98 GTX LTD 12V low issue

[Grim]

I had an issue come up and want your guys opinion on causes. I was at the river the other day, went out on a ride to a place that was 15 mins away, straight drive at around 30 to 35 MPH, to a hang out place. Stayed there about 2 to 3 hrs, then went to crank it up to come home and it threw the 12 volt low error message It was turning over (with choke) but wouldn't crank. I used the throttle a little and was able to crank it, drove back at same speeds, no issues, no 12V low..
I put it on the meter today and cranked it up, no 12V low . Here what I saw. The meter was at 12 .18 volts , when I started cranking it, it went down to 9.65 and bounced around . The highest it got was 10.45V. After I got it to cranked and at idle I had 11.8 to 12.3 volts (bouncing around those numbers). I revved it between 5000 to 5500RPM and it went up to 13.3V....steady.
I think either my battery is bad, I bought it Nov of last year, or the voltage regulator is dyeing!. Any chance it could be the stator?

I thought I saw where OSD made a attachable voltage regulator, since my model has the built in regulator. Is that a good options, is it worth it, does it work right? I will also get my battery load tested, just to make sure. Lastly, should I do the stator checkout??

Am I on the right track, did I forget anything? any advise?

 

[artr]

Sounds like your battery is bad. It should not drop that low when cranking. Have them fully charge the battery and then load test. The shop manual for your model might tell you if the 13.3V you measured at 5000 rpm is acceptable.

 

[Grim]

Sounds like your battery is bad. It should not drop that low when cranking. Have them fully charge the battery and then load test. The shop manual for your model might tell you if the 13.3V you measured at 5000 rpm is acceptable.

The manual states it shouldn't go over 15V and it also describes the voltage reg as device keeping voltage steady between 14.5V and 14.8V to prevent damage to other components, but mine has never gone over 13.8V ish. I am hoping it is the battery, that's the simplest thing.
The only thing that worries me is the voltage output at idle, I think it should be higher...averaging mid 12Vs seems low..to me

 

[burtshaver2021]

The manual states it shouldn't go over 15V and it also describes the voltage reg as device keeping voltage steady between 14.5V and 14.8V to prevent damage to other components, but mine has never gone over 13.8V ish. I am hoping it is the battery, that's the simplest thing.
The only thing that worries me is the voltage output at idle, I think it should be higher...averaging mid 12Vs seems low..to me

I was testing the volts on my 99 GSX RFI earlier this summer, it was at 13.5ush volts at idle and dropped to 10ish volts while cranking. It needed a new battery. I would change out the battery, seems to low while cranking to me. I have about 6 motomaster gel batteries from canadian tire around, all junk, can’t seem to get much more than a year out of them, then I noticed one day that I’ve had my interstate battery since 2016 so I went and bought another identical to it, well worth the little extra I paid for it. I can grab the model number of the interstate if you like?

 

[Grim]

I was testing the volts on my 99 GSX RFI earlier this summer, it was at 13.5ush volts at idle and dropped to 10ish volts while cranking. It needed a new battery. I would change out the battery, seems to low while cranking to me. I have about 6 motomaster gel batteries from canadian tire around, all junk, can’t seem to get much more than a year out of them, then I noticed one day that I’ve had my interstate battery since 2016 so I went and bought another identical to it, well worth the little extra I paid for it. I can grab the model number of the interstate if you like?

Sure, if my battery is bad I will look for a better one. I just garbed the first one I saw with the correct amps and size.... lasting less than a year is trash!

 

[burtshaver2021]

The battery that I’ve had for a long time, I think since 2016 but may be 2018 is an Interstate FAYTX20H

 

[Grim]

Anyone here do their own battery load test? Or does everyone bring it to a car parts store. Saw a few videos on doing it myself....interested in opinions if that is a good enough test.

 

[Grim]

Ok, I got a friends clamp on amp meter to measure the magneto output. The book says at least 5 Amps at 5500 rpm. Humm I am getting 6.5 amps at idle and it goes up past 7.5 amps as I climb to 5500 RPMs. It says clamp meter on red wire at battery. The red wire going from the rear box to starter is right next to it. I am not familiar with clamp meters. Would the other red wire being that close, probably touching, cause a miss reading? EDITED: I did have my wife hold the meter as far a way from the other red wire as possible, didn't make much difference, maybe a tenth or two..
Are those number within the norm? Seems high to me. Even though the motor sat for 9 years it had a fresh build on it...less than 30 hrs.