new battery woes

[DiverRay]

New battery seems good. You will know after one or two starts. Mine didn't show up until I tried to start it the first time. About 1/2 rev and no lights!

[Blank Slate]

after charging all night, it was 13.29 this morning. im going to ride to work, 30 min city ride, go home around 2pm, and see what the charge is tonight.

[Blank Slate]

One thing I noticed and I don't know if it's a concern or not. When I try to hook up the battery connectors, I connect the positive one first, then I hook up the negative one. I notice that there is a click click sound coming from underneath the gas tank, about where the carbs are, when I'm trying to connect the black cable to the battery. Once I have it connected the click noise is gone.

[skids]

Maybe a solonoid switch? I think the auxiliary lugs under the right side cover are aways hot...you don’t have anything hooked to it do you? I would think that there should be nothing else hot without turning the key (I don’t know about emergency flashers on later bikes). I wonder if the key switch needs some cleaning? I would pull the 30 amp main fuse and check for current across it.

[bikerphil]

One thing I noticed and I don't know if it's a concern or not. When I try to hook up the battery connectors, I connect the positive one first, then I hook up the negative one. I notice that there is a click click sound coming from underneath the gas tank, about where the carbs are, when I'm trying to connect the black cable to the battery. Once I have it connected the click noise is gone.

I would check for a current drain with the key in the off position. Connect the positive cable to the battery. With the negative disconnected, put one multimeter lead on the neg cable and the other on the neg post of the battery. Set your meter to 10A setting and you may or may not have to switch the red lead on your meter over to the other connection marked 10A. There should be no voltage draw on the meter. If there is, report back.

[Blank Slate]

biker phil,

i did what you said and took many readings. sometimes it starts in the teens, 30’s, 70’s, but one constant thing is that the numbers keep going up! 15,16,17,18,19
35,36,37,38,39
79,80,81,82
etc....

i put the multimeter on 10A DC.
key in off position
disconnected the negative cable
put one end of meter on battery neg port, and one end on the negative cable.

also i took a reading of the battery and it’s at 12.87.

[bikerphil]

i put the multimeter on 10A DC.
key in off position
disconnected the negative cable
put one end on battery neg port, and one end on the negative cable.

Did you also plug the red wire into the meter port that is marked 10A? I'm not understanding the numbers/readings you posted.

[Blank Slate]

One thing I noticed and I don't know if it's a concern or not. When I try to hook up the battery connectors, I connect the positive one first, then I hook up the negative one. I notice that there is a click click sound coming from underneath the gas tank, about where the carbs are, when I'm trying to connect the black cable to the battery. Once I have it connected the click noise is gone.

my apologies

the clicking sound is definitely coming from key ignition area. maybe headlight

[Blank Slate]

Did you also plug the red wire into the meter port that is marked 10A? I'm not understanding the numbers/readings you posted.

no lol

let’s try again

reading now

-1

and if i flip the meter ends and measure

- . blinking very fast

[3Phase]

Batteries keep discharging

Is the headlight on?

If the headlight relay is kicking in when you connect the battery and the ignition switch is OFF, that would drain the battery even if the headlight doesn't turn on.

Unless someone's been into the wiring there is absolutely nothing on a '79 Special that is anywhere near the ignition switch or the headlight shell that will click, clack, beep, boop, or make any other sound except the horns or the headlight relay.

[bikerphil]

If there is some sort of current drain, you would see a reading of (ex.) 0.15, 1.25 etc. if there is no reading there is no draw. Only other thing possible is the 10A fuse in the meter is blown.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey Blank, and others,

Just some info regarding your battery charger. There's nothing wrong with it, even though you had a bad battery, even if the battery was good, BUT DISCHARGED to 10 or less volts, no modern charger will charge, because it THINKS the battery already has a dead cell.

To charge a severely discharged battery, you need to put it in PARALLEL with a GOOD (12+V) charged battery. THEN the charger will sense the 12 volts, and not just the 10 or less of the drained battery and will then send a recharging current to both batteries. The charged one won't need it, so it'll go into the discharged one. Monitor it for a few hours UNTIL you see the voltage get to ~11V, then you can take the spare good battery OFF of the parallel connection/circuit and directly charge the bad battery with the charger!

T.C.

[Blank Slate]

Is the headlight on?

If the headlight relay is kicking in when you connect the battery and the ignition switch is OFF, that would drain the battery even if the headlight doesn't turn on.

Unless someone's been into the wiring there is absolutely nothing on a '79 Special that is anywhere near the ignition switch or the headlight shell that will click, clack, beep, boop, or make any other sound except the horns or the headlight relay.

Im pretty sure i disconnected the horn because i had to pass some cables and the horn was in my way.

should i disconnect the headlight relay to see ifthe clicks and draining stop?


Good info TC!

[skids]

Posts 21, 22, and 26 do not seem to be resolved. You just can’t get higher amp readings than 10 amps if the meter is set correctly, working correctly and the test leads are in the right ports. Is the headlight switchable or is it automatic and stock? I am just wondering if someone has put in a relay switch that isn’t oem and somehow connected to a hot wire. You might be able to track down the clicking sound with the tank off. You need a working multimeter and need to know how to use it (if you are not sure) to help you track down to stray current. You might be able to clean up the ignition switch if there is a lot of gunk and copper smears in it and make it work if that is the problem.

[skids]

PS, I meant not disrespect by my previous post. Just trying to help...