Vampire Drain?

[Raknid]

My wife's 2012 RT spends a majority of it's time on the Battery Tender as she rides it relatively infrequently. We had it out about 10 days ago and went to go run errands yesterday and the battery was dead. I had left it off the Tender as it summer and likely to take for the occasional while I was on vacation. The battery was replaced April 2017.

I did experience a similar issue when new and the dealer replaced the battery and I have usually kept on the Tender since if sitting in the garage more than a few days. Question is, has anyone else experience similar heavy vampire drain? I am taking to the dealer to check out the battery and electrical system to find a cause. It would seem extreme for a vampire drain.

 

[BoilerAnimal]

We ride very frequently and if we’re not on the Spyder, the Battery Tender is.

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Remember that the charging system on the 998 engine is pretty feeble. You've got lights, power steering, etc, all drawing energy from the battery. There's a good probability that the errands you ran didn't charge the battery fully, and may in fact, have left it at a lower charge than where it was when you started. Then it sat for 10 days. Before I spent money at the dealer, I would suggest a full battery charge using a charger, not just a maintainer, and see how the battery responds. Is there a parasitic drain on the system? Yes, of course. It keeps the clock running, holds your preferences, etc.

Ask yourself if somewhere along the line if you had new keys programmed. The system may have accidentally been left in programming mode. The manual specifically states that the battery will discharge in 1 - 2 weeks if that happens. The manual is incorrect when it says that the engine would shutdown in 2 minutes if that were the case. Finless Bob has proven that to be incorrect.

Another thing you can inspect yourself is the electrical connection for the optional front accessory plug. It's inside a rubber boot up near the top of the left front shock mount. The problem is that the rubber boot is open to the environment. Since that plug is live at all times, and it can get crud in there, that can also cause an electrical drain.

That’s pretty much the download. There's no substitute for riding it. Good luck.

 

[billybovine]

Pull the fuse for the radio F6 and see if the problem goes away. There have been some radios from 2011 and 2012 that have caused this.

 

[Raknid]

Thanks for the suggestions on the key program and radio fuse. I actually did have a key programmed/replaced last year after I accidentally washed the old key with my shorts. Is there a way to tell if left in programming mode?

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

VAMPIRE drain = Parasitic lose …. same thing …. above have given good info ….. I don't think your battery has been damaged and should be fine ….. I think any Maintainer can replace the power your Battery should have but it will take 48+ hrs. of use ….. Not only using the Spyder to keep battery charged, with it's magneto charging system you NEED to stay above 4000 rpms for it to give Max juice output….. Mike hyea: …… ALSO clean your Batt. terminals and ADD Star washers to the terminals to get them TIGHT ….. normal vibrations with a Spyder can loosen them... DO NOT USE Lok-tite

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Thanks for the suggestions on the key program and radio fuse. I actually did have a key programmed/replaced last year after I accidentally washed the old key with my shorts. Is there a way to tell if left in programming mode?

I’ll have to check, or maybe Billy remembers, too. I seem to remember programming just one key is exactly what would cause that. Somebody will get back on that.

 

[Raknid]

battery has recharged fine over night when back on the Tender. We actually keep the RPM above 4500 at cruise so that should not be an issue.

Has to be enough of a drain to kill the battery over the course of a week (parasitic or vampire drain) or a battery/charging system issue. The last ride before this occurred, was actually fairly long (not errands or start/shut down/ repeats) and it had come off the Tender just before that ride. So it was fully charged before that ride.

 

[Snowbelt Spyder]

Programming keys - You can review Bob's video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8xbXEE_ky4

The process of programming the new key would have caused your original key that wasn't washed, to be erased and not work anymore. So, if you have verified since then that you have two working keys, then the required minimum of two keys were programmed. So, from that standpoint you're ok, unless there's some way to screw it up by following the instructions that he proves to be wrong. The 2011 and 2012 instructions had the same errors. Or possibly the switch was turned off before the display read SUCCESS.

If you monitor the voltage drain with a voltmeter and you feel that it is excessive, certainly the key programming from last year could be more than just coincidence. Good Luck.

 

[Csh72]

Battery tender sells an accessory that plugs into your tender cord from the battery and tells you battery voltage. This may help you monitor the battery drain better.

 

[Raknid]

http://products.batterytender.com/Accessories/Digital-Voltage-Indicator-with-LCD-Display.html

Thanks...just over $15 USD on Amazon. Good to know..

 

[Sarge]

Have you installed any USB type chargers that remain "hot" all the time when the bike is switched off? GPS? This could also be a source of the drain.

 

[solman]

Lots of good answers here but I will add my own from 40+ years of automotive repair experience. You need to measure the parasitic draw using a sensitive meter that can measure in milliamps. Generally it should be no more than about 50 milliamps. Perhaps BRP allows a higher reading but certainly no more than 100 milliamps. If you don't have a good meter setup your dealer service reps should be able to do this. This is the best way to go in your situation. If you find you have a high draw on the battery start pulling fuses until it drops, then you have isolated the circuit and you can proceed from there.
To check the charging system use a volt meter at the battery terminals. Measuring voltage when the engine is running is done at the battery and need not use a very expensive meter to do it. I don't have specs for the can Am but generally somewhere around 13.5 to 14.7 at a given rpm should do it. This need to be measured on a fully charged battery. Don't do electrical testing on a vehicle with a bad or dead battery.

 

[billybovine]

The spec for parasitic draw for a Spyder is 20 milliamps. For the 2018 is after 3 minutes. Not able to find the spec for a 2012 but I would assume it is the same 20 milliamps but the wait time would be a lot longer. Because the ECM holds the throttle plates shut for 40 minutes.