Phantom Battery Drain

Low Charging Voltage

A few weeks ago I added a diode in circuit between the Sub-Harness and ACC Outlet to prevent current from flowing back into the sub-harness from the "direct-to-battery" switch I installed. A week later my original battery was dead. I disconnected the entire circuit involving the diode, switch, and ACC outlet so as if there was nothing else drawing from the battery. That night, I left the battery on a tender and it was fully charged in the morning. The bike started up just fine, but when I got to work I checked it with a multi-meter and noticed the battery had lost a little power. I kept checking it throughout the week and it would not hold a charge. Knowing the problems many of you have had with the original battery, I went out and bought a new one. Still, the ACC circuit is completely disconnected, but even the new battery will not hold a charge. It started slow this morning so I checked it once I got to work and it was at 11.5 volts. With the bike idling, I could see the volts drop very slowly. When I rev the engine, the volts will jump to around 11.7 - 11.8 or so but back to idle and the volts are still diminishing. I know it's not the circuit I added because it is still completely disconnected. Anyone got any other ideas?

You have a problem with the charging system i.e. the R/R or the stator... You should have about 13.6V at idling and up to 15.0V at 5,000 rpm (usually 14.4 - 14.6V).

What he said. The system voltage ought to be between 13.2 to 14.4 volts measured at the battery with the engine running at 3 to 5,000 rpm.

You think that's something that would be covered under warranty? I wouldn't think anything I added to the bike would void the warranty???

Josh H said:

You think that's something that would be covered under warranty? I wouldn't think anything I added to the bike would void the warranty???

Click to expand...

Warranty..............Possible ..........but I would bet an electrical plug is unplugged or soft set ( not plugged in all the way) and that is the cause of your charging problem...... Likely the work you did is the cause ??????? Just a guess The work you did and the parts you added would not be warranty and if they caused damage it would NOT be warranty.

Before going to the dealer double check all your work (or better yet have a friend with skills check your work).......the diode thing is really not needed , if things are done right.


Another thread dealing with no charge.........( maintenance error )

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-technical/5937-reason-stator-stop-charging-3.html

Beemerphile is fighting similar issue with thread on advrider.

Fuzzy said:

Beemerphile is fighting similar issue with thread on advrider.

Click to expand...

Beemer's issue is not a no charge condition like the OP....................his battery has gone dead while sitting.

Confusion could be......
The OP title of phantom draw is not correct when the problem is described with low charging voltage.

**UPDATE** I took the bike back apart and checked all the connections and all were good. I read on another post about a guy who pinched the stator wires putting the front sprocket guard on so I checked those wires as well...all good. However, I think I found the problem. The service manual says there should not be any continuity between the 3 pin connector from the R/R and the Ground. Also, pin 1 and pin 3 on that connector should have a resistance of 0.2-0.5 ohms. The resistance is good between the pins but all 3 pins have continuity to ground. How could the stator be shorted? Do you think something I did with the wiring could have caused this?

showkey said:

.......the diode thing is really not needed , if things are done right.

Click to expand...

Below is a diagram of the wiring I did for the direct-to-battery switch. I added the diode so that when the bike ignition is off but the switch is on (i.e. charging my phone while I'm away) the diode would stop the current from flowing back into the sub-harness and powering any other accessory connected to it (i.e. fog lights, heated grips, etc.) You think the diode isn't needed?

View attachment 17856

The diagram is not showing.........

I think I get the idea of the diode in your application. Think there might be other solutions.

If the diode is done right guessing it would not effect the stator. But exact position and wires the diode connected would be important to know and was the diode direction proper.
The stator is a distance from your modification so likely you did not cause the problem but Internet forum is not a great position for us to judge.

Being you measured a direct short of the yellow wires.......It is possible your stator failed for another reason. ????????

I can see the diagram. Nothing jumps out as a reason it would fry your stator plus you have it fused so one would think any errant voltage would simply blow a fuse before anything else bad happened. That said, I am not an electrical expert so don't take my word for anything. Clearly though your're not getting adequate charging voltage so I would replace the stator. If you're bike is still under warranty it should be covered although I would remove any of the "home wiring" before taking it in to the dealer. If they even get a whiff of a clue that your wiring was a contributor to the issue they can try and deny warranty coverage and to be honest if it was a contributing cause it really shouldn't be a warranty claim.

showkey said:

Being you measured a direct short of the yellow wires.......It is possible your stator failed for another reason. ????????

Click to expand...

That's what I'm asking. I checked the stator wires and the rubber jacket around the three yellow wires is fully intact...no rub marks or pinches. I did notice, however, the 3-pin connector going into the R/R from the stator had a good bit of chain wax and road grime on it. It wasn't dripping, but it was wet and the black tape used to wrap the wires was coming undone. I've attached a picture of what I found but this was after I wiped most of the grime off. The contacts were dry on both the connector and the R/R so I don't think this would have caused the problem. I have no idea why the stator could be shorting to ground. I don't know much about these, so hopefully some of you could clue me in. I think this week I will take Silverhound's advice and remove my wiring, then take it to the dealer. Hopefully this will be covered under warranty! I don't want to pay $300 for stator and possibly another $150 for the R/R.

The three yellow wires are internally connected together forming three separate coils. The wire or coils usually fail two ways. Over heating causing the insulation to fail short either to ground to two another coil. The other way is some mechanical rubbing, wear or install problem where the wire is compromised and grounded.

Usually all three wires are not shorted to ground. That questions your testing.....but again Internet is not great for that. Do not take offense, do not know your skills, common error when reading resistance..........was the reading to ground zero ohms or infinite resistance.........

No offense at all. I repair audio visual equipment (speakers, projectors, lcd monitors, DVD players, etc.) so I do know a little about electronics and wiring. I was using a Fluke multimeter and on the continuity/resistance setting I would get the "beeeeeeeeep" when touching one lead to the connector pin and the other to a bolt on the engine casing where other ground wires were connected. The reading was 0.2 ohms but hearing the sound means there was continuity. And the service manual says there shouldn't be any continuity at all. Does this sound right?

That sounds right..........shorted to ground....... .2 ohm and the beep is bad.........a good stator would be no beep and huge ohm value or infinity when yellow wires are checked to ground.