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Paraitic Draw

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Old Jan 28, 2018 | 06:58 PM
  #1  
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Default Paraitic Draw

Firstly, I have a 2004 1200 Custom. for the past couple months I have had a parasitic draw that has been draining my battery. I would be fine if it was a work day but if I tried to start it after the weekend it woulnd't start, unless I had it hooked up to a tender over the weekend, and even then it was kinda slow to start. I tested the draw between the negative terminal and wires and it was a 20.2mA draw. I pulled each fuse and the only one that would eliminate (virtually eliminate, there was still like a .2mA draw left) the draw was the battery fuse. Following the wiring diagram (after cleaning the terminals and wires connected to the batter, starter and grounding point) I unplugged the TSM and the draw went away. Is there an easy way to tell if the problem is my TSM or something downstream from there? Or is it a forgone conclusion that the TSM is my issue since none of the other fuses eliminated the draw? Thanks in advance for the help.
 
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Old Jan 29, 2018 | 06:16 AM
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The draw you measured is .020Amps. I'm not sure if that is excessive (in other words if it indicates a fault of some sort), but it seems very small. If your battery is going flat in such a short time I suggest you get it checked. If possible remove it from your bike, charge it with a proper battery charger (not a trickle/tender type) and get it load tested. If it checks out OK we have some work to do! But I wouldn't be surprised if it is past its best and needs replacing.
 

Last edited by grbrown; Jan 29, 2018 at 06:24 AM.
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Old Jan 29, 2018 | 07:38 AM
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20mA should not drain your battery in two days. It would take 50 hours just to drain off 1 AH from you battery, which is minuscule.

John
 
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Old Jan 29, 2018 | 08:40 AM
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I had forgotten to mention that I did take the battery to a Napa and had it tested, the guy there said it tested just fine. At first I was relieved because I didn't need a new battery, but now it's just that much more confusing. Further details on this issue: my front left indicator does not turn in and does not blink but the bulb looks fine and the draw didn't go away when I pulled the lights fuse. In my head it sounds like a faulty TSM but electrical is definitely not my specialty .
 
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Old Jan 29, 2018 | 09:51 AM
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Check your cables including the negative cable, both ends. Be sure to check that the ground stud in the top of the transmission area of the case is tight in the case and then tighten down the negative cable.
 
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Old Jan 30, 2018 | 05:21 AM
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How old is the battery?

edit:
As batteries age, they sulfate. This tends to create a short circuit between the plates in the battery which you'll never see measuring externally and a load test typically won't show this problem unless the short between the plates is significant.
 

Last edited by cHarley; Jan 30, 2018 at 08:05 AM.
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Old Jan 30, 2018 | 10:12 AM
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The battery is only about 1 year old, maybe a year a half. So not old at all.
 
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