Battery being drained - possible short circuit?

[FlyingOsca]

Hello everybody,

I have a Yamaha 650XVS Dragstar which has been converted to a Trike. I bought a brand new all singing, all dancing battery for it a couple of months ago as the old battery was not designed for starting engines (I know nothing.) I've been using the Trike twice a week since then, the last ride out was Monday when it was extremely hot.

I wanted to go for a run on Thursday but when I turned the key in the slot I got no reaction whatsoever. No neutral light, no engine warning light and no lights on the trike as usually happened. I checked the battery with a multi meter and got a 0.03v reading.

I jump started the engine and when idling got 12.5v - 13.00v and under a load (revving) got a reading of 14.5v which I assume means the alternator is working???

I turned the engine off and waited a couple of minutes, took another reading which was 2.58v

I waited an hour, took another and the reading was 0.33v which tells me that either the battery is knackered or there is a short somewhere draining it.

I'm a very basic amateur mechanic, not into diagnostics etc. so can anyone tell me the best way to find a short (if there is one) or do you think the battery is dead and would the heat on Monday (the engine did get pretty hot) have done some damage somewhere?

The battery was a Yamaha battery, which I got from a dealer who told me to perform the checks above but they haven't got back to me since.

Any help, advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Larry

 

 

 

 

[slice]

Hi Larry, Ok it's possible you have a short but is there an alarm on the bike/ or is there any sort of USB/ Cigarette lighter type attachment that has been fitted perhaps by the previous owner? If you have a usb charger fitted it can drain the battery if it's not fitted with a switch to turn it off when not in use but if you have a short and your not a good mechanic then my suggestion would be leave the wiring alone and get it sorted by someone who knows what they are doing. Most shorts are are easy to find IF you know what your doing but if you have no clue then you can at worst set the thing on fire! A new battery will hold it's charge for months and if your down to 0.03 volts in a day then it's something that needs looking at asap. Heat is not going to wreck the battery unless it's practically on fire. Where are you in the world? one of us might be nearby and able to offer a quick and dirty hand to help out, do you have a multimeter? plus what skills in the world of mechanics do you have. not trying to be a dick here but bikes are complicated bit's of kit and you need lots of skill to not make matters worse. Photos are a great way to show problems as well plus video if you can manage that, some can't!, We will help if we can but going to need more info before much can be done to help out. Good luck either way mate.

[FlyingOsca]

Hi,

Thanks for getting back to me - really appreciate it. I'm just outside Trowbridge - Hilperton BA14 7HY.

I'm ok at 'fixing' stuff, usually pretty good with 12v, I fitted a foglight and spotlights to the trike as well as sat nav and these has been working fine for a couple of years so don't think they are the problem although my plan of campaign this afternoon was to get the seats and tank off and see if there is anything blatantly amiss.

Yes, I have a multimeter but to be honest had to look up how to use it on YouTube!!

There is an immobiliser fitted to the trike - factory fitted which has a small red light on the dash which flashes intermittently when the engine is off and the key is out but from what I can find out it uses very little power and certainly not enough to drain the battery overnight.

I'll give the trike a once over this afternoon but if nothing is staring me in the face I will get someone to come out and have a look see. As you say, I don't want to set fire to it!

From what I can find out online it is usually quite simple to locate a short but I think you are right in saying that you do actually need to know what you are looking for!

Thanks again for the reply.

Cheers

Larry