Ask the Editors: New Battery Blues
Draining faster than a leaky dam.
We’ve had our share of quick draining batteries but never that fast! Even a faulty alternator will generally drain a battery overnight. We’ve also encountered a bad stator cause battery drain but, again, to go from full charge to dead in 15 minutes is very unusual. A faulty stator would result in the battery being drained the entire time the ATV was running but not if the machine is off.
You say you haven’t begun testing and, like always in these situations, you have to pretty much assume there is a parasitic draw going on in one of your circuits. Grab your multimeter, set it to resistance (Ohms) and begin placing your leads at opposite ends of every switch and harness to check for shorts or open circuits.
The fact that the drain is taking place even with the ignition off should offer a slight clue in that it’s unlikely an in-operation system (like the starter, for example) that doesn’t activate until the ignition circuit is complete.
We would certainly have started our investigation with the winch as well since they are typically wired to operate outside of the machine’s ignition path but you saying it’s still happening with those wires unhooked is certainly cause for concern. Our best advice would be to begin checking out the alternator circuit, alternator itself, stator circuit and relay etc.
Also, one other factor to consider – was it doing this before you installed the new battery? Before you drive yourself crazy looking for a needle in the proverbial haystack, keep in mind some batteries leave the factory defective. If this problem only began after, start your investigation but taking the battery back for a replacement.
