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Battery............

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harleykid1968

Member
Hey Guys,

I changed my stock switch housings to chrome..They look great.
Problem. I learned it is easy to cause a short on installation if not careful.
I changed a 15 amp fuse and started again.
Got everything back together correctly this time.
Next problem. Battery is dead. Re-checked all fuses again just in case
Will a short like this kill the battery?
I have it on a charger now for about 5 hours. Amber charging light is steady.
It might be the battery was on its way out.
 
Depending on where it was shorted if it will kill the battery or not. Most times it's the switch housings that pinch the wires on re assembly.

Recheck the fuses again with a meter or light to be sure.
 
Check to see if you have 12.7VDC without the charger.
 
harleykid1968 said:
Hey Guys,

I changed my stock switch housings to chrome..They look great.
Problem. I learned it is easy to cause a short on installation if not careful.
I changed a 15 amp fuse and started again.
Got everything back together correctly this time.
Next problem. Battery is dead. Re-checked all fuses again just in case
Will a short like this kill the battery?
I have it on a charger now for about 5 hours. Amber charging light is steady.
It might be the battery was on its way out.
Click to expand...

If you have been charging that battery 5 hrs I would consider a new one, I always disconnect the battery when doing electrical work do not like surprises, do you have headlights and speedo light up with charger on?
 
Your battery in good condition should have enough power to melt a screw driver and still start the bike. A short that blows a fuse could never discharge a battery. If the present drain is not enough to blow a fuse but enough to kill the battery, it should have taken about an hour or more to drain the battery down. This is an unlikely situation. As posted already, you need to check the battery voltage to see if it is actually down. If not, than you have a wire connection issue or another fuse gone. If you have a problem charging the battery, disconnect the ground and try it. When the battery is charged and you connect the ground you should only get a very small spark. That is the electronic system power draw. If you get a large spark, then you have a short.
 
If its the O.E. battery, time for a new one and just coincidence that it died while working on bike.
 
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