new guy needs some help

[a-ron]

Hello all im a new scooter owner and new to the forum. I bought a 2008 agility used about 3 months ago with 1200km on it. Have to say i love the scooter. So anyway when i bought the scooter i put a fresh batt in it because it had the original one still in it and the old one is shot. So any way i bought the batt in late may early june and it has worked flawlessly until the other day. I went to start it and it started but seemed a little sluggish. Rode the scooter and it started normal for the rest of the day. Let it sit over night and she was dead and had to kick start it. So i rode that. Scooter to batteries plus where i purchased the batt thinkin it was just a defectives. Batt and the guy hooked up his tester to the scooter and zit said bad diode. He said there is somthing wrong with the stator. I hooked up my vilt meter when i got home and it is only puting out about 12v when it is running at idle maby 12.3 when you idle it up.Just wondering what the voltage  should be and if anyone thinks it is a bad stotor or oher possibilities. Thanks so much

[marioG]

voltage regulator or stator are different things....
if he told u bad diode - its regulator...

without stator u cant drive for a long time, until u spend hole battery power....
if its really problem with e-start its bad rectifier and stator (alternator) cant charge battery back.......

[a-ron]

Is the rectifier a part of the stator or is it totally Seprate? Also is it common for the regulators to go bad on these machines? Thanks for ur reply

[JustWantToRide]

Not charging shouldn't make it die overnight though...  The light in the compartment under the seat can be left on if you don't get the seat down right.  Check to make sure the seat is down and the light is out - or take the bulb out.  Ride it around so it get's changed and park it overnight again.  See if it holds a charge overnight.

And no - 12 to 12.3 is not normal - it should be pushing closer to 14 when revved.  Put it on low beams with no flashers or brake lights on - and see if you're getting better than 12.3...

For a test like this - if you can't ride it - then I'd suggest parking it facing a wall on the centerstand and sit on it to make sure it doesn't bounce off the stand and go down the street.

[a-ron]

I dont have a light under the seat of mine. I ran the scoot on the stand and reved it up and held it for about 30 seconds and the best i could get out of it is about 12.5. The tool the guy put on it at batteries plus said bad diode. Not sure how accurate that is but its obviously not getting a good enough charge. Where would you start as far as diagnosis. Im no electrical wiz but can do basic stuff

[marioG]

And no - 12 to 12.3 is not normal - it should be pushing closer to 14 when revved.  Put it on low beams with no flashers or brake lights on - and see if you're getting better than 12.3...

[JustWantToRide]

12.5 isn't enough to keep your battery charged.  I still wonder why the battery died overnight - but you might have depleted it while riding and shut it off already too low to restart.

Sorry - I missed your earlier question about whether the rectifier is a part of the stator or separate.  It is separate.  It isn't uncommon for a voltage regulator to go out on any vehicle, though I have seen it more frequently in scooters than any other vehicle.  Possibly because they are normally in an enclosed area and exposed to vibration...  I don't think Kymco's regulators fail more or less than any other brands though.

Like MarioG said - the diode is the voltage regulator.  Some people also call it a rectifier - I feel that what people call it depends on their area of expertise.  On your Agility 125 it should be a small aluminum box with a black plastic 4 wire (red/green/yellow/white) connector on one end and a mounting bolt on the other.  It should be under the front cowling - near to the horn.  Any Kymco dealer should have them in stock - I would guess between $15 or 20 bucks.  You can find an aftermarket replacement if you have a good automotive supply store - but I would try for an OEM first.

Its' nice that the Batteries Plus people will check your system for free - but unless they recharged the battery first the results are tainted.   Sometimes people know how to run a test but they don't really understand it - or don't understand how to use it in a specific situation.  Since your tester said there was something wrong with the stator and the diode - he was basically saying there is a problem with your charging system (the rotor and stator make up the alternator - and when you add in the regulator that is basically your whole charging system).  When I work on computer motherboards I call it a diode, in 110/220 AC appliances I call it a rectifier, but on vehicles I always call it a regulator.  They all allow electricity to pass in one direction easier than another - but when someone refers to them differently I tend to feel this is not their area of expertise.

[Kevin]

Awesome explanation JustWantToRide.

Do you happen to know how I can test my regulator/rectifier/diode?   

I suspect it may be causing me trouble with my Auto Bystarter - I'm only getting 0.1 Volts instead of 3~8 Volts...

I thought it might be the CDI, but the two shops here in town I talked to about that said it shouldn't be...

Thanks!
--Kevin

[JustWantToRide]

Awesome explanation JustWantToRide.

Do you happen to know how I can test my regulator/rectifier/diode?   

I suspect it may be causing me trouble with my Auto Bystarter - I'm only getting 0.1 Volts instead of 3~8 Volts...

I thought it might be the CDI, but the two shops here in town I talked to about that said it shouldn't be...

Thanks!
--Kevin

Your alternator is more likely the culprit - but the most reliable way to test your regulator is to put in a new one since they are relatively cheap.

Set your multimeter to Volts and connect it to the battery terminals.  If you are reading under 12 volts then your battery is either bad or low.  Start the bike on it's centerstand, and the volts should go up.  Rev it higher and the volts should get up to between 13.5 and 13.8 - then not go any higher no matter how high you rev it.  If you can't reach 13.2 volts then your alternator or the wires to it are bad (regulators usually fail by allowing too many volts).  If you go over 14 volts then the regulator is bad.

I would be most suspicious about bad wiring connection to the bystarter (too much resistance), a bad battery (not holding a good charge), or a bad alternator (not putting out enough).