What exactly happens when I turn on the ignition switch of my car?
You basically have four positions of your ignition switch. One position is. unlocking the steering wheel. The next one is often called acc (for accessories). It switches on the electric power for many convenience components of the car like car stereo, power windows, power seats and cigarette lighter. It depends on the car, if this position also switches on energy thirsty components like headlights, rear window defroster and air ventilator. Position three is the ignition position. All electronic systems like onboard diagnosis, ABS, oil indicator, airbags go into a self test mode. Most modern cars are built that way that all available warning lights are briefly activated (so you can see if the particular bulb is still alive). Usually most of the lights go out after a brief moment, even if the engine is not running. As soon the ignition switch is in ignition position, all engine parts are activated for running. The fuel pump starts to build up pressure, the ignition system and the fuel injection are ready to work. All other components like lights, fan and rear window defroster get current now, so you might use them if you want. The alternator warning light, the engine diagnosis light and the oil pressure light stay on, because the referring components need a running engine for self test.If you turn the key further, the starter is engaged and the engine is cranked. Today many cars have an automatic starter, so you hit the starting position only briefly, and the starter cranks the engine as long as it needs to start. On older cars, you have to feel when the engine gets alive and you have to let loose the ignition key. Now every warning light should stay off unless there is a particular reason (Parking brake still engaged, lights on etc)
Modding a jl50qt.. would this big bore kit help??
I brought a jinlun jl50qt and I am really dissapionted with the performance even for a 50cc. I have read this isn't restricted in the convention way (through the cdi) and will have it in a garage soon to sort that. I also read about the 50cc/80cc big bore kit and won't to make sure its compatiable before I buy it. I really need to sort this as I live in a hilly area which a 50cc struggles with. Here is the link to the site http://www.scooter-assassins.com/ChineseScootersPage.html Any advice would be great also considering buying sports rollers
Can a bad battery cause in a motorcycle affect getting spark to the plugs?
Yes, a bad battery can and most likely will cause a no spark issue on most modern motorcycles. Any bike with an electronic ignition will have this issue due to low voltage to the electronic ignition module, cdi box, etc....this is especially true for fuel injected bikes, the ijection and ignition are both controlled by an ECM that MUST have full battery power to operate. EDIT: Dan from below is WAY off!!!!!......FALSE!!!!
How fast can I expect a 50CC moped to go?
American answer here (specifically Virginia, although the other 49 states pretty much fall in line): Legally what you normally call a “50cc scooter” is a 49cc “moped”. These are mopeds whether or not they have pedal assist, and whether or not they look like a motorized bicycle or a full blown scooter.In Virginia, a moped may be ridden by anyone who is physically able to apply for a driver’s license, but a driver’s license is not necessary (aka, the blind or severely physically handicapped need not apply - for obvious safety reasons). What is necessary is some form of picture ID (usually gotten at the DMV) and a DOT legal helmet.The purpose of this classification is to differentiate them from “motorcycles”, which need both a legal driver’s license AND a motorcycle endorsement on that license.Performance of a “moped” is legally limited to 35mph (and the engine size is usually written as “under 50cc”, thus the 49cc size). Realistically, most Chinese scooters will comfortably cruise at 27–30mph and will top out at 35. The more expensive Japanese scooters (Honda, Yamaha, etc.) will cruise at 32–35, with an absolute top speed of just shy of 40.The police can be very sticky regarding that top speed. If you’re scooter is bone stock, you can expect to be left alone, even if it’ll to a bit above 35 on the flat. However, if you’re scooter is modified, expect an occasional radar gun trained on you. One of the salesmen at the Honda/Yamaha/Can-Am shop where I work had a well modified Honda Ruckus, and was picked off doing almost 45. He got a ticket.
Will a faulty rectifier keep a motorcycle from starting?
Probably not. Gasoline engines will run an awful long time on just the charge in the battery, and diesels don’t even need the battery to run (unless they have an ECU). In a gas engine, the amount of energy consumed by a spark plug is very small - there is a high voltage created by a coil to force the current to arc across the spark plug gap, but the spark is very low amperage, kinda like a bbq lighter with a 1.5V battery. In both kinds of engines, the battery will die eventually because the lack of a rectifier will mean that the alternator is not charging the it. Eventually the engine will not start. You’ll probably notice that the battery is going flat and having a hard time cranking the engine first though.
What is a capacitor discharge ignition (CDI)?
In Capacitor Discharge Ignition, a capacitor charged to a high voltage is switched across the primary of the ignition coil to generate a spark impulse.“Traditional” ignition, as was commonplace 40 years ago, consisted of an induction coil and breaker points (contacts) that were opened and closed mechanically by a cam driven off the main cam shaft.While the points were closed, current from the battery (12V) flowed in the primary and built up magnetic energy, and when the points opened and interrupted the current, the magnetic field collapsed and generated a high voltage in the secondary. There are many drawbacks to this system.When the current is interrupted it generates a high voltage in the primary as well as the secondary, which causes arcing and wear on the electrodes, as well as wasting energy that should be given to the spark.At high RPM, the dwell (closed) time of the points is very short, and since current in an inductor does not rise instantaneously, this means lower spark energy. The time constant of an inductor is proportional to L/R, the inductance divided by the DC resistance, so manufacturers installed ballast resistors in series with the ignition coil to speed up the rate of current rise.For best performance and economy, the ignition timing needs to be advanced slightly at higher speeds. This was difficult to do mechanically, requiring centrifugal cams that rotated the mounting plate.CDI overcomes these drawbacks by doing away with the mechanical circuit breaker. An inverter circuit steps up the 12V battery supply to 400 volts or so, which charges a capacitor, and this in turn is discharged into the coil by a semiconductor switch to produce a fast rising, energetic spark at the secondary under all running conditions. The car’s on board computer controls the discharge timing and is free to apply timing advance at its discretion. I was an early adopter, putting a home made capacitor discharge system into my elderly Ford around 1972. There was no car computer in those days, of course, so my CDI was timed off the old points and didn’t have all the modern advantages, but it greatly improved starting on a cold wet morning.Happiness is never to have to clean and adjust the points.
How can a battery damage an Electronic Control Unit (ECU)?
Thanks for A2A.There are several ways in which a battery can damage an ECU.I am listing them below:1.Over voltage:Battery used in vehicles is of 12V.Practically the battery voltage is in the range of 12–14V.But the alternator is continuously charging the battery when the vehicle is in running condition. In this charging state the battery voltage can go upto 17. If your ECU is designed to only handle voltage in between 12V to 14V then in this case it will be damaged.2.Reverse polarity:Often the maintenence personel at the garage may accedently connect the battery in reverse polarity to your ECU.Every Electronic component in the ECU is designed to handle only a limited reverse voltages which are many times as low as 0.2V .So in this case these components are going to get damaged ultimately damaging your ECU. Every ECU therefore must have a reverse polarity protection diode.3.Transients:These are short duration but high voltage pulses generated on the battery terminals.One such pulse is the pulse 5b or the Load dump pulse.This pulse is caused due to abrupt disconnection of alternator from your battery. It can me 400ms long and may go upto 160V.Now to protect against these pulse the ECU usually has a Transient Voltage protection diode (TVS).Other than these there are also other pulse generated on the battery line due to switching of inductive loads like motors,Relays etc connected in parallel with the ECU.This is entirely a special branch of study of EMI testing called conducted immunity which deals with protection of the ECU from transients.If you want to know more about this you can contact me.Hope this helps.About me:I am a professional circuit designer and Electronics Engineer.I work in the automobile industry.If you need any help in building and designing this circuit or have any queries related to electrical or electronics engineering in general you can directly contact me at my email ID mentioned in my profile description.
Why does a motorcycle need a battery to keep running?
If you bike has a magneto, you don’t need a battery to keep it running, but there are very few of those bikes around anymore - small dirt bikes, maybe. If you have a magneto and kick start you don’t need a battery at all. Road legal bikes (with fuel injection systems and electronic ignitions) have too many power demands for a magneto to work, so they have an alternator and a battery.Modern bikes have fuel injection, fuel pumps, electronic ignition, computers, lights and bells and whistles (accessories) that all need to work before your bike will start and run. They also have an alternator which runs off the engine. The alternator outputs more energy the faster the engine is running. When at idle, the alternator doesn’t produce enough power to keep the ignition and the accessories running. When at higher RPM, the alternator produces more power than the bike needs, therefore it has a regulator on the system to keep it from being overcharged.The excess energy needs to go somewhere and that is part of a battery’s job. It store energy for later use at higher RPM. At lower RPM, the battery provides extra juice to keep things working and the lights from dimming.The battery is a metering device for electricity in your bike. It evens out the distribution of electricity through all of the possible cycles of use. It’s kind of a pacifier, raising the lows and lowering the highs of alternator output. It helps protect delicate electronic circuits from frying. The battery stores enough energy to turn the starter - which has an enormous demand for amps, compared to anything else the bike runs.Most modern bikes will not run without a battery, nor will they start without a battery. You have to have enough electricity to power the fuel pump, the sensors and the computers, as well as the starter itself to get the engine to run and idle. Most of these bikes cannot be bump started with a dead battery or no battery. The alternator simple won’t turn fast enough nor long enough to power the fuel pump and the ignition won’t turn on until the fuel system has enough pressure.