hi i have a 1997 f3 with 20,900 miles on it. when it gets cold out the battery will just completely drain overnight. i have replaced the battery with a new one and the key is never left in the ignition overnight. i dont believe its my starter and i have just ordered a new regulator so do you guys think this is definitely a regulator issue? i dont have a voltmeter but i do not believe the battery charges up much while its running, although this still doesnt explain the issue of it dying overnight after i fully charged it with a trickle charger. thanks in advance.

 

if the battery isn't damaged then most likely the battery is grounding out somewhere

 

your are going to need to get/borrow a voltmeter and a 12v test light if you want to check the charging system and for a voltage draw.

use the voltmeter to get a voltage reading to see if its charging or not.

disconnect the positive battery cable and hook the test light on the battery post and the other end on the cable. if it lights up bright, thats how big your draw is. start pulling fuses and unplugging things one at a time to isolate the circuit with the draw. go from there.

 

If you're serious about doing your own electrical work, get a multi-meter. Even a really
cheap one will do the job. I have an Extech 450, picked it up at Radioshack for $70.
It does everything a fluke will do, without the sticker shock. If you really want to
scrimp, you can pick-up a decent one for a $25-$35 investment. The first hour you use
it, pays for the cost vs a technician's salery. Then, it's all free from there on.

You can check the harness initially for problems. Charge the battery off the bike.
Put it on the bike and only hook up the + (positive). Put one probe on the battery and
one on the - (negative) cable. Set the meter to mA's, if you are showing more than
1.5 mA with the ignition OFF, then you have a ground in the harness some-where.
That's the first thing I would check. If that's the problem there are a couple of
possible issues. Dirt and/or electrolyte on the battery itself is causing a current drain.
Short circuit in the system and/or loose, dirty or faulty connectors.

This is a good time to just go through all the harness-connectors and pull them,
use contact-cleaner on them and then pack them w/di-electric grease as they are
re-assembled. Everyone changes the oil/coolant, lubes they're chain, checks the tires
and ignores one of the most critical systems on the bike. Inspect all of the wiring for
scuffs/cuts/fraying. Sloppy PO patches should be carefully inspected for integrity.


If it's not the harness, THEN start looking farther, towards the r/r or stator.

Hope this helps, Ern

 

hey guys, i picked up a voltmeter and started testing the draw form my battery/ regulator etc. the battery actually wasnt dying as i previously thought as i would crank it and it would just slightly drop to 11.6 volts. with the bike at 4krpms the regulater pushes out around 14-15.5 volts. even with the battery power the motor cranks like the battery is dead. is this my starter? it stil cranks just very slowly. thanks in advance

 

ok, now im confused. a "like" dead battery wont crank. so lets get this straight: does it not crank or just crank slow? was that 11.6v reading during cranking or standing voltage before or after cranking? how old is the battery?

 

Check out this thread...
Charging System Diagnostics - Rectifier/Regulator Upgrade - Triumph Forum: Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums

Here's another....
https://cbrforum.com/forum/f2-tech-9...-solved-27739/

These give you some basic diagnostics and the order to perform them in.


Just as a nice, added bonus to your basic knowledge, check out this link, as well...
Four-Stroke Motorcycle Troubleshooting Guide | CYCLEPEDIA - Repair Manuals Online - ATV Motorcycle Scooter UTV

Hope this helps, Ern