Electrical drain on a Voyager

[elwood5150]

I have a 1993 Voyager 1200. There is an electrical drain that is getting worse. I rode it for a half hour today starting with a full charge and when I got home it was starting to sputter. About an hour later I tried to start it and the battery was close to dead. The battery is healthy. Any ideas ? Thanks in advance.

Elwood

[cushman eagle]

Are you sure the alternator is charging,and is the battery good.
You should put a test meter on the battery terminals when it is running,the voltage should be about 14.7 at about 3,000 RPM.
If it is, shut it off,disconnect the battery,and check the voltage after a couple hours,and it should be about 12.7.
If is,try to find an ammeter that clips over the battery cable,hook the battery back up,and see what the drain is,If you do find a draw,start unplugging fuses to find the loss

[SgtSlag]

1993 was a good year, for Voyagers... Mine is a '93, as well.

If a battery suffers a severe discharge, such as your battery has, it is very likely that it has been badly damaged, and it will never hold a decent charge again. Sorry, but that is reality staring you in the face. Take your battery to an auto shop, and have them test it -- for free, at most stores.

If it shows bad, they're not lying to you -- it is bad. If it tests good, dance your way back home, and follow cushman eagle's instructions on testing for a load when the bike is off.

Otherwise, buy a new AGM battery: sealed, no acid to add, no charging required, it will be fully charged, ready to use. Then proceed with the troubleshooting process. Make certain that you plug the ammeter in series with the battery: connect the negative lead of the ammeter, to the positive pole of the battery, and the positive meter lead, to the positive cable removed from the battery, such that the ammeter is between the battery, and its positive lead. Hooking it up improperly could lead to a very quick fire, and possibly a small explosion of the meter, if it does not have a fuse... You will want to use a 10 Amp meter, to be safe (mine is not fused). Cheers!

[elwood5150]

Thanks for you comments. I will try these things later today and see what is happening and let you know.

[elwood5150]

I am only getting 11.97 volts at 3,000 rpms. Alternator time?

[triton28]

Yes'sir, time to replace that alternator sorry to say.

[elwood5150]

Thanks.

[triton28]

Before you go the replace route, are you sure all the wiring from the alternator is well connected and has no corrosion in any of the connectors. I mention this as you may be measuring battery only voltage and not alternator output. Make sure the Brown wire which becomes a Black wire going to the alternator, after the closest to the alternator 3 wire plastic connector, is making good contact with the recessed spade connector at the alternator. This wire is all important as it triggers the alternator output.

[SgtSlag]

Did you get the battery checked? I ask because the battery acts as a load, on the alternator. One of the most common failures in a battery is a short between its internal plates. If it is shorted, internally, it could bring down the voltage on the alternator. A BATTERY MUST BE CONNECTED TO THE ALTERNATOR WHEN THE BIKE IS RUNNING!!! Never disconnect the battery, when the bike is running!

Hate to see you throw money at it, until you have verified the failures. A voltage regulator test is also recommended (see the manual). Keep us in the loop, if you don't mind. Cheers!

[elwood5150]

Battery checks out fine. All connections on the alternator are clean and good. Ordered an alternator. See what happens. Will get the original rebuilt. Will see what happens. Thanks for the help.

[ekap1200]

Battery checks out fine. All connections on the alternator are clean and good. Ordered an alternator. See what happens. Will get the original rebuilt. Will see what happens. Thanks for the help.

HI, what type of battery to you have ? What are you voltage's...?
How did you check the battery ?
Gene Kap.

[GrandpaDenny]

How did you check the battery ?

Gene's got a point. I took Geraldine's (the Shadow) battery to AutoZone, they said it checked out good. Man, it was kaput. I don't know how they checked it, but however they did it wasn't work a kronk. Probably just charged it and figured since it took a charge it was fine. Yeah it was until I hooked it up - zero capacity left, instantly dead. Little piece of junk bike has a brand-spanking-new AGM battery just like her big sister Gertrude.

Anybody got a flywheel removal tool for a VT500? My starter clutch is kronked (again, on Geraldine).

[elwood5150]

Update on the drain issue. The alternator was bad. Just took it out for a short run and the battery is holding nicely. Putting out close to 14 volts at 3,000 rpms. The backfire went away. The power range is back. All is good. The battery held over 12 volts for a week and a half it sat. Feeling confident with it again. Thanks for all your comments and opinions on what was going on. It did help me. Is there someone that can rebuild the old one?

[ekap1200]

Update on the drain issue. The alternator was bad. Just took it out for a short run and the battery is holding nicely. Putting out close to 14 volts at 3,000 rpms. The backfire went away. The power range is back. All is good. The battery held over 12 volts for a week and a half it sat. Feeling confident with it again. Thanks for all your comments and opinions on what was going on. It did help me. Is there someone that can rebuild the old one?

Hello from N.J. that alt may just need brush's But a one of the rectifiers took a stuff , that could have been your drain...