Battery drained over 7 days....Need advice

[crawf71]

Good Day Folks,

2012 DCT version with 6k miles. Bought it approximately 1 year ago new.

I install the battery tender easy connect directly to the battery and this the tusk 12v power socket.

Over the last week I was not able to drive the bike, and somehow it drained. I had nothing plugged into the socket, and did not have the battery tender attached. Never needed it over such short period of time.

Any clue what could have drained the battery?

Thanks

 

[Beemerphile]

One of the great mysteries of the world. Good luck.

Many different people (to whom it has not happened) will give you many different reasons why it happened. They will say it has never happened to them because they did or did not do the specific thing that they tell you caused it.

My recommendation would be to buy a new battery and try again.

 

[Brillot2000]

Good Day Folks,

2012 DCT version with 6k miles. Bought it approximately 1 year ago new.

I install the battery tender easy connect directly to the battery and this the tusk 12v power socket.

Over the last week I was not able to drive the bike, and somehow it drained. I had nothing plugged into the socket, and did not have the battery tender attached. Never needed it over such short period of time.

Any clue what could have drained the battery?

Thanks

Well, your battery can be near the end of its life and starting to lose it's capacity. What type of battery did you buy to replace the OEM one?

How did you connect your DC Accessory Socket?

Directly to the battery by any change?

Did you leave a phone charger or other device connected to DC Accessory Socket? If so, then that could be what drained your battery.

One of the great mysteries of the world. Good luck.

Many different people (to whom it has not happened) will give you many different reasons why it happened. They will say it has never happened to them because they did or did not do the specific thing that they tell you caused it.

My recommendation would be to buy a new battery and try again.

I agree with Beemerphile, you might want to think about replacing the battery. If what I suggested to you above is not the cause of your issue.

 

[670cc]

Well, your battery can be near the end of its life and starting to lose it's capacity. What type of battery did you buy to replace the OEM one?

How did you connect your DC Accessory Socket?

Directly to the battery by any change?

Did you leave a phone charger or other device connected to DC Accessory Socket? If so, then that could be what drained your battery.

Why add confusion to the thread? The OP never stated that the OEM battery was replaced. Except for details on the socket wiring, all the rest of the questions are already answered in the original post.

 

[lootzyan]

Before you install new battery, it's very important to perform current leakage test (sometime called parasite current test). I don't how well you are familiar with basic current circuits and universal voltmeters. Service manual describes this test pretty well.
Next, you should check charging voltage from your bike and from your battery tender. Most tenders on a market are not suitable for YUASA batteries.

View attachment 26378

 

[Brillot2000]

Why add confusion to the thread? The OP never stated that the OEM battery was replaced. Except for details on the socket wiring, all the rest of the questions are already answered in the original post.

Sorry, that I am set in my ways.

Troubleshooting is a series of questions that lead you into a direction on where to look. The flow through the questions are in a Logical manner and are well founded. Unanswered questions can lead you in the wrong direction, add more headaches and frustration.

 

[Brillot2000]

Before you install new battery, it's very important to perform current leakage test (sometime called parasite current test). I don't how well you are familiar with basic current circuits and universal voltmeters. Service manual describes this test pretty well.
Next, you should check charging voltage from your bike and from your battery tender. Most tenders on a market are not suitable for YUASA batteries.

View attachment 26378

I have to second this and the suggested approach. Checking for "Leakage Current" will tell you that you have current drains when everything is suppose to be turned off. However this will only tell you there is current flowing, but it will not tell you which component is the cause of the issue.

What you would have to do next is remove all the fuses, one at a time until the current draw equals to "0A". Then you will have to look into the circuit which that fuse is for in greater deal.

If all the fuses were removed and no issue was found. Then you should proceed to connect the Ammeter to any accessories that were connected directly to the battery. If there is current flow, then that is where the drainage is going.

I always recommend to connect all accessories through a relay with its own fuse that is controlled by the ignition switch.

 

[lootzyan]

... Checking for "Leakage Current" will tell you that you have current drains when everything is suppose to be turned off. However this will only tell you there is current flowing, but it will not tell you which component is the cause of the issue.
...

Leakage test is for peace of mind, because most likely it would be that current is less than 1.2 mA. It is done because is one of the cheapest test to perform.
OP stated that nothing extra was plugged in. Current is supplied all the time to power internal clock, cooling fan control relay and (non US models) security HISS system. The biggest culprit could be bad regulator/rectifier but in my judgement the one used in NCX and many others Honda models are very reliable (better than 99.99%).
Check charging and buy new battery.

 

[crawf71]

The 12v is connected straight to the battery. Nothing was plugged into it over the last week. Original battery to me, it may have been replaced by the dealer (the bike sat in their showroom for over a year). The tusk 12v socket shouldn't draw anything with nothing plugged in (or I may be wrong here), correct?

Am I reading I need to replace the battery now? Will it not hold a charge since it drained?

I will get my meter out when I get home and test it out as it would cost anything.

I do really appreciate the help as I'm not the most mechanically inclined person on this forum. Thanks to all.

 

[Brillot2000]

The 12v is connected straight to the battery. Nothing was plugged into it over the last week. Original battery to me, it may have been replaced by the dealer (the bike sat in their showroom for over a year). The tusk 12v socket shouldn't draw anything with nothing plugged in (or I may be wrong here), correct?

Am I reading I need to replace the battery now? Will it not hold a charge since it drained?

Thank you for the addition information to clarify your issue.

Sudden loss of voltage on a battery sitting overnight or a couple of days is a sign that the battery needs replacing. Sure you could charge the battery, not sure why you would do that with all the information we all gave you pointing at a "Bad" battery. It will not cost you anything, except the lost time in charging it and finding out we were all right all along.

 

[lootzyan]

Am I reading I need to replace the battery now?
...Will it not hold a charge since it drained? ...

It's not easy answer to give. It is not "yes" and is not "no". And between them is big space for many different answers from forum.
First of all, you have to be honest to yourself (not to the forum) and ask yourself:
- How many times in the past did your battery discharged?
- How deep was discharge and for how long?
- Did battery voltage dropped below 10.5 V and how many times? This is electrochemical threshold for lead based batteries. Actually it is 1.75 V per cell. When voltage drop below this level permanent damage is done.
It possible that battery still hold charge but for much shorter time. There is no way to tell for how long.
In your situation I'd speculate that battery wasn't charged according to YUASA requirement, 13-14.5 V. Service manual specifies that charging from alternator should be <15.5 V. If your trips are less than 1 hour per ride you should charge battery at least ones every 3 weeks for couple of hours.
You need to test your tender for what is a real charging voltage. Most tenders/maintainers disconnect charging when voltage reach 12.5 - 12.8 V. This is not enough for YUASA AGM batteries.

 

[Therapy]

Sorry, that I am set in my ways.

Troubleshooting is a series of questions that lead you into a direction on where to look. The flow through the questions are in a Logical manner and are well founded. Unanswered questions can lead you in the wrong direction, add more headaches and frustration.

What type of battery did you buy to replace the OEM one?

Why are you then making the assumption that he has replaced the OEM battry?

That, in itself, is not logical and is already confusing.

 

[Beemerphile]

The battery can be load-tested by most places that sell batteries to see if it is still serviceable. Don't let them do the quickie test on it, it needs to be tested for voltage at the rated amp draw. I have had the quick test say all was well and then have it fail the load test. I have my own load tester because I don't like to get in the car and go somewhere when I am working on stuff.

 

[Therapy]

crawf71,

If it is original battery then maybe it is at it's "time".
There have been other threads of NC batteries mysteriously dying when "nothing different" has happened. As far as my reading, there has been no explanation that is a "for sure".

I suggest taking the battery (after charging it) to the local "shop" that has a battery tester that can test small AGMs. AGMs have different charging parameters than flooded cell batteries. They are more sensitive to over/under charging. They also seem to give less warning before death than we are used to with the old flooded cells.

If you want to do some that is suggested, charge the battery out of the bike and then hook it up to look for parasitic current flow. If I remember it should only be about 100milliamps, 0.1A. I need to look that up though so don't quote me on that.

 

[Beemerphile]

If I remember it should only be about 100milliamps, 0.1A. I need to look that up though so don't quote me on that.

1.2 milliamps is the spec for parasitic draw.

 

[Therapy]

Here is some stuff to do while it is charging. (Harder than watching grass grow - )

The battery on my 2012 NC recently lost most of its power. I ride quite often, but the other day after not using the bike for about 10 days I tried to start it and nothing happened, just a faint clicking. No lights. The bike's electric system is stock, no electric accessories installed. I put a low amp charger on it over night and the next day it started right up. The clock still had the correct time, so the battery had not gone completely dead. After a 20 mile ride I put my trickle charger on the bike for the next couple of days. Since then I have ridden and started the bike multiple times without a problem. I still can't figure what caused the battery starting problem. And no, I had not left the ignition turned on for an extended period.
The key was in the kitchen drawer.

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-...y-did-battery-die.html?highlight=battery+died

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-...-life-replacement.html?highlight=battery+died

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/garage-mechanical-help/4378-wont-start.html?highlight=battery+died

 

[DirtFlier]

[The tusk 12v socket shouldn't draw anything with nothing plugged in (or I may be wrong here), correct?]

A definite maybe on your assumption because I've heard of those sockets draining the battery. Except for the subharness to the battery charger, anything else connected to the battery should be controlled by a relay that shuts OFF the system when the engine key is turned OFF.

 

[Beemerphile]

[The tusk 12v socket shouldn't draw anything with nothing plugged in (or I may be wrong here), correct?]

A definite maybe on your assumption because I've heard of those sockets draining the battery. Except for the subharness to the battery charger, anything else connected to the battery should be controlled by a relay that shuts OFF the system when the engine key is turned OFF.

I have never heard of an unused 12v outlet causing discharge. I have heard of reduced voltage adapters (such as 5v USB) doing so. The cheaper kind, with only a zener diode, will not discharge from an open port, however, the more sophisticated type with a switching regulator does have some current draw (though very little) even when unused. But a 12 volt adapter with no load plugged in is an open circuit.

 

[lootzyan]

Why spend another $50 - $100 for shop test ($80/h min in most shops).

This is for my "in-house" tools for battery load and capacity test - absolutely "almost" free. (Light bulb is burned & salvaged from my car).

View attachment 26380

 

[silverhound]

Thank you for the addition information to clarify your issue.

Sudden loss of voltage on a battery sitting overnight or a couple of days is a sign that the battery needs replacing. Sure you could charge the battery, not sure why you would do that with all the information we all gave you pointing at a "Bad" battery. It will not cost you anything, except the lost time in charging it and finding out we were all right all along.

^^^^I am in agreement with this response. This sounds very similar to the issue I had with my wife's bike and had I listened to the collective wisdom of the forum and had not convinced myself that the battery was still "too new" for such a problem and had not been fooled by it appearing to hold a charge and an inaccurate load test reading by my local Advance Auto Store, I could have saved myself a couple hundred extra dollars by just replacing the battery and not having it towed to the dealer. It's most likely the battery. You can try and charge it and see how long it lasts or even if it will start the bike after seeming fully charged but if it won't start (turn the motor over) or dies again after a couple days, just get a new battery and most likely your woes will be solved. I've always had good luck and long lives from Yuasa batteries but they seem to simply not last very long in some of the NCX bikes.

PS - My wife's bike was always kept on a battery tender as well but it didn't seem to help prolong the battery life.