New battery keeps running flat!!!!

[scooke]

Hey everyone, my bike (2000 Honda cbr 600f4) keeps munching through batteries a motobat within 4 months and just got a brand new standard battery. Now I've tested the regulator and that appears to be running well. How do I test the stator and is there anything else that could be causing this very annoying problem I'm having. 

 

Any help Greatly appreciated. 

[husoi]

Check for parasite currents.

How long is the bike not running until the battery goes flat?

Do the flat batteries keep charge once they are recharged?

Is there an alarm?

[scooke]

Hiya Umm I'd get maybe couple months, maybe a month in cold weather. 

The batteries do keep charge when put on trickle charge. 

No alarm or addition add ons to the bike. 

[Stu]

Sounds like the bike is not charging the battery enough and not actually a battery problem 

[Stu]

I have just noticed its a Honda! 

More than likely it will be the reg/rec on the way out 

[husoi]

You will need to get more info about how it charges when idle and at mid throttle.

Then, as I said before check for parasite currents

Likewise @Stu Honda is known for failing regulator

Battery charge from alternator should be around 13.8V with rpm above idle (2k to 3k rpm) and around 12V on idle

If the battery is fine after a run and fully charged then you just need to plug into a trickle charger when you know you will be leaving it for over 1 week.

My ST1300 will go flat after a week because of the HISS and all electronics working while sleeping.

This would do the trick

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/46459/#/27907,3203,1186

[Six30]

i had same thing on my cb1000r , rec/reg , common on them as stu said.

[scooke]

You guys are really helpful only one thing though, what is a parasite currents?.

[Tiggie]

Parasitic currents

Its things that drain the battery while the ignition is off

An alarm is a good example

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[raesewell]

The normal term is parasitic drain, but it means the same thing.

[WD-40]

There's a very clear and easy to follow test procedure in the Honda cbr600 f4 workshop manual that goes through checking for current leakage and checking the charging system

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

If you have a multimeter set it to measure current at a low setting, then disconnect the earth battery connection and put the multimeter between the earth terminal and a good earth on the frame. There should be little or no current flowing. If there is start pulling fuses until it stops. That will isolate the circuit it is on.

[scooke]

OK I've done what the last comment suggested and it's reading 0.41. I've tried all fuses and it is not dropping at all. 

I know I've got a slightly higher fuse in the fan and tail position. Only other thing is that the fuse to the ignition is slightly lose compared to the others.

[husoi]

400mA is a very strong current if nothing is running.

Time to start tracing the "leak".

Do the other way around. Instead inserting the multimeter on the ground side (-) go for the positive/red cable (+)

Just make sure you don't touch anything you are not supposed to so you don't short-circuit the battery.

How many cables do you have connected to the positive pole in the battery?

[scooke]

1 hour ago, scooke said:

OK I've done what the last comment suggested and it's reading 0.41. I've tried all fuses and it is not dropping at all. 

I know I've got a slightly higher fuse in the fan and tail position. Only other thing is that the fuse to the

1 hour ago, husoi said:

400mA is a very strong current if nothing is running.

Time to start tracing the "leak".

Do the other way around. Instead inserting the multimeter on the ground side (-) go for the positive/red cable (+)

Just make sure you don't touch anything you are not supposed to so you don't short-circuit the battery.

How many cables do you have connected to the positive pole in the battery?

You guys have been so helpful, I think it's going to be a couple days and stripping it. I'm as you probably guessed limited on my experience in dealing with electrical. 

 

 

[husoi]

2 minutes ago, scooke said:

 

You're not alone there  

everyone here is always keen to help  

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Agreed, that kind of current flow will drain the battery quickly. If you can get the multimeter clipped into position, or ask someone to hold it for you, start by wiggling wires one at a time to see if moving any changes the reading. 

Check in the dark that no bulbs are glowing very dimly, you won't spot that in daylight. 

Check around the ignition switch in case a contact is sticking in there.  

[WD-40]

Try unplugging the connector going to the regulator/rectifier and check if the meter drops to 0A when it's unplugged. If it does it means a diode has shorted in the regulator/rectifier and current is flowing the wrong way back into the stator. You would need a new regulator/rectifier

[Stu]

59 minutes ago, WD-40 said:

Try unplugging the connector going to the regulator/rectifier and check if the meter drops to 0A when it's unplugged. If it does it means a diode has shorted in the regulator/rectifier and current is flowing the wrong way back into the stator. You would need a new regulator/rectifier

And if that is the case then see my second post  

Its always best to find out what is causing the problem before replacing parts though so follow the advice

[WD-40]

4 hours ago, Stu said:

And if that is the case then see my second post  

Its always best to find out what is causing the problem before replacing parts though so follow the advice

Yeah common problem on them. I think the only problem really. I think the CBR600 is a bike that certainly deserves the title bullet proof.

[scooke]

Right gents I've been troubleshooting for about 2-hours now the only thing I can see now is when I disconnect the starter motor and do the check the metre does drop to zero.

Would I be correct in saying it could be the stator motor?? 

https://themotorbikeforum.co.uk/forum/uploads/monthly_2020_12/16072058261175030336296222003665.jpg.56a0767cbadf1269570dc836ab03a4e4.jpg

https://themotorbikeforum.co.uk/forum/uploads/monthly_2020_12/16072058825843924199528378435101.jpg.bab94fe05fcbf6f72e5fc185d5e813ed.jpg

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

The pictures aren't working at my end. So I can't see if you're checking before or after the solenoid. Current shouldn't reach the starter unless the solenoid is activated so trace the leak back from the starter.

Edited December 6, 2020 by Mississippi Bullfrog

[WD-40]

Bit of an unusual one. As Mississippi Bullfrog said the starter solenoid should be open so no current should be able to flow through the starter motor. I would check if there is voltage between the starter motor terminal and ground.  If there is voltage on the starter motor terminal there is a problem in the starter circuit because there should be no voltage there until you press the starter switch. So connect the motorbike's battery back up. Put your meter to DC volts. Put the red probe on the starter motor terminal and the black probe on battery negative. On a normal working bike you would see 0V on the meter. If you see voltage that is the problem. 

A faulty starter solenoid would be the most likely cause. To test it you could disconnect the battery, unplug connector going to the solenoid and unbolt the larger connections so that the solenoid is completely removed from the bike. Put your meter to ohms and check for continuity across the bolted contacts switched contacts. On a fully working bike the meter would show OL which means no continuity. If your meter shows a resistance it means there is a connection across the bolted contacts and that is the fault. Maybe corrosion in the solenoid is causing a contact.

[scooke]

Hey everyone I think I found the problem, yellow wire from ECU to the ignition pickup module. 

[fastbob]

46 minutes ago, scooke said:

Hey everyone I think I found the problem, yellow wire from ECU to the ignition pickup module. 

Cause or effect ?