[WR_Dave]

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Hi guys, first post, new to the forum and already begging for help. I just picked up an 1983 1100 Aspencade and it has a .o2 amp current draw at all times. I have pulled all the fuses and it is still there. The only time it stops is when I disconnect the 4 wire plug that connects to the starter relay/main fuse the draw stops, but I realize at this point I have removed batterypotential from the entire system. My current thought is that I mayhave a diode in the regulator that is passing currnt both ways and causing this slight draw. Has anyone had this issue in the past? Thanks for any input. -- WR Dave

 

[William_86]

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i dont think thats something to worry about, is just a little resistance caused by the wiring, it will never drain your battery

 

[garyft]

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Does the 83 Aspy have a stereo, clock, etc? It will pull a little for the memory on those items.

 

[83GoldWinger]

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:waving:The Aspencades came standard with the Honda/Clarion Type II AM/FM radio and within the radio is the clock and to maintain the preset AM/FM stations and the clock there is always a small power draw. I have the complete Type II system on my '83 Interstatealways keep a battery tender connected and never have a problem.

 

[WR_Dave]

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Wow, thanks for all the quick responses. The bike does have all those things on it and even pulling the wire plugs apart left the drain still active. The bike has a new battery and it will draw it down in a few days to the point of not starting. I realize it's a small drain, but it seems to be just enough to be a PITA. The previous owner/s had installed a battery disconnect switch under the left side cover, but then you have to reset clocks, steroes etc, not to mention it's a chicken sh#t way to solve a problem. I'll keep digging, still feels like a regulator diode issue to me. WR Dave

 

[83GoldWinger]

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WR_Dave wrote:

Wow, thanks for all the quick responses. The bike does have all those things on it and even pulling the wire plugs apart left the drain still active. The bike has a new battery and it will draw it down in a few days to the point of not starting. I realize it's a small drain, but it seems to be just enough to be a PITA. The previous owner/s had installed a battery disconnect switch under the left side cover, but then you have to reset clocks, steroes etc, not to mention it's a chicken sh#t way to solve a problem. I'll keep digging, still feels like a regulator diode issue to me. WR Dave

:waving:I wouldrecommend installing a battery tender with the pigtail hard wiired to the battery so that when your bike is parked you can easily hook up the battery tender. This is the setup that I have on my '83 Interstate. Pic below shows where I located the battery tender pigtail for easy hookup.

 

[gido]

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A new battery that goes dead in a few days doesn't seem right, but unless you're a daily driver (and in your part of the world you aren't pretty soon) a battery tender is the only way to go. My battery is about 5 years old and it draws down in a week if left unattended.

 

[DaveO430]

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A 20 milliamp draw is not abnormal and should not drain your battery that quickly. It is probably, like 83GoldWinger mentioned, the radio and clock memory but you can disconnect the voltage regulator to confirm if it is drawing current. There have been a few instances of the VR being bad and causing a power drain.

 

[Hatchetman]

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Battery tender is a great remedy! sold an Canadian tire for $12 on sale all the time, regular $20. Some members here wire a cig lighter plug to them and just plug them in when they park! I wired one onto my Harley And it takes 2 seconds to plug & power. You always have a fresh battery!

In the winter the battery comes out & stored inside in warmer temps with the tender put on every 30 days for 24 hours.

 

[chris in va]

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On a side note, have you replaced the dogbone fuse with a blade type yet? Do that ASAP if not. Do it for the children.

 

[dan filipi]

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That small load shouldnt kill the battery if the battery was fully charged the last time it was parked. If it was already down by 75% then it probably would be down enough in a few days to prevent cranking it.
The nature of these charging systems unless the last ride was a few hours then parked
without any low speed or idle time it would have been at a lowered state of charge.

If the culprit is the radio memory then you might want to consider an AGM battery.
After about a month parked mine is low.

 

[fgh]

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A .02 amp draw seems like it'll be the clock and radio memory. On mine it takes about a week before it'll be low enough to crank slowly.



Another problem the 1100s have is with the starter motor collecting carbon dust from the brushes. The dust will conduct electricity and allow the current that should pass through the armature to leak off to ground. It might be getting enough current from a full charge to crank OK, but not enough from a lesser charge.



To check the starter put the bike on the side stand remove the shifter and possibly the floor boards,the lead from the solenoid without allowing the stud it is attached to to turn, and then the two bolts that hold it on. It'll slide to the front and out. Take out the three screws that hold the ends on and pull them off. On mine the armature will not come out without damage to the windings or armature, but thats not a problem as it'll clean up fine anyway. After cleaning and relubing make sure the brushes and there leads are OK and that the brush springs hold the brushes to the comutator bars. When you reinstall it put your finger into the hole and make sure the sproket hasn't slipped to towards the center.



Are you sure the current draw of .02 amps is correct. If you have say a 20 amp battery it would take 1,000 hours to empty the battery. That's like ten days to get it down the 75% which I would think would still start the bike.



LOL!!!

 

[WR_Dave]

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Thanks for all the help guys, been really busy , but will dig into some of these ideas over the weekend and hopefully find something to report. Unplugging the VR didn't change anything, so now will see if the radio module has an issue. It's not a huge problem, just one that is the type that I would like to cure. WR Dave

 

[Flyone]

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Welcome to the Forum from Kansas!!! :waving:

I hope you find the Forum as informative and as much fun as we do!! :cooldevil:

Again, Welcome Aboard!! :action:

 

[nobbie]

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My 1200 Interstate would start on the touch of the switch even after sitting for weeks and without a battery tender. FWIW

 

[WR_Dave]

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After searching around the wiring, it was determined that the stereo tuner had a bad ground and was back feeding through the system looking for a ground source. After cleaning up the ground points in the wiring harness the current draw is now .006 volts which is completely acceptable and won't kill a battery for a month or two. WR Dave.

 

[dan filipi]

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Good info there, thanks for posting what you found for future reference.