Battery Voltages

FuelCell · 06-01-2010, 06:45 PM

I bought my '86 250 nearly a year ago, and I think I've put less than 800 miles on it. There's always something to be fixed.

This spring, I replaced the original battery because it would go dead overnight. I figured the battery was just bad.

The new, identical battery seemed fine until I let it sit for 2 weeks. It was completely dead when I tried starting it, so I assumed it was bad and Cyclegear replaced it.

New battery, not much riding on done on it, in a few more weeks it would only hold 8v when i tried to charge it. I went down to Cyclegear and apologized and bought yet another battery, but I didn't install it before replacing the regulator with a used one off a 2004 model.

Today, I installed it, and here's what I'm getting:
2k, Idle - 12.70v
5K - 13.73v
9K - 14.10v

The last one seems pretty high. This is with a fresh, charged battery that has been used for 20min of in-town riding.

Opinions?

2WheelFanatic · 06-01-2010, 08:05 PM

14 volts is good when its running. Even T idle. Check the voltage coming out of Ur voltage regulator. With it idling it should be between 13-14 volts. If not Ur voltage regulator is ba. Good luck

Liteone · 06-01-2010, 10:34 PM

if Your not getting 14v when the bike is running then there is a problem.
Even cars have an output of 14 volts

FuelCell · 06-21-2010, 07:12 PM

Let the bike sit for two weeks and it's completely dead again. Hopefully it didn't ruin another battery.

I've got to try to borrow the multimeter again to try to find a current drain, but my brother checked for me a few weeks ago and couldn't find one.

I'm really at a complete loss as to what to do at this point.

ckholloway · 06-21-2010, 08:12 PM

Well just went out and checked my 06 250 and your numbers all seem to fine. You have a draw from someplace and thats what is killing the battery. When you park it for more then a couple days make sure you un-hook the battery and that will stop the drain until you figure it out.

stubby · 06-22-2010, 01:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckholloway

You have a draw from someplace and thats what is killing the battery. When you park it for more then a couple days make sure you un-hook the battery and that will stop the drain until you figure it out.

When the battery is unhooked you can start doing simple continuity tests to see if you have any bad insulation although I don't think a short is your problem. Have you checked your charging system? Or do you have anything installed like a 12v plug, alarm, etc that might be draining your battery?

FuelCell · 06-22-2010, 10:20 PM

I have a few systems disconnected such as the fan (switch is bad) and plate light (fender elim) but the connections are terminated correctly.

I charged the battery with a 2A charger for several hours (Yes, 2A is .25A too much), periodically checking the voltage off-charger. It seems to have peaked at about 11v. The bike runs fine when I push-start it, maintaining about 12.5v as it runs. My 4th battery is bad. That's about $80 in batteries, not including the original (which probably just got old).

The Ohm meter, when set to "20k" and placed between battery leads, reads 0 key on, and .50 key off. I'm not 100 percent sure what this means.

While working on it tonight, I disconnected the ground lead to remove the battery, when i noticed that connecting the circuit caused a "click" in the junction box. As I press the ground lead against the ground terminal, the junction box clicks just like a small solenoid would. Removing all 4 fuses ('86 250 has fan, acc, headlight, taillight fuses in the junction box) made no difference. Key on or off didn't affect it either.

Current draw test next, when i have time. Just got married so working on the bike isn't really a priority right now.

FuelCell · 06-24-2010, 10:47 PM

I disconnected the battery and put the multimeter between the - terminal and the ground wire. Key off, 10.5v. Key on, 11.5v. Clearly, there's a pretty massive voltage drain somewhere.

Along the lines of the solenoid, pulling the 4-wire plug out kills the drain and also powers off the bike, ruining my "quick fix" idea. Pulling the fuse does the same thing.

Ideas and opinions?

FuelCell · 06-27-2010, 06:32 PM

I think I fixed it! After unplugging pretty much everything on the bike, i randomly tried disconnecting my dysfunctional fan temp switch.

It must be broken, because the fan runs all the time unless I unplug the switch or the fan.

Unplugging the broken switch caused the voltage flow to drop to zero! This would explain why the problem seemed to intermittent, I've been continually connecting and disconnecting the switch on hot or cold days.

When I find a new switch (which I need to order anyway) I'll know whether or not it was the problem or not. If it isn't, at least I have a wire to follow. I'm going to go check out some wiring diagrams now to see exactly why the switch might be drawing current or shorting.

06-01-2010, 06:45 PM	#1
FuelCell Senior Member Joined: Jan 2009 From: Eagle, ID Posts: 378 I Ride: 2009 Suzuki SV650S	Battery Voltages I bought my '86 250 nearly a year ago, and I think I've put less than 800 miles on it. There's always something to be fixed. This spring, I replaced the original battery because it would go dead overnight. I figured the battery was just bad. The new, identical battery seemed fine until I let it sit for 2 weeks. It was completely dead when I tried starting it, so I assumed it was bad and Cyclegear replaced it. New battery, not much riding on done on it, in a few more weeks it would only hold 8v when i tried to charge it. I went down to Cyclegear and apologized and bought yet another battery, but I didn't install it before replacing the regulator with a used one off a 2004 model. Today, I installed it, and here's what I'm getting: 2k, Idle - 12.70v 5K - 13.73v 9K - 14.10v The last one seems pretty high. This is with a fresh, charged battery that has been used for 20min of in-town riding. Opinions?

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06-01-2010, 08:05 PM	#2
2WheelFanatic Senior Member Joined: May 2010 From: Mountain Home, Idaho Posts: 118 I Ride: 06 GSX-R1000	14 volts is good when its running. Even T idle. Check the voltage coming out of Ur voltage regulator. With it idling it should be between 13-14 volts. If not Ur voltage regulator is ba. Good luck

06-01-2010, 10:34 PM	#3
Liteone Senior Member Joined: Jun 2008 From: N-Town Posts: 1,745 I Ride: CBR 954RR and what ever else I want	if Your not getting 14v when the bike is running then there is a problem. Even cars have an output of 14 volts

06-21-2010, 07:12 PM	#4
FuelCell Senior Member Joined: Jan 2009 From: Eagle, ID Posts: 378 I Ride: 2009 Suzuki SV650S	Let the bike sit for two weeks and it's completely dead again. Hopefully it didn't ruin another battery. I've got to try to borrow the multimeter again to try to find a current drain, but my brother checked for me a few weeks ago and couldn't find one. I'm really at a complete loss as to what to do at this point.

06-21-2010, 08:12 PM	#5
ckholloway Senior Member Joined: Mar 2010 From: Ontario Posts: 612	Well just went out and checked my 06 250 and your numbers all seem to fine. You have a draw from someplace and thats what is killing the battery. When you park it for more then a couple days make sure you un-hook the battery and that will stop the drain until you figure it out.

06-22-2010, 10:20 PM	#7
FuelCell Senior Member Joined: Jan 2009 From: Eagle, ID Posts: 378 I Ride: 2009 Suzuki SV650S	I have a few systems disconnected such as the fan (switch is bad) and plate light (fender elim) but the connections are terminated correctly. I charged the battery with a 2A charger for several hours (Yes, 2A is .25A too much), periodically checking the voltage off-charger. It seems to have peaked at about 11v. The bike runs fine when I push-start it, maintaining about 12.5v as it runs. My 4th battery is bad. That's about $80 in batteries, not including the original (which probably just got old). The Ohm meter, when set to "20k" and placed between battery leads, reads 0 key on, and .50 key off. I'm not 100 percent sure what this means. While working on it tonight, I disconnected the ground lead to remove the battery, when i noticed that connecting the circuit caused a "click" in the junction box. As I press the ground lead against the ground terminal, the junction box clicks just like a small solenoid would. Removing all 4 fuses ('86 250 has fan, acc, headlight, taillight fuses in the junction box) made no difference. Key on or off didn't affect it either. Current draw test next, when i have time. Just got married so working on the bike isn't really a priority right now.

06-24-2010, 10:47 PM	#8
FuelCell Senior Member Joined: Jan 2009 From: Eagle, ID Posts: 378 I Ride: 2009 Suzuki SV650S	I disconnected the battery and put the multimeter between the - terminal and the ground wire. Key off, 10.5v. Key on, 11.5v. Clearly, there's a pretty massive voltage drain somewhere. Along the lines of the solenoid, pulling the 4-wire plug out kills the drain and also powers off the bike, ruining my "quick fix" idea. Pulling the fuse does the same thing. Ideas and opinions?

06-27-2010, 06:32 PM	#9
FuelCell Senior Member Joined: Jan 2009 From: Eagle, ID Posts: 378 I Ride: 2009 Suzuki SV650S	I think I fixed it! After unplugging pretty much everything on the bike, i randomly tried disconnecting my dysfunctional fan temp switch. It must be broken, because the fan runs all the time unless I unplug the switch or the fan. Unplugging the broken switch caused the voltage flow to drop to zero! This would explain why the problem seemed to intermittent, I've been continually connecting and disconnecting the switch on hot or cold days. When I find a new switch (which I need to order anyway) I'll know whether or not it was the problem or not. If it isn't, at least I have a wire to follow. I'm going to go check out some wiring diagrams now to see exactly why the switch might be drawing current or shorting.