Battery Draining

[V8M3]

As some of you may know, I was hit on the freeway on my bike. Since this time, I have had trouble keeping the battery charged. This has been with the 1st generation Ballistic and the 2nd gen Ballistic EVO2. Prior to being hit, the bike could sit a month or longer with the rLink alarm running and no battery issues. Now, if the bike sits a couple of days, the battery will be dead. The dealer finds no "parasitic" drain and there is no problem found in the bike electrical.

I am trickle charging the EVO2 tonight. I have disconnected all of the rLink components. I plan to ride the bike tomorrow and then let it sit 3-4 days to see if I can repeat the problem.

Any other thoughts or suggestions? Only other add-ons are the PCV and AutoTune.

Thanks for any suggestions!!!

[Rainman]

I'm not sure I completely understand. Are you saying that you have gone through 2 different Ballistic batteries AFTER the accident? Or maybe you had a perfectly working Ballistic BEFORE the accident, and then after the accident the battery failed and then you replaced it with another Ballistic and it is failing too?

Either way, I'm not sure I would trust the dealer's diagnosis that there is no subtle "parasitic" drain, OR that perhaps the charging system is not performing it's job anymore very well.

• Did they or you check the charging system and it's capacity?
• Perhaps the battery itself has been damaged? Not sure what type of internal grid arrangement is in those batteries, but a big shock could damage it's ability to take a charge as quickly as before. Kind of like a bad cell.
• Have a GS-911 so you can check voltage while at rest and while running?

I think you are on the right track. Remove or disconnect anything that can draw against the battery while on the bike and then check each day.

Why not take the battery out of the bike and put it on the right kind of charger, then let it rest while not connected to anything. That should point to the battery or not.

Interesting problem. Good luck.

[V8M3]

Originally Posted by Rainman

Or maybe you had a perfectly working Ballistic BEFORE the accident, and then after the accident the battery failed and then you replaced it with another Ballistic and it is failing too?

Correct. I have disconnected everything that can draw from the battery. I am going to run the bike and see what happens. I think that the bike is not charging the battery, not that the battery is failing. Is there a way to check internal charging versus parasitic drain?

Dealer says everything is good on the bike.

[H-2 CHARLIE]

I would have the interstate batteray warehouse test the battery for a load test /cca . They have a snap-on batteray tester thats unreal .

[V8M3]

Well... I have had the alarm unplugged for 4 days now and no drain on the battery. Guess there is a short somewhere? Could an alarm drain a battery that fast. It never did in the past.

[Sal_R1]

Great idea & should have been the first on the list.

Originally Posted by H-2 CHARLIE

I would have the interstate batteray warehouse test the battery for a load test /cca . They have a snap-on batteray tester thats unreal .

I have seen this before in cars. It took me a week to find the issue! The client had recently moved to a new neighborhood with more cars close by. The alarm was being "woken up" repeatedly by remotes "within range" thereby draining the battery. Not common at all but a possibility!

Originally Posted by V8M3

Well... I have had the alarm unplugged for 4 days now and no drain on the battery. Guess there is a short somewhere? Could an alarm drain a battery that fast. It never did in the past.

[H-2 CHARLIE]

I just fixed a drain on a 300zx 1987 nissan ,i goggeled it and my light was flashing on the secureity and it said to unplug that fuse and bammm . fixed .....just unplug the alarm fuse ?