should get a value between 10.5V and 12.5V, depending how good the battery is charged up.

• If yes, that would mean that your display is faulty and plays a game with you.

• If no, disconnect your accessory sockets and measure again. Corrosion can create a current between the contacts and discharge the battery.

• If still no, check your wiring loop and fuse connector box for damages and contact corrosions. High resistance at a contact could lower the current to minimum which could cause the clock to switch off.

I don't think it is the HID ballast in your case as you have mentioned that the conversion is running since a year without trouble.

Good luck!

 

[gabriel_gs]

New battery.

Been there twice.

New battery.

Done.

 

[HarryMcGuinness]

New battery.

Been there twice.

New battery.

Done.

The bike starts, lights work, horn works, oil temp and fuel gauge work.

Hardly to believe that the battery is strong enough to start the bike but not able to keep the clock alive when the ignition is turned off

Very powerfull clock...

 

[gabriel_gs]

With mine the bike would start, though reluctantly and once running the alternator provides enough charge for everything, including the clock

On the first attempt to start the bike though, all remaining charge from the battery went into the starter (I assume!) we which would result in the clock being wiped initially, but the bike would at least start and the clock reset to 00:00.

I guess the battery was just old and therefore just not holding enough new charge

A new battery sorted it for me.

I'm no mechanic, Harry, but I can't argue with the result... twice

 

[Steptoe]

With mine the bike would start, though reluctantly and once running the alternator provides enough charge for everything, including the clock

On the first attempt to start the bike though, all remaining charge from the battery went into the starter (I assume!) we which would result in the clock being wiped initially, but the bike would at least start and the clock reset to 00:00.

I guess the battery was just old and therefore just not holding enough new charge

A new battery sorted it for me.

I'm no mechanic, Harry, but I can't argue with the result... twice

You've got the symptom wrong, before anyone else starts going up the wrong garden path and offereing wrong advice - the posters problem is the clock zeroing when the ignition is turned off.

Your advice is for the normal low battery where the clock zeros when starting.

As the poster has said, the normal fault for the clock zeroing when turning the ignition off is fuse 3 has blown, but not in this case.

This could be the rid connection, check the plug is clean and no corrosion.

I've had one bike where the clock zero"d each time the ignition was turned off, checked it and the clock didn't run through fuse 3, it run through fuse 5, the motronic fuse. So all power was turned off when the ignition was off. Never did get to the bottom of it.

 

[gabriel_gs]

 

[robc]

Update:

Last week I left the bike in the garage with the Optimate disconnected to see what happens.

Tuesday: I turned on the ignition, clock came on and went to 00:00 as expected and went off again when the ignition was turned off. No news there. Just to be on the safe side I put in a new fuse 3. Same result.

Sunday: I had a little time spare to do some fettling. Took the bike out of the garage, turned on the ignition and the clock came on and went to 00:00. When the ignition was turned off the clock stayed on. Great. I set the time and put the bike back in the garage.

Monday morning: Clock still on and showed the correct time so off I went to work.
Monday night: Clock off. Went to 00:00 when the ignition was turned on. When I got home the clock showed 2:20. Not bad for a 154 mile ride home at rush hour. The clock went off with the ignition.

Tuesday morning: Went into the garage this morning to find the clock had come back on by itself whilst I was tucked up in bed.

Sounds like a dodgy connection somewhere. If I get some time this weekend I'll try fettling again.

If it were a knackered battery the bike would be slow to start - it wasn't - and the ABS lights would blink at me to say the battery was duff - they didn't.

I'll have to go out and buy a multimeter now. I bet I'll read the instructions, stick the probes on some connections and hear a loud buzz before asking for help again.

Regards

Rob C

 

[Deleted account 220427002]

Did you do what Steptoe said

 

[essjay]

if your hid ballast is mounted up behind or near to the rid i would move it. Might not be the cause but it would be another thing to check off the list. The ballasts are known to mess with the rid

 

[Packer]

if your hid ballast is mounted up behind or near to the rid i would move it. Might not be the cause but it would be another thing to check off the list. The ballasts are known to mess with the rid

But he has had the bike a year prior to the fault appearing.

Corrosion/bad connection somewhere. A cheapish multimeter should be good enough to help with the detective work

 

[essjay]

But he has had the bike a year prior to the fault appearing.

Corrosion/bad connection somewhere. A cheapish multimeter should be good enough to help with the detective work

Yep saw that alright - my thinking is that the ballast might not be functioning 100% correct and perhaps became defective over the last few months. It still lights the bulb but maybe there is a bit of a power surge when switching it on or off.

It's a simple thing to check and as I said it could be another item to check off the list of possibles.

 

[robc]

I don't think it's the HID. The problem occurs even when the headlight is off. The problem also went away in the middle of the night whilst the bike was parked up.

I'll pull the connectors apart at the weekend and take a look.

Sounds like a dodgy connector somewhere.

Regards

Rob C

 

[Invicta Moto]

With mine the bike would start, though reluctantly and once running the alternator provides enough charge for everything, including the clock

On the first attempt to start the bike though, all remaining charge from the battery went into the starter (I assume!) we which would result in the clock being wiped initially, but the bike would at least start and the clock reset to 00:00.

I guess the battery was just old and therefore just not holding enough new charge

A new battery sorted it for me.

I'm no mechanic, Harry, but I can't argue with the result... twice

Mine did that last Wednesday. It does it every year after a month or two layoff over Christmas/New Year.

I always charge a spare battery (off my old Kettle) and jump from that. The clock alway zeroes on any attempt to start it before I attach the spare battery.