possible reason for short-lived batteries

[brucealmighty]

I was complaining to a friend of mine over dinner the other night about how I only seem to be getting a few months from brand new batteries in my XJ1100. When we walked out to the parking lot after dinner, he said, "There's your problem. The kickstand is draining the battery into the ground". I thought he was joking, but then I got to thinking that maybe I shouldn't be too quick to rule out anything, even it sounds a little far fetched. I thought well, cars don't have anything but rubber touching the ground. Could there be something to what he said? Just wondering.

[skids]

Yeah, he was joking. We've all been usin' them for years!

[skids]

You might have a circuit that stays energized. Turn off the key, disconnect the negetive and jumper the dangling negetive across the multimeter and back to the pots. See if there are any MAmps. If there are, try pulling one fuse at a time to see if it goes to zero. That will give you a clue into which circuit it is.

[brucealmighty]

Originally posted by skids
You might have a circuit that stays energized. Turn off the key, disconnect the negetive and jumper the dangling negetive across the multimeter and back to the pots. See if there are any MAmps. If there are, try pulling one fuse at a time to see if it goes to zero. That will give you a clue into which circuit it is.

Not sure I follow you. Do you mean disconnect the negative terminal from the battery at the battery or where it's connected to the frame?

[skids]

To check flow through the battery, you should check amperage as close to the battery as possible. Disconnect the negative cable from the battery post and connect the meter in-line between the cable and the post to complete the connection.

Originally posted by brucealmighty


Not sure I follow you. Do you mean disconnect the negative terminal from the battery at the battery or where it's connected to the frame?

[prometheus578]

Hey Skids...
Did you get a new "Paint By Number" set?
Can you make Washington Green?
(but make it a pretty green)

[boyat68]

brucealmighty:

You may have an "overcharging" situation in which the battery is being boiled (The water that is.) The generator can put out extra voltage at high RPMs and the voltage regulator adjust this voltage from the generator to charge the battery. If your regulator is defective then the full generator voltage 14.2-14.8 will be be continuously run into the battery.

[brucealmighty]

Originally posted by skids
To check flow through the battery, you should check amperage as close to the battery as possible. Disconnect the negative cable from the battery post and connect the meter in-line between the cable and the post to complete the connection.

So, you're saying that there shouldn't be any current flow registering on the meter if it's connected between the negative cable and the negative post?

[brucealmighty]

Originally posted by boyat68
brucealmighty:

You may have an "overcharging" situation in which the battery is being boiled (The water that is.) The generator can put out extra voltage at high RPMs and the voltage regulator adjust this voltage from the generator to charge the battery. If your regulator is defective then the full generator voltage 14.2-14.8 will be be continuously run into the battery.

Would I be able to check that by connecting the meter to the positive battery post while the engine is running?

[randy]

So, you're saying that there shouldn't be any current flow registering on the meter if it's connected between the negative cable and the negative post?

That's correct, do it with the engine OFF, key OFF. If there is a draw, leave the meter connected and pull fuses until the draw disappears to find the offending circuit.

[Schmeerman]

Bruce, Bike off, key off. You are looking for a current flow with everything off, That is what can kill your battery. Checking the water level is also a good idea, as overcharging, due to a bad regulator can kill a battery quickly, as has already been suggested.

Good luck,
Mike

[Schmeerman]

Too slow!!

I see Randy beat me. I type very slowly.
What he said.

[skids]

If you turn the key on during this process, you will likely blow the meter, or at least its fuse. I think I would pull the main fuse last, because the fuse panel (I think) gets its draw for all of the fuses through it. On the older bikes like the 78E, I believe that the running lights get fired from the main fuse. I think there might be a possibility of the key switch bleeding to ground somehow if it is gunky in there. As someone previously mentioned, definately check to see if the battery water is being boiled away from overcharging! Also remember that with these bikes, if you idle the bike excessively, the charging will not keep up with demand in the stock configuration. These (xs11's) do not seem to get a break-even charge until they experience about 1500 rpms. This is also true even if you could switch off the headlight, but if you could, it would definately make the charged battery last longer while you are idling.

Originally posted by randy
That's correct, do it with the engine OFF, key OFF. If there is a draw, leave the meter connected and pull fuses until the draw disappears to find the offending circuit.