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1994 FLSTF Wiring Issue

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Old Jul 25, 2019 | 06:00 AM
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Default 1994 FLSTF Wiring Issue

Gday to All.

The issue I have with my 1994 fatboy is that the battery loses charge while sitting on its jiffy stand.
I have a battery tender permanently wired to the battery.

When I plug in the battery tender and turn it on, with the bike switched off and parked up I can feel a tingle from any chrome/unpainted surface that I touch.
There are no fuse to check, as it's all circuit breakers and everything runs as it should while I'm out riding it. I've taken to parking it with a piece of insulation rubber under the jiffy stand to stop the voltage drain.
Who other than me has had this issue, and where on the bike in the harness was the issue and how was it resolved?

Scotty.


 
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Old Jul 25, 2019 | 11:50 AM
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Are you handy with a amp meter? Disconnect the battery positive and install you amp meter between the positive terminal and the positive cable. Now you can see how much of a current drain you have. I'm not familiar with your year FB but pull fuses to isolate circuits to see if current drain drops or goes away. This will identify which circuit is causing the drain and you can start looking for the cause.

Good Luck
Bill

Forgot to say what a great looking bike!
 

Last edited by Vernal; Jul 25, 2019 at 12:54 PM.
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Old Jul 25, 2019 | 12:01 PM
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The amp meter will work, energizing one circuit at a time. You are looking for wires that have had the insulation rubbed off, which may rest on the frame while leaning on the stand.
 
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Old Jul 25, 2019 | 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Fatboy Scotty
The issue I have with my 1994 fatboy is that the battery loses charge while sitting on its jiffy stand.
The first thing you must do is make sure the battery is in good working condition.

Fully charge the battery and have it load tested.

If there were a chafed wire touching ground it would cause the circuit breaker to trip, you would hear it clicking.


Originally Posted by Fatboy Scotty
When I plug in the battery tender and turn it on, with the bike switched off and parked up I can feel a tingle from any chrome/unpainted surface that I touch.
Only when the battery tender is turned on? Doesn`t happen when turned off (still connected)?
 

Last edited by Dan89FLSTC; Jul 25, 2019 at 04:54 PM.
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Old Jul 25, 2019 | 04:56 PM
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Unless you're barefoot that's impossible, check for a rub in the insulation in the tender pigtail.
 
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Old Jul 25, 2019 | 06:55 PM
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Originally Posted by RANGER73
Unless you're barefoot that's impossible, check for a rub in the insulation in the tender pigtail.
Yep correct. I was barefoot when I first noticed the tingling feeling.
 
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Old Jul 25, 2019 | 07:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Dan89FLSTC
The first thing you must do is make sure the battery is in good working condition.

Fully charge the battery and have it load tested.

If there were a chafed wire touching ground it would cause the circuit breaker to trip, you would hear it clicking.




Only when the battery tender is turned on? Doesn`t happen when turned off (still connected)?
It's a new battery, maybe two months old. I took the battery to the battery suppler to have it checked and load tested. Alls good on that front.
When I put the battery back into my bike and reconnected the positive and ground straps, there was no sound from the circuit breakers and no sparks from the battery posts at all....
 
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Old Jul 25, 2019 | 07:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Dan89FLSTC
The first thing you must do is make sure the battery is in good working condition.

Fully charge the battery and have it load tested.

If there were a chafed wire touching ground it would cause the circuit breaker to trip, you would hear it clicking.




Only when the battery tender is turned on? Doesn`t happen when turned off (still connected)?
Originally Posted by Vernal
Are you handy with a amp meter? Disconnect the battery positive and install you amp meter between the positive terminal and the positive cable. Now you can see how much of a current drain you have. I'm not familiar with your year FB but pull fuses to isolate circuits to see if current drain drops or goes away. This will identify which circuit is causing the drain and you can start looking for the cause.

Good Luck
Bill

Forgot to say what a great looking bike!
Gday Bill. I'm handy with a test light, but I've never really used a multmetre. I'll be going into town tomorrow to buy one, then YouTube the hell out of how to make it work Haha.
Thanks for the heads up regarding the method of testing the current drain👍
 
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Old Jul 25, 2019 | 09:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Fatboy Scotty
Yep correct. I was barefoot when I first noticed the tingling feeling.
This I think would indicate it's on the tender house side as you do not have both sides of the battery to earth (where you're standing)
but the house wiring is grounded to earth completing the circuit through you.
Making you the light bulb, do you feel brighter? LOL
 
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Old Jul 25, 2019 | 10:48 PM
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Originally Posted by RANGER73
This I think would indicate it's on the tender house side as you do not have both sides of the battery to earth (where you're standing)
but the house wiring is grounded to earth completing the circuit through you.
Making you the light bulb, do you feel brighter? LOL
Ranger, I do very much feel brighter indeed hahaha. I truly think that you are on the right path with what you mentioned, and I'll pursue this angle before I strip my bike bare of its tin ware.
 
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