Motorcycle Electrical Fault Finding Diagram

The use of a universal fault finding chart is a good way of finding the fault in most of the charging-systems on motorcycles. Go through the tests step by step, following the procedure accurately. If you're not completely sure that you have the basic knowledge required with electrical systems on motorcycles, don't do the tests yourself, but find someone experienced in this field to help you.

Click the image to enlarge.








Flowchart #1 Start Here









Flowchart #2














Flowchart #3

As you can see from the flowchart, madalas sinasabi na cause of problem ay bad connection and as such, the connectors needs to be cleaned. Scroll down and read the my article on the wonders of using "contact cleaners".

Sparkplug Sidegapping

If you find Iridium plugs to be too expensive, but wants to have a similar effect thats less expensive, try sparkplug sidegapping, It'll give you a more responsive acceleration and a slight increase in top speed. Click the link below if you want to know more.

Sparkplug Sidegapping (How To)

Note: Works well on ordinary plugs and not the pointed tip ones like Iridium plugs or NGK G-power

The Power Of Contact Cleaners

Malabo ba headlight mo sa idle kesa "dati" na parang kumukurap kurap tulad sa signal light? Sumasabay din ba sa pag kurap yung ilaw sa instrument panel mo? Para bang mahina kuryente ng motor mo?? Ngongo ang busina or minsan hindi responsive when you press the horn button? And always parang drained or hindi fully charged ng battery mo even though its new?? At minsan mahirap i-start? Try using contact cleaners!

Contact cleaners are a very useful tool for motorcycles, it cleans oil, grease, dirt and other foreign materials from precision mechanical to delicate electrical/electronic equipments. Very useful ito sa mga electrical terminals ng MC. Dirty, greasy, oily and corrossive electrical terminals contributes to poor conduction of electricity, I usually use contact cleaners on electronic equipments as well as electrical terminals , but have never used it on motorcycles. I have a non-conductive, fast evaporating general purpose contact cleaner and degreaser, it cost around P200 plus sa ACE hardware, the LPS brand is much more expensive, it looks like a can of WD-40, straw included for spraying on crevices and tight spaces. Like I said I've never use one before on my motorcycle not until very recently lang, I was cleaning my MC a few weeks ago, among my maintenance procedure was to clean my sparkplug, I took it out, cleaned the electrodes, filed and grind the outer electrode to make the edges sharp (electrical sparks jumps easily on sharp edges), when I put back my plugs and crank the kick starter... i was shocked, ayaw umandar MC ko!!! waaaahh! wa happen???! even after numerous kicks, ayaw pa rin, I sat for awhile to think, then I saw my hands, dirty and greasy from cleaning my MC, and I thought although I did clean the electrodes, I was holding the order side of the sparkplug with my greasy hands (yung side kung san kinakabit yung plug cap)... so I cleaned my hands and took out the sparkplug once again and saw na greasy/dirty nga yung kabilang electrode na kinakabitan ng plug caps, I cleaned that other electrode, making sure no grease and oil came into contact with it, after which I placed it back in my engine, it took me around 4 kicks to get my engine running (normally 1 kick lang), and when it did started, ang sama ng andar! waaaaaah ulit! Then I recalled, pares pala yun! yung side ng electrode na kinakabitan ng plug cap, and yung mismong "contact" sa loob ng plug cap... being its rather deep, I decided na lang to spray it with contact cleaner to make my job much easier, I sprayed a moderate amount let it dry and placed the plug back, my MC started on the 1st kick, and the engine was running much better...

I was so happy with the result that I removed my all of my fairings and sprayed some contact cleaner on just about any electrical terminals and connectors I could find, and after doing so and placed back all the fairings, I started my MC once again, my lights was much brighter, no more obvious flickering during idle, my horn is much more responsive, and the engine ran much better than before...

Places where I sprayed some contact cleaner

• Battery Terminals
• R/R connector
• CDI connector
• Fuse terminal
• Ignition coil input terminal (terminal coming from CDI to the Ignition Coil)
• Bulb sockets (headlight, brakelight, signal lights)
• On/Off switches and push buttons
• Other electrical terminals/connectors usually found inside and below the head unit.
  
• Ground terminals (-)
  

Remove one terminal at a time, and spray some contact cleaner and place it back, baka malito kayo sa pagkabit pag sabay sabay tatanggalin lahat. Though it seems na hindi madaling pasukan ng dirt and oil ang mga terminals and connectors, the reality is it does, lalo na kung luma na ang MC mo and have been subjected to numerous repairs, harsh elements (bagyo, ulan) and very long rides. For those who find contact cleaners to be expensive, you can use WD-40 or just a Lighter Fluid.

Keep in mind that the number 1 problem with any charging system are bad/poor connections. So before you replace anything or add anything to your electrical system, try using contact cleaner muna... Chances are, your problem will be solve without the need to replace nor add anything... Though I'm not an expert with regards to motorcycle electricity or mechanics, I did solve alot of electrical issues with my friend's MCs using just a can of contact cleaner...

Acetone on fuel

I saw a thread on MCP about putting acetone in fuel, the benefits of acetone caught my attention and got me interested. After reading the article, I find it very interesting but still a sceptic, since acetone can melt or dissolve rubber I was afraid to try it at first on my motorcycle since the fuel lines are made out of rubber as well as some gaskets in the carb.... takot ako baka matunaw and eventually mag leak ang gasolina, but curiousity got the better of me and what better way to test it is to try it first hand... but before I did, I made some research on the net... nag google ako for acetone use on cars and was amazed that alot of people are using it on their vehicles and with positive results... though convinced but still a sceptic, I decided to do a little experiment, to try out its effects on automotive rubbers... I went to the nearest motorcycle shop and bought the cheapest fuel hose i could find, I increased the ratio of acetone per liter of fuel in order to simulate any worst case scenario, I placed around 1ml of acetone and 5ml of gasoline (the suggested ratio is only 1/15th of 1 percent-see figure below) in a small glass container, the ratio I used is 20% acetone per liter of fuel or more than 100times of what is required. I then placed the rubber fuel hose and rubber gasket inside the acetone/fuel mixture, shook it a bit and left it for a 3 weeks. 3 weeks later, I checked the rubber fuel hose and rubber gasket to look for any damages, breaks, cracks, swellness etc... but could not find one.... now its time to try it! masubukan nga!


How It works:

Complete vaporization of fuel is far from perfect in today's vehicles. A certain amount of residual fuel in most engines remains liquid in the hot chamber. In order to be fully combusted, the fuel must be fully vaporized.

Surface tension presents an obstacle to vaporization. For instance the energy barrier from surface tension can sometimes force water to reach 300 degrees Fahrenheit before it vaporizes. Similarly with gasoline.

Acetone drastically reduces the surface tension. Most fuel molecules are sluggish with respect to their natural frequency. Acetone has an inherent molecular vibration that "stirs up" the fuel molecules, to break the surface tension. This results in a more complete vaporization with other factors remaining the same. More complete vaporization means less wasted fuel, hence the increased gas mileage from the increased thermal efficiency.

That excess fuel was formerly wasted past the rings or sent out the tailpipe but when mixed with acetone it gets burned, though the engine still thinks it is running straight gas.

Acetone allows gasoline to behave more like the ideal automotive fuel which is PROPANE. The degree of improved mileage depends on how much unburned fuel you are presently wasting. You might gain 15 to 35-percent better economy from the use of acetone. Sometimes even more.

Now on to the good part! putting acetone on fuel...

What you need:
1 5ml syringe
1 Bottle of pure grade acetone - I bought mine at Mercury Drug, Apollo ang brand



Measurements and Ratios:

Figure 1:
Percentage MILEAGE GAIN when a tiny amount of acetone is added to fuel. The curves A B C show the effect on three different cars using different gasolines. Some engines respond better than others to acetone. The D curve is for diesel fuel. Too much acetone decreases mileage slightly due to adding too much octane to the fuel. Too much additive would upset the mixture ratio because acetone (like alcohol) is a light molecule and tends to lean the mixture.

The measurements from the chart are shown in ounces and gallons, the ratio is 1 ounce per 10gallons of petrol (minimum) with optimum percent gain at 3 ounces per 10 gallon (maximum for petrol and 2 ounces per 10 gallons on diesel engines).

The ratio of 1 oz. per 10 gallons is equivalent to 0.78ml per liter in metric (unit of measurement sa pinas), so based sa chart sa taas, 0.78ml per liter ang minmum (1 oz / 10 gal) at 2.33ml per liter naman ang maximun (3 oz. / 10 gal.)

Adding Acetone to your tank
Simulan po ninyo muna sa ratio na 0.78ml / liter, then take note of the power increase and mileage till the next gas refill, sa ratio na ito rin ako nagsimula, increase the ratio to 1.5ml / liter on your next refill and take note again the mileage and "feel" ng hatak whether mas lumakas pa ng onti from the 0.78ml / liter ratio, do the same with the 2.33ml / liter... after which see kung saang ratio "happy" kayo at ang MC nyo...

Maximum percent gain on my Shogun R is at a ratio of 2.33ml / liter, all smile kami ng Shogun ko sa ganitong ratio! As for my new Raider150, 1.56ml ang tamang ratio.

Note: The effects of acetone is negated when used fuel with ethanol (E10).