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Battery drainage...

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Old Jun 12, 2014 | 08:45 PM
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Default Battery drainage...

My battery seems to die while I'm running; I go to shut it off after a nice ride, and its dead. I have a hunch that when I was doing my winter mods I must've either got drunk or got dumb when I was taking stuff off my engine.

This cable. I have no idea what it is, what it does, where it goes, or if it even goes where its at. My service manual doesn't say **** about it, different various videos dont say **** about it...




Its a cable thats on the front most screw on the starter. If its not connected, it likes to ground out and spark when I hit the starter...seems like when it is connected (I'm thinking) it likes to drain the battery? (that white stuff is mothers mag that I've been too busy riding and charging my bike to scrub off)

Does it have anything to do with this screw on the side of transmission?
 

Last edited by Mars47; Jun 12, 2014 at 08:57 PM.
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Old Jun 12, 2014 | 09:04 PM
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Looks like the ground cable. And from the angle in the middle pic the bend it makes it seems like it might be partly broken. Where does the other end go?
 
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Old Jun 12, 2014 | 09:50 PM
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There's an empty stud on the backside of the fuze box...I assumed it went there. I thought it was the ground cable as well but it starts up fine without that cable connected to anything.
 
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Old Jun 12, 2014 | 10:42 PM
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Ground cable for the starter, battery ground goe to the frame under the seat, that is how my bike is set up, 2002 dyna

Have you checked for voltage at the battery, put on volt meter and rev the engine voltage should climb with revs, to about 13.5 to 14v if voltage regulator is good
 
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Old Jun 13, 2014 | 05:37 AM
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looks like a starter ground. Your bike may start without it as the motor may be grounded already.
 
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Old Jun 13, 2014 | 05:52 AM
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Its a ground cable. You bike may start without it but in that case the volts are going down the next available conductor which may not be suitable. I had this once on a truck. Left the ground cable off and the starter grounded through the throttle cable eventually melting it!
 
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Old Jun 13, 2014 | 06:57 AM
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I figured thats what it is. I'll leave it on there and try Robterra's suggestion...
 
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Old Jun 13, 2014 | 09:13 AM
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I guess that is a different year bike because my starter ground is connected to the frame behind the starter. I don't have a wire connected to that part of the starter at all.
 
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Old Jun 13, 2014 | 09:19 AM
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The part number on the cable has it listed as a battery to ground cable. So one side should go to the battery
 
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Old Jun 13, 2014 | 09:24 AM
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Could be the battery giving it up, could be your stator is bad, or it could be a connection problem... Put a meter across the terminals of your battery and measure these voltages and post your results:

Static- 12vdc minimum
Cranking- 9.5vdc minimum
Running- 13.5vdc minimum
 
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