ATV Connection Magazine

Sorry! My Dale is Unreliable

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Posted by: daimon1054

I agree that you need a new dealer! If you battery is draining then you have a short to groung some where. You can have that checked to see what the amp draw is on the bat when the bike is sitting. Then he will need to disconnect systems one by one to see what is the problem.
As said it could be in the fule pump, the starter or any electrical system but there is a short in you system.

I know it is hard to not blame C-dale but this can happen on any product I have seen new cars do it often, find a compatent mech and get it fixed then call C-dale tell them what you did and you will send them the bill they (from what I have seen) will remberse you.

Posted by: deltadawg

Don't feel bad I own a 2001 Raptor.

Posted by: ZRWHAT

Ok, had the same problem with my brand new cannondale. You need to measure the charging voltage at the battery when you rev the motor to say 3-4K. It should be up around 15V, if it isn't you have a charging problem other than the battery. My problem was a dead Rectifier/Regulator from the factory, if your quad has been doing this from day one, chances are its not the stator wires(they wouldn't have had time to wear through). You can check your Rectifier if you download the electrical manual. Let me know if I can help.

Posted by: trout

440 that is wierd, my dale sits in my garge for weeks at a time in the cold weather and it always starts up after two primes and a couple of seconds on the starter. I dont think that its normal the problem you are having, but I dont have any advice other than what you have allready received. sorry for your frustration
trout

Posted by: Cannitor

440,
i want you to call terry at marcums motorsports
his # is 386 325 6060
the guys a guru on the cannondales
i know its long distance but its worth the phone call
tell him mark from kissimmee told you to call

Posted by: Cannitor

also,you need to find a more helpful dealer

Posted by: 6wheeler

440 Check this Technical Bulletin TB02-011

Crankcase Stud Update Kit
P/N 913-5002552

If these bolts are loose the extra drag on the engine could cause the problems that you have.

Posted by: 440rider

Obviously, so is my computer sorry about the previous post. Anyway, every time I ride I have to trickle charge the battery or it will die when I try to start. I've talked to my dealer and cannondale about this problem and no answers. My dealer put a new battery in and I still have the same problem. This is such a pain in the ass and not to mention I get my balls busted everytime I ride about my ride not starting. Can anyone help me out on this topic? The only advice I get is install a battery tender. That idea is great and all but I we camp over night the battery will be SOL by morning. It's frustrating having to sweat this thing everytime I want to ride. It's a bas ass machine and all but not when it's getting towed around and jump started. I do have all the maps and I'm running a cr9ek. One last thing after I charge the battery the initial time it runs all day great but still in the back of my head I'm worried that it won't start back up. Not sure if it's all worth the trade off!

Posted by: 440rider

Trip to Ga. was a blast although my dale didn't start after sitting over night without charging up before riding. Lucky they had an electrical socket there for my battery charger. What a Joke dealing with this thing has been! The trails were good, it was a fun ride but it doesn't compare to the bowl at all. I want to thank you guys for all the input. To answer all your questions I have had the stator sheilded, the cold start map put in, rubber protect neg, the fuel pump is not running when shut off, the battery was load tested (this is the second battery cannondale sent a free replacement), as far as how fast it starts well I prime it twice the injectors spray it sits for 5-6sec. and I try to crank it for 3-4 sec at a time about 3-4 times before it turns over after backfiring or it just winds down to just the buzz of the dead battery. Although when I charge the battery and ride for a while and shut down it will start up with one quick shot but after I ride hard for a few hours it will start to idle low and want to shut off if I don't keep the rpms up. If there is any other cold start procedure please let me know before I take this battery out and punt it back to PA. My dealer kept it over night and the same thing happened. Hence, charge it before every ride. Thanks guys!

Posted by: 440rider

Just want to thank everyone for all the help. I am planning to take my machine back to the dealer and have him work with cannondale on getting it running right. Cannondale is very supportive and I know they will work out these kinks. Thanks Again!

Posted by: cannondale27

Cannitor is right about the dealer.Some things to have him check :Fuel pump is it running after the quad is off?Fix is new ecm and rubber protector on neg. post of pump.Stator is the wire shielded did it rub the flywheel?Fix shield the wire new flywheel and stator.Check all the grounds.Does it turn over after sitting overnight?How fast?Do you know the starting procedure for cold start?Did he load test the battery?When your dealer has ALL those things done or checked he will have to keep it overnight and makesure it works.

Posted by: cannondale27

It seems you have done all the right things."Charge it before every ride "No way that isnt right when your idle drops do you think it is because of a voltage drain or is it just your idle screw backing off?I hate to admit it but sometimes a mechanic needs to just start replacing parts heat,water,vibration can all make a electrical component fail and the conditions can be impossible to duplicate.If I was your dealer I would check to make sure it isnt a mechanical problem compressionrelease not working,something in motor causing drag or starter related not disengaging,bad starter then simply start swapping components with a known good quad starting with stator and ending with wiring harness one at a time everything electrical.

Posted by: cannondale27

The wires I am talking about are the windings they can wear thgough the first time the motor is turned over.It only takes a min. to pull the fly wheel you can seeit as carbon tracking on flywheel and the windings will have some coating wore off.

Posted by: mountainman10

I had the same problem and it was because the idle was too low. The idle has to be set between certain limits or it will not charge the battery. If it is too low or too high it will not charge. I actually ruined a battery before I took it to my dealer to have him check it out. He hooked it to the computer and set the idle. He called c-dale and told them about the bad battery and why it went bad and they told him to give me another battery free of charge. I have not had another problem since then. C-dale is good to their customers. My dealer sales 3 other brands and he said that he has had batteries come back in just a few days that the other 3 companies will not warrenty. If you have any questions call cannondale's tech support and ask for Mark. He will be more than willing to help and he knows the c-dales better than anyone I have talked to.

Posted by: mxmike

Good info!
Welcome aboard Heat!!



Posted by: RapRaider

440rider,
How was that trip to Georgia? How would you compare it to the bowl?
Hope to see you there in Dec.

Posted by: Heat

I had the same problem with my 02 speed and it turned out to be that 2 out of the 4 stator wires were grounding out causing a week charge. The 4 wires should put out about 18 volts at idle and over 30 above the 3000 rpm line. Mine were 2 at 18 and 2 at 8 during idle.This was enough to keep the bike running but was not enough to charge the battery. The grounded wires also were draining the battery in a short period of time for me it was overnight allso. The voltage has to be checked at the service connector on the right side of the bike after it leavesthe cpu, If you read the battery with a volt meter while it is running it will appear fine but this is a false reading. My dealer finnaly caught this after 4 returned trips and a lot of arguing. the dealer should replace the stator with a new one ther was allso a change in stators in the mid 02 production run