[artist7167]

had blue LED light strand. put in under the airbox cover(5ft continuous strand) and have had electrical probs ever since. have replaced the battery 3 times, and if i leave the alarm on, it drains the battery within minutes. There is only 2000 miles on '03 . From what i understand, these LED lights are only supposed to be milliamps. why is this happening? Been stranded a few times now. i was just wondering if anyone else has had electical probs like this? :sad:

 

[Max]

This sounds more like a battery problem. Have you had the battery tested?

Max

 

[brent_walkoviak]

Sounds like a short somewhere causing the battery to drain. I have 10 kuryakyn spider lights on mine and have left them on for several hours at a time and havent had any problem with it draining the battery.

 

[riverrattcom]

Dead Short

 

[Max]

Not to disagree with anyone but to draw a battery dead in a matter of minutes would take the kind of amperage that the starter would draw, you could find a problem that big with your nose by smelling for burning electronics or wires. Usually a battery with a single bad cell will display the characteristics that you have described.

 

[riverrattcom]

Just figured the odds on replacing the battery three times with three bad ones are too great. Something else almost has to be the problem, but you are correct :chair: on the Ampre Draw, it would take a Large Dead short to drain it in minutes.


(Probaly not only could find a short that big by smell, also just follow the sparks )

 

[Max]

riverattcom, I do a lot of auto electrical work and have never seen a short that would draw a battery dead in minutes. The entire system is protected against that kind of a short with both ATC and Maxi fuses. Now if you have a draw that runs the battery down in say 48 hours and the battery goes dead as many as three or four times the odds are you will have a cooked battery. Anytime you think you have a short it should blow a fuse, if you have a draw it is easy to check and track with even a simple dvm. It really is one of the easiest parts of an automotive system.

I should explain, yes I am an ase certified master in auto electronics. A short is a direct connection of power to a ground, this causes burning and sparks in most cases and every system has fail safe devices that open. Fuses, thermal limiters, fuse able links, etc. To drain a battery in minutes with a short would generate about as much heat as an arc welder would. and would require at least 2 gage wire to sustain the load without melting.

Now a draw is when you have a component that does not power down such as a relay or field as the result of poor wiring or improper wiring. This will usually result in an amp draw of around 1-2 amps and this will usually knock a battery dead in around 48 hours. This is not a short and this can be checked and isolated with a dvm by first determining the amount of draw and then isolate circuits until you can identify the source of the draw.

Now if you continue to replace battery's without repairing the draw the new battery will have a very short life as these are not deep cycle batteries and are not designed to be fully discharged without doing cell damage. Most batteries will not survive more then four full discharges before they no longer have any reserve life, this would explain anything being on for a couple of minutes causing a no start. IMHO

I think the battery is bad but I would guess the life of the batteries is being cut short by improper wiring. Just wanted to clarify what I call a short versus a draw.

Max

 

[riverrattcom]

Is it possible that the voltage regulator (The Draw) has malfuntioned producing to much voltage to the battery, casing it to boil one of the cells dry on the battery.
Or would the Maxi fuse take care of that since its in the circut between the voltage regulator and the battery.

 

[Max]

Riverrattcom the HD factory battery is an AGM (Absorption Glass Mat) , it is a completely sealed battery and should be very durable against anything like a dry cell. But a regulator malfuntion would be easy to determine with a dvm again. This is a case were some checking will need to be done. I also suggest test the battery with something like a good VAT 40 to be sure exactly what it is doing and is capable of doing.

 

[riverrattcom]

:hmm: You know more fancy electronic words than I do :hmm:

:notworth: Well, he should have more electrical knowlege about his problem
now, than he would taking it the Stealer for a couple days! Sounds like you have the problem nailed down Max. :mrgr:

 

[owenwil]

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY Mighty MAX and Raging Riverattcom in technical VROD showdown!!!!! See the pros at work, watch the technical strategies unfold, see the VROD problems disappear!!!!

I am glad people like you are on this forum. Max in your case...make this forum possible. Incredible source of knowledge.

:notworth:

 

[Max]

owenwil I don't see a fight here at all, I think that we are looking at the original problem from different view points but in no way could either of us say more as this is a problem that really requires a hands on the bike to determine and everthing else is speculation.

 

[Vrod-tlam]

I'm sure Doc can tell you more, but check & see if your LEDs have resistance built into the wiring to limit the current draw to milliamps.
LEDs by themselves have a very low resistance. So if they are wired without resistance, the circuit will draw a LOT of current, similar to a dead short!

 

[artist7167]

okhere's the deal, i boosted the battery from the truck, i know i'm not supposed to do this, but i got stranded again!i rode around for about 2 hours,then went home and shut it down.i woke up this morning, tried to start her up, and she won't wake up!this is maddening!this is a brand new battery! i don't smell any burning,and i don't see sparks.i try to start her up,she tries, then i get that damn clicking sound that you get when your battery is dead. I have a battery tinder,just put it on a month ago,and i have kept it plugged in when i don't ride.Hell, i don't know. she's going to the shop(again) here in a bit.i'll let you guys know what the tech says. is anyone else having electrical probs that won't go away? i hope it's not a defect in my bike.

 

[riverrattcom]

did you have the problem before you bought the Battery Tender?


Oh and no Showdown here, If it was I brought a pocket knife to a Sword fight, and Max has the Sword! :laugh:

 

[artist7167]

yes i did have probs before the battery tender. that's why i put it on, i just didn't ride much.so i thought i wasn't charging the battery.

 

[vroom]

maybe your tender is hooked up backwards

 

[Vinny]

Check all your grounds.battery to motor,motor to frame.For corrosion and see if they need any tightening.If you have the RT you could datalog to see if the alternator is charging.

 

[VrodRick74]

I think we are all in good hands with Max and Riverrattcom around. God bless your technical knowledge. If I was having that kind of problen I'd take out of the equation the thing that started it, the LED lights. Then work your way backwards. Sounds like your battery tender is hooked up backwards though

 

[Jimaroo]

My battery did the same thing at about 2500 miles. Click, click.
I thought it was my new pc3r I just installed.
Took it to the dealership. Dead cell.
Dealership replaced it with a new one off the shelf. Same problem.
Another one off the shelf. Dead cell.
Fourth battery. Been fine for last 1200 miles.