Battery appears to die when ignition key is turned on

[urbanista]

I have a 2014 Roketa MC-46-150. Coming up on about a year of trouble-free riding.

A few weeks ago, while riding back to work, it looked like my turn signals weren't working. At the end of the day, when I turned the ignition to "On" the digital clock went blank, and the volt meter and fuel gauge did not move. Needless to say I couldn't start it. Left it at work over the weekend and on Monday it started miraculously. I've been riding it back and forth to work since then without any problems.

Yesterday, after an uneventful ride home from work, I stopped off a few blocks from home to grab something to eat. Ten or fifteen minutes later, I got ready to go home. Clock was still showing the correct time. Turned the ignition key to "On." Clock goes blank, fuel and volt gauge do not budge. Turned the key back to "Off" and the clock came back on, showing "12:00." Turning the key to any other position does not seem to affect the clock, but "On" makes the clock look like the battery leads are disconnected. Haven't been able to start it since.

Today, I took out the ignition key switch and stripped it as far down as I could go. Didn't see any broken wires or anything. I've also been scouring YouTube but couldn't find any helpful videos.

Has anyone ever seen something like this? Any advice would be tremendously appreciated.

[bull]

Lots of possibilities from corroded terminals in the switch, to battery going bad, to charging system problems. Grab your DMM and carry it with you, when it happens next time check batt voltage. When you get it running check the charging voltage.

[urbanista]

Originally Posted by bull

Lots of possibilities from corroded terminals in the switch, to battery going bad, to charging system problems. Grab your DMM and carry it with you, when it happens next time check batt voltage. When you get it running check the charging voltage.

Oh . . . so this is where it gets embarrassing. I don't have a volt meter and I don't even know what a DMM is. :-(

Is it possible that the battery is strong enough to power the clock but too weak to start the scooter? Over the weekend, I tinkered with the fuse (there's a skinny red wire that connects to the positive terminal at the batter and then runs god knows where from the terminal) and that seemed to work and I was able to get the scooter started, etc.

This morning, I started it no problem and rode to work. About five minutes in, I stopped to fill up at the gas station and it happened again. After messing with the fuse and connectors, I was able to get it started again, but only just. Whatever was happening must have happened again when I was riding because I noticed the turn signals in the dash display were weak, and the voltmeter (and gas gauge) jumped up and down in time with the blinkers. And, when I hit the brakes or was stopped (holding the brakes down), the voltmeter dropped to zero (as though the switch was "off" or the leads were disconnected).

In the absence of the tools or know-how to troubleshoot the wiring/electrical system, is there any chance a new batter may be the solution?

[kz1000st]

Check the connections at the battery. It sounds like a weak ground. You may even have loose wires at the battery terminal.

[bull]

here is a link to a good automotive pro quality DMM.

On that page is a download link to the users manual, which can help you understand how to test, even before buying a DMM.

There are cheaper DMMs available, but sooner or later you'll migrate to a more capable DMM, especially with a 150cc and above scoot.

As to your questions, I have learned from experience that anything is possible when dealing with vehicles. In fact they will frequently make a liar out of you when stating absolutes.

You might want to take the fuse out of the holder, use a ScotchBrite from the kitchen to clean the fuse and the receptacles. Also, use a small wire brush to clean the battery cables and terminals, then after re-assembly recoat the cables with a light coat of Vaseline.

[urbanista]

These are great suggestions! Thanks for the tips!