:damn angry: I kept my 2 yr old battery on a trickle charge. I woud get about 4 good starts and then the battery would be too weak to start the bike. Bought a new battery 7 weeks ago. I have not put it on the trickle charger. I have cranked the bike about 12 times and now this battery is too weak to start the bike. I have a '96 vmax with no additional mods. Any ideas? Thanks
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Check to see what the charge voltage is at the battery when your bike is running. The charging system on the VMax is barely adequate when everything is correct on it. Add in corroded and burned connections and you loose your proper charge very quickly. Do a search for charging voltages on the forum and it will show you the steps to take.
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Also check the connector between the stator and the regulator. It is a connector with 3 white wires going into it on the left hand side of the bike while you are sitting on it. This is a known area for corrosion and burned connectors.
lankeeyankee
Well-Known Member
To check for a drain......
Take Key Out of ignition.
Remove the positive battery cable.
Place a multi meter in between the cable and the + battery post. Giv me a VDC? doesnt matter which lead is where just place between the cable and battery post. if you dont have a meter you can use a 12VDC test light
If you have VDC in this state.. start removing fuses one by one until the VDC goes to 0VDC and than start tracing what is on that fuse link
Take Key Out of ignition.
Remove the positive battery cable.
Place a multi meter in between the cable and the + battery post. Giv me a VDC? doesnt matter which lead is where just place between the cable and battery post. if you dont have a meter you can use a 12VDC test light
If you have VDC in this state.. start removing fuses one by one until the VDC goes to 0VDC and than start tracing what is on that fuse link
naughtyG
Well-Known Member
I agree with Lee - check for a drain first!
Thanks for the replys. I am trying to check for a drain. I disconnected the
positive terminal, and put the multimeter between the positive post on the battery and the cable. I get no reading at all on the meter. The needle doesn't move. Does the ignition have to be 'ON' for this to work? Thanks Also, I ran the engine above 2000 rpm and checked the volts. All I got was 13. I am trying to do the rectifier test but I basically have no idea how to do this.
Thanks for your help!
positive terminal, and put the multimeter between the positive post on the battery and the cable. I get no reading at all on the meter. The needle doesn't move. Does the ignition have to be 'ON' for this to work? Thanks Also, I ran the engine above 2000 rpm and checked the volts. All I got was 13. I am trying to do the rectifier test but I basically have no idea how to do this.
Thanks for your help!
You want the key switch off. The purpose of this test is to see if there's battery draw even with key off. Since your meter shows zero, that's good.
naughtyG
Well-Known Member
If you're only getting 13V @ 2000rpm something is wrong.
There are a few things to check:
- whether you still have the dodgy crimp connection
http://vmaxoutlaw.com/main.html - go there select VMAX TECH & INFO on the left then scroll down till you see 'Crimp' connection fix
- whether your RR (regulator/rectifier) is working properly
- and if your stator is still outputting the appropriate voltage (they can go wrong with age)
Check out all the stickies in the electrical section here - there's a lot of help with pics for all these things.
Hope this helps..
There are a few things to check:
- whether you still have the dodgy crimp connection
http://vmaxoutlaw.com/main.html - go there select VMAX TECH & INFO on the left then scroll down till you see 'Crimp' connection fix
- whether your RR (regulator/rectifier) is working properly
- and if your stator is still outputting the appropriate voltage (they can go wrong with age)
Check out all the stickies in the electrical section here - there's a lot of help with pics for all these things.
Hope this helps..
If I'm not mistaken, this test will always result in a zero VDC return. Wouldn't you have to place the multi-meter into the amp test mode and insert the probes into the multi-meter accordingly (mine has separate plugs for testing amps than the usual for testing volts) before doing this test? Maybe my multi-tester is just old-fashioned and you don't have to do this anymore?
:confused2:
One more possible clue......I usually connect my trickle charger to the battery with the cables disconnected. At one point I connected the trickle charger to the battery with the cables connected-ground first- when I connected the positive I got a really big spark and immediately disconnected the charger. Would this be an indication of a short? Thanks
That's normal. Did you piss urself? Been there lol
You should always connect positive first...negative last.
You should always connect positive first...negative last.
naughtyG
Well-Known Member
This would be an indication that there is a load, which would explain your drain. I don't think there should be a spark if everything's off - unless your bike is fitted with an alarm or other third-party electrical stuff.
If you're not leaving your key turned on, then it sounds like there is something wrong somewhere in your wiring, so that power is being drained all the time.
Having said that, the problem could very well be a short between two wires that should otherwise be isolated. It could also be a faulty component, such as the key switch or a relay, or a faulty connector - for example water in a connector could make an unwanted connection.
Do you know if there's any 'added' wiring on your bike? Any additional switches or accessories that are non-standard?
Usually, most wiring problem can be traced to three principal reasons:
1 - corrosion. Rust kills connections, and a rusted connector can make a short.
2 - heat. Engine or exhaust heat can easily melt a wire's insulation if it's badly routed or not secured.
3 - mechanical friction. On bikes especially, the bit of wiring harness most at risk is around the steering column. That's because every time you turn your handlebars, the harness flexes. If it's badly routed, wear will be accelerated and failure will follow. Any bit of wiring that moves regularly is at risk.
The first thing I would give it is a thorough visual inspection. You'll be amazed at what you can find if you really look properly. This involves a decent flash light and probably the removal of a few components - like the faux-tank, intake cowls, side covers, seat etc.
If you can't see anything obvious, then I would try removing the fuses one by one and attaching/removing the charger to the battery (fully connected) to see if the spark is still there. This could help you determine which circuit the fault's in.
After that it's down to getting the electrical schematics from the manual and a multimeter..
If you're not leaving your key turned on, then it sounds like there is something wrong somewhere in your wiring, so that power is being drained all the time.
Having said that, the problem could very well be a short between two wires that should otherwise be isolated. It could also be a faulty component, such as the key switch or a relay, or a faulty connector - for example water in a connector could make an unwanted connection.
Do you know if there's any 'added' wiring on your bike? Any additional switches or accessories that are non-standard?
Usually, most wiring problem can be traced to three principal reasons:
1 - corrosion. Rust kills connections, and a rusted connector can make a short.
2 - heat. Engine or exhaust heat can easily melt a wire's insulation if it's badly routed or not secured.
3 - mechanical friction. On bikes especially, the bit of wiring harness most at risk is around the steering column. That's because every time you turn your handlebars, the harness flexes. If it's badly routed, wear will be accelerated and failure will follow. Any bit of wiring that moves regularly is at risk.
The first thing I would give it is a thorough visual inspection. You'll be amazed at what you can find if you really look properly. This involves a decent flash light and probably the removal of a few components - like the faux-tank, intake cowls, side covers, seat etc.
If you can't see anything obvious, then I would try removing the fuses one by one and attaching/removing the charger to the battery (fully connected) to see if the spark is still there. This could help you determine which circuit the fault's in.
After that it's down to getting the electrical schematics from the manual and a multimeter..
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You are right, it will show nothing on the voltage setting unless the is a path to ground. This would indicate a short. This would blow fuses not drain a battery.
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The "load" is this case is a battery that is low on charge, so the spark is normal. If there was a short between 2 wires it would be blowing fuses not discharging a battery.
Supdup1 already mentioned that he is only getting 13 volts at the battery when it is running. This is not a high enough voltage to keep the battery properly charged. Do as I mentioned earlier and check all the connections in the charging circuit. You are losing 1 volt of charge and it is usually caused by dirty or burned factory connections.
lankeeyankee
Well-Known Member
Ok, Hiney Buster you are incorrect and talking out your ass before performing this test. Anyone else who doesnty believe this is an accurate way to test for battery drain...
Perform it and report back to me..
Remove the positive cable from your battery.
Place a DMM (Digital Multi Meter) even a 12VDC test light will work..
Place the DMM or test light between the cable and positive terminal.
Key off 0VDC Test light bulb not lit. (No drain)
Key on and tell me what you see..
Dont correct me unless you are positive, or your just talking out of your ass.
