Parasitic drain?

[Blue Star]

Seems like the Spyder battery both RS and RT have or can have a parasitic drain on the battery. I know there are several ways to test for this and I plan on doing my own testing but I wanted to see if anyone here has done this and located the cause if any. It's seems about half the folks here can't leave a Spyder without being on a charger for more than two weeks. There has to be something pulling down that battery.

Ryding to work today, and it came to me what it is. It has to be the clock that pulls so much of a charge, and that explains why my clock always runs so fast.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

If it's the clock that's causing the major Battery drain on the RT'S, if it were mine I would cut the wire to it......the clock ,not the Battery...............

[NancysToy]

Hate to burst your bubble, but the Spyder clock is in the cluster...and cutting that wire is like cutting your spinal cord.

[soaring hawk]

REPLACED THE BATTERY THIS WEEK END, TOOK THE OLD ONE AND CHARGED IT AND PUT IT ON THE BENCH TESTED IT EVERY DAY SINCE STILL SAYS 12.7 VOLTS, NOW TO THE SPYDER,

CHARGED THE NEW BATTERY TO FULL, INSTALLED AND RODE 100 MILES SUNDAY CHECKED MONDAY STARTED UP, TUES STARTED UP THEN TONIGHT WENT TO START UP, BOOTS UP THEN

CLICK LOOKS LIKE I'M GOING HUNTING FOR THE POWER THIEF. A FEW DAYS AND CRAPPED OUT AGAIN GUESS I'LL KNOW MORE ABOUT THE SPYDER THAN THE TECS WHEN I'M

DONE.

[NancysToy]

REPLACED THE BATTERY THIS WEEK END, TOOK THE OLD ONE AND CHARGED IT AND PUT IT ON THE BENCH TESTED IT EVERY DAY SINCE STILL SAYS 12.7 VOLTS, NOW TO THE SPYDER,

CHARGED THE NEW BATTERY TO FULL, INSTALLED AND RODE 100 MILES SUNDAY CHECKED MONDAY STARTED UP, TUES STARTED UP THEN TONIGHT WENT TO START UP, BOOTS UP THEN

CLICK LOOKS LIKE I'M GOING HUNTING FOR THE POWER THIEF. A FEW DAYS AND CRAPPED OUT AGAIN GUESS I'LL KNOW MORE ABOUT THE SPYDER THAN THE TECS WHEN I'M

DONE.

Make sure you chassis grounds are tight, especially the rear ground, located at the negastive jumper terminal under the seat.

[boborgera]

Make sure you chassis grounds are tight, especially the rear ground, located at the negastive jumper terminal under the seat.

First place i would look, Just remember that terminal isn't screwed in, It's a bolt and nut once loosen it's a headache to re tighten.

[MikeinGA]

BATTERY COMPLETELY DISCHARED WITH IN 1-2 WEEKS WHEN VHICLE IS NOT USED.

1. D.E.S.S module is still in programing mode. The 2nd key must be programmed with in 2 minutes when programming keys.

This information is from the 2008 - 2011 Can-am Spider GS/RS series service manual.



Mike

[bruiser]

Did you ever find anything???

[Campverdefela]

Did you ever find anything???

[Lamonster]

Did you ever find anything???

I've been so backed up I haven't had a chance to look into it. Sorry

[bruiser]

I've been so backed up I haven't had a chance to look into it. Sorry

I understand.

[dave01]

My update.
I disconnected all, and I mean all, accessories that I installed and the battery is still draining. Looks like its back to the drawing board for BRP and my dealer to get this solved. Sorry, but a battery tender or any other brand isnt an option for me when I travel and leave the Spyder in the garage.

[AMTJIM]

My update.
I disconnected all, and I mean all, accessories that I installed and the battery is still draining. Looks like its back to the drawing board for BRP and my dealer to get this solved. Sorry, but a battery tender or any other brand isnt an option for me when I travel and leave the Spyder in the garage.

???

[MikeinGA]

My update.
I disconnected all, and I mean all, accessories that I installed and the battery is still draining. Looks like its back to the drawing board for BRP and my dealer to get this solved. Sorry, but a battery tender or any other brand isnt an option for me when I travel and leave the Spyder in the garage.

It can be the battery, take battery to a Auto Zone (auto parts) store and they can do a load test to check the battery. That's IMHO.

Mike

[boborgera]

My update.
I disconnected all, and I mean all, accessories that I installed and the battery is still draining. Looks like its back to the drawing board for BRP and my dealer to get this solved. Sorry, but a battery tender or any other brand isn't an option for me when I travel and leave the Spyder in the garage.

How much is it draining? , The clock and ECM will draw some, And possibly the security system has a draw also.

[SteveMac]

My update.
I disconnected all, and I mean all, accessories that I installed and the battery is still draining. Looks like its back to the drawing board for BRP and my dealer to get this solved. Sorry, but a battery tender or any other brand isnt an option for me when I travel and leave the Spyder in the garage.

That sucks Dave. Sorry you continue to have problems.

I had a 2006 Chevy Tahoe with a parasitic drain that was very sporadic. I'd go months with no problem, then a drain over a weekend. Went through four batteries and many trips to mechanics and dealer also, but the "normal" items like clock etc were all they ever found. I looked at various forums and other owners had the same problems with 2005-06 Tahoes. Some guys like me never found the problem.

Even though I loved that truck, I traded it a couple of weeks ago and I got a newer Yukon. Same color etc, but I was at my wits end. I never knew when it would be dead when I would try to start it and the "power pack" emergency booster that I bought, sometimes didn't even get it to start the battery would be so dead. I didn't know what else to do as it is (was) our primary family vehicle and it has to be dependable.

I think sometimes there is a short or drain of some sort on a vehicle that just isn't present 100% of the time and is nearly impossible to find.

Anyway, I just wanted to post, because these types of problems don't only reside in Spyders. But I do feel your pain and frustration.

It sounds like you may have a similar situation to what I had?

[AMTJIM]

Between his Spyder and your Tahoe, kinda reminds me of ignition switches that were out of spec, but it's nothing that's really checked piece by piece. Ford was the most notorious I can think of as of late, some of the mustangs and explorers would burn to the ground. I think the switch had a slight over rotation when turned off that created an obviously unwanted connection of unfused power. I guess you could have a power draw that way, it seems too new for carbon traces. Possibly debris from the switch component castings.

[SpyderGirl]

I am also curious as to what the electric bleed issue might be. I am about ready to move onto my 4th battery since February 2008. I will be following this thread for updates.

[Smokinspyder]

It was mentioned above but Ill ask or state it again . How are the grounds ? ALL the grounds, Coming from an aftermarket background 80% of the problems I encountered when trouble shooting were a ground problem . Wether it be corroded , an incorrect placement , the wire is to small etc. I only remember one time in the 15 + years of playing in the bays that it was the actual battery that was the problem , and Pontiac replaced her battery FOC. Just another possibility in the endless realm of troubleshooting .. Good luck with your journey.

[SpyderGirl]

It was also suggested to me that I should check the ground wiring on everything and I will be doing this. I can't afford to be spending $120 once a year on batteries, which is what I have been doing thus far.

Do we know if the older Spyders (the premier edition 2008's) use a different battery type compared it it's later model counterparts? I know there was a mid-year change on the '08s in the battery department.

[NancysToy]

A bad ground may prevent a battery from charging completely (which will eventually ruin the battery) but it will not cause a current draw when the machine is shut off. To determine which (if not both) problem you have you have to do some testing with a a multimeter. Test the battery charge after riding/charging, in a few hours, and then after a day or two. If the voltage decreases after a day or two you have either a parasitic load or a bad battery. Do the same again, but disconnect the battery after charging. If it remains fully charged, the problem is in the machine. Bad grounds/connections are harder to test for. For that I prefer to just take them apart, clean them, and retighten them. BTW, a weak charging system that fails to charge abattery completely can ruin the battery in time, as can a charger that charges at too high a rate for too long. That can cause the lead in the battery to precipitate and fall out of the plates, or can cause sulfation. A charger like the Xtreme can be used to fight sulfation. Use of a lithium-iron battery can help prevent storage-related voltage losses that are not parasitic.

[SpyderGirl]

A bad ground may prevent a battery from charging completely (which will eventually ruin the battery) but it will not cause a current draw when the machine is shut off. To determine which (if not both) problem you have you have to do some testing with a a multimeter. Test the battery charge after riding/charging, in a few hours, and then after a day or two. If the voltage decreases after a day or two you have either a parasitic load or a bad battery. Do the same again, but disconnect the battery after charging. If it remains fully charged, the problem is in the machine. Bad grounds/connections are harder to test for. For that I prefer to just take them apart, clean them, and retighten them. BTW, a weak charging system that fails to charge abattery completely can ruin the battery in time, as can a charger that charges at too high a rate for too long. That can cause the lead in the battery to precipitate and fall out of the plates, or can cause sulfation. A charger like the Xtreme can be used to fight sulfation. Use of a lithium-iron battery can help prevent storage-related voltage losses that are not parasitic.

I use a Battery Tender specifically for motorcycle batteries. For a long time I didn't really use it very much, unless it was going to be stored several weeks without use. However about 3 months ago, after sitting for about 10 days I came out barely enough power to turn on the lights and dash. After several hours charging on the battery tender I was able to start it up and took out it for a good long, higher RPM ride. Since then I have feared taking it off nightly charging cycles. I also have found since I started doing this, if it sits for even three or four days, there seems to be barely enough power to crank the motor. Once I get the motor cranked I am afraid to turn it off without riding it some distance. It almost seems like there is a drain going on during the charging cycle, but I can't be sure. It's oh so frustrating. I will be doing some tests that have been suggested to me to determine what the cause is and determine whether or not my current battery is actually bad, before purchasing my FOURTH battery in less than 4 years. I have my fingers crossed.