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Electrical drain on a 1991 ultra

Discussion in 'Motorcycle Tech Talk' started by maxbry, Jul 21, 2009.

  1. maxbry

    maxbry New Member

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    I have had an electrical drain from the day I bought this bike. I thought I had found the problem when I pulled the c.b. The bike was bought used about 3 years ago, it has always had a voltage drain on it from day one. I pulled the c.b. and thought that was the cure as my volt gage read from 12 volts to 13-13.5, however as I continue to drive the bike the volt gage has very slowly gone back to where it was originally. 12-12.5 I'm at a loss as to what could be causing this drain. New battery, new rotor, stator, regulator. About the only things I haven't changed concerning charge is the cables, and they appear to be fine. Any suggestions to this very aggravating situation would be greatly appreciated. Full dresser, allot of wires, again, c.b. pulled.
    maxbry, Jul 21, 2009
    #1
  3. chucktx

    chucktx Moderator Staff Member

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    i have a procedure for checking battery drains. it is a bit involved, are you mechanically adept??
    chucktx, Jul 21, 2009
    #2
  4. FLHTbiker

    FLHTbiker Moderator Staff Member

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    I used a amp meter once and pulled fuses to locate the area.
    FLHTbiker, Jul 21, 2009
    #3
  5. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

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    Thing is that meter might not be getting the full amount of charge so it's not reading every bit that's in the system, ID it could be reading low.. So before you think it's the bike, check the meter.

    What is the voltage at the battery?

    With a meter you can work your way around to the connections to see what is pulling power, going to take a bit, but on the baggers they tend to have wire problems up by the front under the faring with all the wires coming into one area.

    It's prone to problematic wires in that space.

    Wiggle test is a good test as well..
    hotroadking, Jul 22, 2009
    #4
  6. maxbry

    maxbry New Member

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    Yes, I am mechanically adept if the instructions are plain enough for a layman to understand. What do you have?
    maxbry, Jul 22, 2009
    #5
  7. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

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    Do you have a meter?

    If so check the battery first, see where it sits without ignition on
    then check with engine running

    You can also use the meter to check volts at the gauge to be sure it's reading
    what it's supposed to, a digital multimeter is best, you can get them pretty inexpensive at Harbor freight, lowes, Home Despot... etc.
    hotroadking, Jul 22, 2009
    #6
  8. chucktx

    chucktx Moderator Staff Member

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    i use a test light. disconnect the pos. cable from the battery. clip the neg clip of the light to the pos post, attach the probe end of the tester to the cable that was removed from the battery. the light should be off. if you turn on the switch, the test light will light up. turn off the switch, the light should go off. in your case the light may be lit with the key off. start removing fuses, checking the light. if you remove a fuse and the light goes off...there was a drain in that circuit. once you get through the fuses and the light is still on.....then you need to go to the different connectors through out the bike.....time consuming. not sure if you have an onboard puter .....it will pull some current.....the test light may glow dimly.....that is not a bad drain. a bad drain will have the test light burning bright. dont forget about unpluging the regulator, alt. any acessories.........hope this helps some. i dont use a meter in this test as a meter is too sensitive, and will register voltage even with no draw.
    chucktx, Jul 22, 2009
    #7

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