HELP!!! I need an Electrical Engineer, or somebody knowledgeable on 'battery drain' issues?!

[SPYD3R]

HELP!!!
I need an Electrical Engineer, or somebody knowledgeable on 'battery drain' issues... :gaah:
Got home from Utah with ZERO issues; next day, DEAD BATTERY (NEW in Jan. '13)! I put it on charge - motor started; next day - dead battery! Charged it, repeat; repeat; & repeat... :banghead:
I removed the NEGATIVE wire from the battery and put a meter between the battery and the NEGATIVE wire... unplugged everything I've added, system is still pulling 12+ V.... I disconnected every OEM electrical connection I can reach, one at a time, and I checked the meter - 12V was being pulled every time! Most of the Tupperware has been removed (see pix) to access the variation of electrical connections. Has anyone else had this issue?? I would appreciate any help at all.

 

[Firefly]

What electronic extras have been added to your Spyder?

I this on mine and it was a couple of shorted lighting wires.... ones that ran to my Givi bags. The wires became pinched....and kept draining the battery.

Also, what kind of charger?
You want to use a trickle charger like a Battery Tender... not a full blown car battery charger.... easy way to fry a MC battery.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[boborgera]

Is it reading 12v even, It should read 12.7and higher.. Anything 12.6 and lower after a charge indicates a bad battery...

 

[Bob Denman]

I think that 'Fly has the right idea; start looking for "compromised" wiring...
Please let us know what you find; Good Luck! :thumbup:

 

[NancysToy]

You can't read voltage to find your problem, you have to read amperage. There is a parasitic draw somewhere. Could be a bad accessory, faulty relay, a short circuit, or something else. Prob lem can even be in teh battery itself. Does it discharge when left disconnected? If you are inexperienced in this kind of testing, I would seek a good tech to help. Checking current draw one circuit at a time, after verifying the total system draw at the battery, is the usual approach. The starter circuit must be checked separately, because there is no fuse.

 

[SPYD3R]

What electronic extras have been added to your Spyder?

I this on mine and it was a couple of shorted lighting wires.... ones that ran to my Givi bags. The wires became pinched....and kept draining the battery.

Also, what kind of charger?
You want to use a trickle charger like a Battery Tender... not a full blown car battery charger.... easy way to fry a MC battery.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

THX for the info.... I've installed 4 x 12V power plugs and extra 55W fog lights, all of which I've disconnected, and the meter still reads a 12V draw. I checked EVERY OEM wire, except inside the dash - I don't dare take that apart. I'm seeing NO chafing or pinching. I'm at my wits end 'bout now.
I need to get this fixed to attend Lamonsters BBQ. HELP!!!

 

[SPYD3R]

You can't read voltage to find your problem, you have to read amperage. There is a parasitic draw somewhere. Could be a bad accessory, faulty relay, a short circuit, or something else. Prob lem can even be in teh battery itself. Does it discharge when left disconnected? If you are inexperienced in this kind of testing, I would seek a good tech to help. Checking current draw one circuit at a time, after verifying the total system draw at the battery, is the usual approach. The starter circuit must be checked separately, because there is no fuse.

Nan, thx.... I know ZERO about electricity, never could figure out what that stuff did and why. I'm heading for the coast tonight for the weekend to rest my head and other parts. I'll jump back on this next Tuesday. I'll let you all know the prognosis.
I can't thank this team enough. What great people you all are.

 

[Chupaca]

Let's see..!!

From the pic's you have good deal of extra wiring. I would disconnect all wires going to the positive post but the original factory ones. This will tell you if it is the add-ons or the oems, then work your way from there. Good luck!!

OH! If you are going to re coup - charge the battery and set it on the shelf and see if it holds the charge.

 

[pro10is]

Scotty's correct you cannot diagnose this problem just by measuring voltage. When you say "12 Volt draw" it makes no electrical sense. You need to measure electrical current not voltage. If you don't know the difference between voltage and current think of voltage as the maximum water pressure available on a water hose and current as the amount of water actually flowing through a hose when in use. Voltage is normally always there but current only flows when the circuit (hose) is in use. This is a simplification, but you get the general idea.

Do you own a multimeter? If not you can get a good one for under $100 and they're an invaluable tool for any homeowner. If you have one that reads amps (electrical current) you can find the problem yourself and you don't have to be an electrical expert. You just need to know a few basics.

Anything that continuously uses electrical current from your battery when the key is turned off is considered to be a "parasitic drain". Some parasitic drains are perfectly normal such as the "keep alive" circuits for the clock, radio, or security systems. However if the total of these drains exceed 25-30 milliamps (0.030 amps) your battery will eventually run down sooner than what's acceptable unless you keep it on a smart charger. If you have an electrical fault your parasitic drain could be so high that you can drain your battery in just a few hours.

In order to find any parasitic drain you need to do a little detective work. You first need to determine the overall drain and if it exceeds 25-30 milliamps you then need to find out where the drain is occurring. First make sure your battery is in fact good and is fully charged. If you need help with this let me know.

Set up your multimeter to read amps (read the meter's instructions) and set the meter's scale to read 10-20 amps or its highest range. This is important for the first step to ensure you don't blow the fuse on your meter. Turn off all electrical accessories you may have and turn off and remove the ignition key. Now remove the negative lead from the battery (you can also use the positive lead but if you short it sparks will fly). Clamp the meter's positive lead on the battery's disconnected negative lead wire and the meter's negative lead on the battery's negative terminal post. You want your meter in series between the disconnected negative battery wire and the negative battery post. The meter will now show you the total parasitic drain on your electrical system. If the drain is less than one amp you can now safely set your meter to read milliamps (if it cannot autorange, 1 milliamp = .001 amp or 1/1000 amp) so you can better read the drain (on some meters you may need to use a different plug on the meter to read milliamps). If the drain is less than 25-30 milliamps you can consider this normal. If higher, you have a problem.

Now remove and replace your fuses one at a time and watch the meter carefully. When the meter drops below 25-30 milliamps you have at least narrowed the problem down to one circuit. Determine what electrical devices you have on that circuit (the ones that don't work with the fuse pulled). Replace the fuse and disconnect the devices one by one until you find the culprit. Either the disconnected device or its wiring is defective.

As a shortcut you can also measure the current directly on any removed fuse by placing the meter across the fuse leads to read the current going through the fuse. This can also help you narrow down your search without having to access the battery leads.

Give it a try, it's worth learning how to effectively use a multimeter. You can use this same method on your car as well as your Spyder. It's not difficult and really worth learning.