I've a 2005 650 Vstrom with excess voltage draw when the ignition is off. With the negative battery terminal lead disconnected, my voltmeter shows a draw of about 9.8 volts between the battery and the negative lead. The draw on the battery is enough to drain the battery over three or four days to the extent that it won't turn the engine over (battery holds a charge just fine when the negative battery lead is left disconnected). Removing the "fuel" fuse drops the voltage draw to less than one volt (which, I assume, is the voltage required to keep the clock display up), and disconnecting the harness on the back of the speedometer drops the voltage draw to zero. Since the "fuel" fuse also runs the instrument panel display lights, and since the draw is zero with the panel harness disconnected, I am wondering if a short in the display lights, rather than a problem with the fuel pump, could be causing the excessive draw. Before I tear into the instrument panel I thought I'd see if anyone has had a similar experience, or ideas on further tracking down this excessive draw on the battery. Many thanks for any thoughts you would care to share.
Excessive Electrical Draw w/ignition off
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I'm stuck trying to figure out this "Voltage Draw" thing. Do you mean voltage DROP or current DRAW? There's really no such thing as "Voltage Draw". Or are are you just measuring the voltage between the poles of the battery?
What you need to do is place an ammeter in series with the positive lead of the battery. DO NOT start the bike with it in series or you will probably ruin it unless it's rated to handle the current of the starter. Current draw should be very, very low with the key off (as in probably a couple of milliamps). If it isn't then you certainly have a problem somewhere and the best place to start is by pulling fuses.
What you need to do is place an ammeter in series with the positive lead of the battery. DO NOT start the bike with it in series or you will probably ruin it unless it's rated to handle the current of the starter. Current draw should be very, very low with the key off (as in probably a couple of milliamps). If it isn't then you certainly have a problem somewhere and the best place to start is by pulling fuses.
I disconnect the negative cable from the battery, place the negative lead of my voltmeter on the negative battery terminal, and place the positive lead of my voltmeter on the negative battery cable, per the shop manual recommendations. That is where the meter reads 9.8 volts. I have pulled all the fuses and that is when I found a potential culprit in the fuel fuse.
Thanks.
I have tested the draw with the ignition switch in the "off" and the "lock" positions, and get the 9.8 reading on my meter. With the ignition in the "park" position, I get a reading of about 13 volts.
Thanks.
Good question. I have added no electrical accessories to the bike. All electrical components are stock.
Thanks.
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Connecting the meter in series with the ground, you should have it set on the Amps scale, not voltage. This is how you set it up to be an ammeter, not a volt meter. The voltage reading you are getting is probably the current reading through the known internal resistor, which means that when you have it in Park, and the brake light is on, you will see more current being pulled, yielding in a higher voltage (V=IR). In Off you will see a much lower voltage as the current will be lower. Switch the meter to Amps and post up the current readings you are seeing with the meter in this configuration.
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Here's the section from the manual.
INSPECTION
BATTERY CURRENT LEAKAGE
• Remove the seat. (CT6-4)
• Turn the ignition switch to the OFF position.
• Disconnect the battery - lead wire.
Measure the current between - battery terminal and the - battery
lead wire using the multi circuit tester. If the reading
exceeds the specified value, leakage is evident. (under 3mA)
As RedBean25 wrote, you should be using the current sensing function of the meter and reading milliamps, not volts.
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The voltage between the negative battery post and the disconnected negative cable should be zero, or perhaps a very small voltage showing the drop across the clock and anything else using power when the ignition is off. I'd guess that Montana gets a small spark when he reattaches the negative cable to the battery post. Something is using power that should be disconnected with the key off.
Montana, first take a very close look at everything electrical. I know, tough to do. Look for any chafed wire or any signs of anything burned. Next, pull all the fuses and check your voltage drop, or switch your multimeter to the amp position and connect it between your disconnected negative cable and the negative battery post. Put one fuse in and see what reading you get. Pull that fuse and put in another, etc., etc. This will help you find which main circuit has your problem. Then you have to track it down more by looking very closely and by disconnecting things on that circuit one at a time.
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That makes a LOT more sense. Good catch guys. I could not figure out why he was trying to read voltage in series.
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