Battery drain

[Nine2Nine]

This may have been covered before, 4 years with same battery and then it was toast all of a sudden after the season was over and it sat for 2 weeks. Got a new battery and the system is charging ok. Let sit for 3-4 days and it's dead. Key off... Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[Grimm]

Was the new battery fully charged?

Do you have anything added on electrically to your sled? ie. gps, temp gage, etc.

 

[Nine2Nine]

Was the new battery fully charged?

Do you have anything added on electrically to your sled? ie. gps, temp gage, etc.

Never an issue, nothing new or added, but if there is a 1 in a million bad battery I'd get it. The bad battery seemed to short out so I'm not sure if it caused an issue somewhere.

 

[09nytro]

More than likely not......may have just got a bad battery......check to make sure you don't have a draw on battery first....then take battery out and fully charge and let it sit for a day or two to see if it will hold a charge...

 

[Nine2Nine]

Seemed the battery was low and when you put the meter on it you could see it count down, with a full charge it seems to hold better, wires are disconnected so we'll see what it looks like tomorrow.
Would a bare wire draw power or just short something out?

 

[Dimebag]

Measure the amp draw to see if something is actually draining your battery.

If you have HID lights, i would disconnect the hid harness first and see if it solves your problem.
Nothing but problems running HIDs on a sled.

 

[mnman309]

I had this as an issue and found out that the starter solenoid was corroded internally causing it to power on slightly at first and then as it got worse I had 12 volts all over! Take it off and replace it if its a couple years old-- best $30 you will spend and also safe insurance you wont be left stuck on the trail with a sled that wont start.

 

[cannondale27]

To check for a drain remove the negative batt cable and put test light between it and the neg post of batt. If it lights you have a drain.

 

[Nine2Nine]

To check for a drain remove the negative batt cable and put test light between it and the neg post of batt. If it lights you have a drain.

Thanks I should have known this, basics and yes I have a drain. Hmmmm

 

[Nine2Nine]

I had this as an issue and found out that the starter solenoid was corroded internally causing it to power on slightly at first and then as it got worse I had 12 volts all over! Take it off and replace it if its a couple years old-- best $30 you will spend and also safe insurance you wont be left stuck on the trail with a sled that wont start.

How big of a job? I haven't looked yet. If I pull the main fuse out it cuts the drain. Where should I look next? starter wires?

Thanks again,

 

[Nine2Nine]

So the drain is gone, I started with the starter relay which did give me issues before, as I did this I can see my test light flickering so I knew I was close. Then out it went and I could not recreate the drain to see if it was a wire in the harness or what it was. I wanted to see how much was being drawn as well but there is no drain which should be a good thing right? I will dig until I find the issue.

Will a bare wire cause a drain like that? or would there need to be something running or grounded?

Thanks

 

[nor'easter]

Nothing but problems running HIDs on a sled.

What are some of you guys experiencing with your "stock" batteries after installing a HID headlight. I've got about two years on my stock battery after installing the HID lights. So far its working fine.

 

[Off Trail Mike]

I had this as an issue and found out that the starter solenoid was corroded internally causing it to power on slightly at first and then as it got worse I had 12 volts all over! Take it off and replace it if its a couple years old-- best $30 you will spend and also safe insurance you wont be left stuck on the trail with a sled that wont start.

X2. Buddy had the exact same issue.Partially draws current due to corrosion flakes in the solenoid. Basically your starter is partially engaged all the time only instead of drawing 100amps when you turn the key, it draws like 50mA all the time. Smoked his old battery and ruined his "first" new one too.

Bugger to figure out at first because it was drawing randomly, so I put a meter on max/min for a few hours and sure enough, the phantom current showed up.

Safe bet like mnman said, change out the starter solenoid, or borrow one and see what happens. Easy to check as you have lots of time before sledding season..

OTM