battery amps drop, told to add second ground line

[Coolbreezin]

Sometimes when I hit the slam button, my battery amps drop and stay around 8. I have power, but not enough to even click. Jump starts dont help. I replace the battery and all is fine. Ive gone through 4 in the past year. Those four were 310cca from Advance Auto. I believe it was the batteries. I purchased todays battery and was told by the motorcycle shop owner that I need to ground to the frame also. He said the battery couldnt handle the load. Two ground lines? I fail to see how that would help.

 

[woodbutcher]

sounds like a "cover your ass" moment. won't hurt, probably won't help if you have a large enough gauge cable as the original. make sure the cable is attached to a good clean surface on the frame.

 

[Jersey Big Mike]

It actually makes sense.
The second cable to the ground lowers the resistance from the battery to the bike and starter.
I'd also check the power cable to the starter and after all that trouble I'd probably replace it to be safe and make sure everything is clean and making a good PHYSICAL connection. 4 batteries in a year is very drastic.
Were they all from the same store (perhaps same batch of batteries -- its possible there was a bad run, seen it happen).

With a fresh battery how easy or hard does it start -- with that much battery trouble you may have damaged the starter (been there -- done that). Check with Wild Steed worx and see if he's rebuilding them these days or has one already done -- if not try shovelheadkicker on ebay (derek and donna).

Oh and it's your voltage that drops to 8 not the amps.

Do you leave the battery on a tender or not?

 

[Coolbreezin]

Wood butcher, thank you. Ive heard the "two grounds" years ago. But I just dont get it. Ive been using 2 gauge power and ground lines for 4 years. The ground is connected to the starter mount bolt and has been for 12 years now. Its just those 4 batteries. All from the same manufacturer and the same run. Well see if this battery does it too.

 

[Coolbreezin]

Jersey, thank you for the correction. Bike has always been on a tender since day one. The bike always starts fast and smooth, even with the batteries in question. Then all of a sudden it just doesnt have anymore oomph. It doesnt matter about engine or outside temp. Ill check my cables and connections.

 

[Jersey Big Mike]

Jersey, thank you for the correction. Bike has always been on a tender since day one. The bike always starts fast and smooth, even with the batteries in question. Then all of a sudden it just doesnt have anymore oomph. It doesnt matter about engine or outside temp. Ill check my cables and connections.

Sounds like you found a bad run of batteries.
I had my series of problems over the years myself with both my BMC and my first Big Dog.
I since have gone to Braille for battery and no more problems and while they cost more I'm getting more years out of them as well. Before it was once a year -- gets old real fast.

 

[Mr. Wright]

It could be something like I ran into a while back on a guys bike. The connector on the end of the cable was corroded where the cable fits into the connector.

 

[woodbutcher]

ohm out your cables to see if there may be corrosion inside the insulation that is not visible, and see if you have any stiff sections in the cable. that could indicate corrosion also. while you're at it with the meter, check the output of the VR and the stator. may just not be enough to keep the battery charged.

 

[FrankBDPS]

You said that all of a sudden it dosent have any oomph. Does that mean this is a new issue? If it is maybe you're compression releases have quit working. There should be a second ground going to the frame. That would insure that you're control circuits and lights are properly grounded and not seeking ground back thru you're motor mount bolts and engine case. Good luck!

 

[Olde Man]

Where is it going? This is how to find where the voltage drop is taking place. Place one lead of your voltmeter on the battery negative terminal. The battery post. Hold the other lead on the starter by the ground lug and have someone try to start the bike. If all of the connections between the post and the starter are good you will read a small voltage reading probably 1 volt or less. If you read more you need to find out where it is. Read from the center of the battery post to the clamp around the post while trying to start the bike. Do the same on the positive terminal as well. When ever you test the voltage drop on the battery always go to the posts so you know you are reading the battery. Read between the posts if you want to check the cable clamps. If you do this test before you wiggle and tighten thing up you will know that you have found the problem and just not "think" it is fixed.

 

[Marky-Marc]

If you've gone through multiple batteries, I would also check the amp draw on your starter.

It may need rebuilding, it may be drawing too many amps and killing your battery......I believe anything over 80 is not good......

 

[Coolbreezin]

All excellent ideas and info. Thank you.
When I say "all of a sudden it dosent have any oomph". The easiest way to explain it is like a light bulb. It works, it works it works, then when you flip the switch it pops and no longer works. Same with the last four batteries. All is fine for a while, 1 day to multiple months, then when I go to start it, it just drops to 8 volts and thats it. When it drops and stays at 8 volts, did a cell burn out or something?

 

[BWG56]

Have you had any of the battery's charged back up and load tested after this?

 

[Coolbreezin]

They wont recharge or jumpstart. I have to replace them.

 

[Coolbreezin]

Trickle. When I connect the charger to the bike the numbers on my voltmeter on the bike just randomly scroll. The yellow light on the trickle charger will flash yellow.

 

[Coolbreezin]

Ok. I have one. If this battery craps out, that tells me it wasnt the run of the batteries. So Ill ck the bike.

Even if the C/R's didnt work perfectly, how would that extra strain on the battery cause it to do this?

 

[BWG56]

When you put this battery in and start the bike, check the voltage while its running. It should be in the area of 13.5 to 14.5

 

[Coolbreezin]

It is. I mounted a meter under the seat.
I just remembered. I increased the power and ground wires to 2 ga. I did that years ago. Do I still need another ground line?