Standing battery voltage loss

[jcblitz]

I fully charged my battery yesterday and checked it, 12.3 or so. I ran my bike and it was holding around 14.3 for about 5 minutes. Turned the bike off and the battery was at 12.5. Checked it today with the bike off and it read about 11.5. Started the bike, checked it running, 14.3 again. Shut it off after 5 min, 12.5 again. Is it normal to loose that much voltage in a day or do you think something is draining it (even though the bike is off). I have an alarm and an LED hooked up and I have the ground wires running to the battery ground instead of a frame ground...anyone know if that matters? I don't think so, but just double checking.

[Commuta_Busa]

to answer your second question, it doesn't matter where you ground it as long as it's a good solid ground.

as for the voltage loss I would have to guess it's one of two things... your alarm is sucking down the battery or your battery is slowly loosing its charge. I would say it's more likely to be the alarm though. Batteries these days last pretty damn long esp sealed ones. Check what the amperage draw is while the bike is off this should be a good starting point.

[jcblitz]

How do I check the amperage draw...and what am I checking the draw off...the alarm?

[Commuta_Busa]

do you have a multimeter?

[jcblitz]

Yup, I've tried the 10ADC setting but I keep getting sparks and stuff and I don't have the manual for it.

It's http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?vertical=TOOL&pid=03482029000&bidsite=&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes

[Commuta_Busa]

sparks! ahhhh put the multimeter down :wtf: here's an easier way... disconnect the ground from the alarm system, charge up your batt, let it sit over night and then check the volts again... are you still getting a big drop or not as much now? if it's still a big drop then it's not your alarm sucking the juice.

[Cakes206]

sparks! ahhhh put the multimeter down :wtf: here's an easier way... disconnect the ground from the alarm system, charge up your batt, let it sit over night and then check the volts again... are you still getting a big drop or not as much now? if it's still a big drop then it's not your alarm sucking the juice.


Is it possible that battery might have a weak/bad cell(s)?

[Commuta_Busa]

it's possible that the battery is going bad... these days though they last a pretty long time... I would rule out the security system (which is aftermarket and could be installed improperly) first. The oposite way would be to take the battery out, let it sit over night and check it's volts... if they're down alot then the batt is history...

[Mack]

well first thing yes you're voltage will read high with the bike running like you said 14.3 because of the rectifier putting juice in....however will drop as soon as the bike is off to 11.9 to 12.3 volts thus being a 12 volt battery....my battery has been running between 11.5 and 11.8 when first turning on the bike and I have had no problems this year with it....although I think it's getting close to time to get a new battery...but you could always take it to like Auto Zone and they can check it to see if the cells are dead.....just my 2 cents