ABS code 51 …. Aaaargh

[Farbar]

Hi all. My 2016 ES bike has been throwing code 51 on the ABS. (Battery voltage too high) I put a FLUKE on it, and tested voltages at battery level and it would be constant 13.9-14.2 as it warms up. No issues at higher rpms etc. Then I put it on the MIN MAX recorder and could see it occasionally spike to 15v for a millisecond and so I figured Ha! Regulator needs replacement even though diodes metered out ok in it.
(I should mention that I have a LION battery but it ran fine with it for 15000kms before this showed up)
Got a new regulator specifically “made” Lion batteries and put it in. Same issue . I put the meter back on it and same spikes of voltage , in fact on FAST MIN MAX it would spike to 18v .
I checked the stator according to manual but my OHM readings are all .38-.39 ohms rather than the .11-.16 the manual calls for.
Am I in for a stator replacement? Was there a change for later bikes that changed these readings? I am surprised that both stator coil readings are so close at 0.38 as if it was meant to be, and that it is working perfectly fine except for the occasional spike which I am assuming is throwing the 51 code.
Measuring out on AC 23-24vAC at idle, 65 around 3000, 110 around 5000rpm, both windings same

Help, I don’t want to dump more money into wrong parts and the nearest dealer is 1000 away. If the stator spec hasn’t changed , I guess that’s where I am headed ,new stator.

thanks in advance for confirming

 

[WJBertrand]

Are all the battery and starter solenoid connects clean and tight?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[tallpaul]

As a sanity check on the Lion battery can you refit a standard AGM battery and see if it fixes it? It may be the battery's inbuilt controller causing the issue.

 

[Farbar]

Are all the battery and starter solenoid connects clean and tight?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Thanks. Yes and yes but I don’t think the starter solenoids in play here. The fault shows up after a couple minutes of riding.

 

[Farbar]

As a sanity check on the Lion battery can you refit a standard AGM battery and see if it fixes it? It may be the battery's inbuilt controller causing the issue.

Thanks. That’s worth a try. I will hook up a normal battery and test. Though how can a battery controller turn 14v into spikes of 18? To me it has to come from charger side unless somehow the ac generated is inducing voltage on DC lines . It does seem to spike when dropping RPMS. I did meter the DC voltage for AC but not after the regulator change. Never really saw anything above a volt but will check again. Might put an oscilloscope on it to see exactly what the voltage looks like. Can’t really see that though being the issue. Really curious if anyone has a Gen 2 2016 and could meter the stator ohms.

 

[Farbar]

Thanks. That’s worth a try. I will hook up a normal battery and test. Though how can a battery controller turn 14v into spikes of 18? To me it has to come from charger side unless somehow the ac generated is inducing voltage on DC lines . It does seem to spike when dropping RPMS. I did meter the DC voltage for AC but not after the regulator change. Never really saw anything above a volt but will check again. Might put an oscilloscope on it to see exactly what the voltage looks like. Can’t really see that though being the issue. Really curious if anyone has a Gen 2 2016 and could meter the stator ohms.

As a sanity check on the Lion battery can you refit a standard AGM battery and see if it fixes it? It may be the battery's inbuilt controller causing the issue.

Looks like TallPaul wins the prize. I just hooked up a AGM battery in parallel with the Lion and the voltage spikes seized , so it’s the overcharging circuit protection cutting out fast, likely causing the spikes. It’s a Kepworth and I’ll see what they have to say. I will post update when fully confirmed . Thanks TallPaul

 

[tallpaul]

Woohoo! I like prizes. If we ever meet up you can get me a nice cold beer.

Glad you got to the bottom of this. Sometimes old tech is the right tech!

 

[WJBertrand]

Glad you got it sorted. I've never heard of the Kepworth brand of battery before. I and a friend of mine are both using a Scorpion LiFePO4 battery in our 2015 and 2015 ES models with no issues. Others have used Earth-X and Shorai without issues, so it must be something unique about that battery or a defect of some kind. Keep us posted.

 

[Farbar]

Woohoo! I like prizes. If we ever meet up you can get me a nice cold beer.

Glad you got to the bottom of this. Sometimes old tech is the right tech!

You got it . Headed to Labrador in Sept if you’re there too Also check out my reply for the solution !

 

[Farbar]

So thanks for everyone’s help. I will detail the solution here as it’s pretty cheap and easy.
First off the Kepworth battery is being sold through Amazon and has a pretty good reputation . The problem with battery management systems incorporated into LiON batteries is that when they abruptly shut off current charge , there can be a voltage spike generated. Our bikes register this under ABS code fault 51 - battery overvoltage. This spike can only be seen by a very good MIN MAX multimeter or oscilloscope.
For the record, when I got in touch with Kepworth through Amazon, they immediately offered a refund without asking for the battery back . It wasn’t cheap and I welcomed the refund. I now free battery.
The fix is simple . A 15v zener diode installed in reverse bias between the 12v and ground. (A 15v zener diode briefly shorts any voltage over 15v to ground, capping spikes to 15v.)
The important thing to remember is the polarity and that the 12v connection should be attached to an ignition SWITCHED circuit somewhere. The reason for that is that zener diodes have a small current leak and if it’s attached to an unswitched circuit, you can run down your battery in time. I run an auxiliary relay that’s switched on with the ignition and tapped into one of its feeds . Problem is now gone and I have a free battery.
Thanks again to TallPaul for the pint in the right direction.