Kymco Like 2015 battery draining

[dcstoker]

I purchased 4 days ago a 2015 Kymco Like scooter. The scooter had 15 miles on it and had been sitting in a garage for the past 2 years. Runs great...when it will start.

Each night after the scooter has set all night the battery is dead. The red engine light comes on. I purchased a new battery yesterday thinking the old battery had sat in a garage for 2 years and was dead. This morning same thing. The starter whines, the red engine light comes on and that is it. Any suggestions as to what is causing my scooter to drain the battery?

Thanks so much,

David

[CROSSBOLT]

Starter whines:does that mean it is spinning the engine? That is, normal starter sounds just no engine firing? Is your start-run switch on the right handlebar in the run position?

Karl

[dcstoker]

Thank you Karl for responding. The engine is not spinning. The whining lasts for about 5 seconds and then it stops because there is no more juice to cause the starter to spend. It is not a normal starting sound. When jumper cables are hooked up to the battery the starter works just fine and the scooter starts just fine. The start-run switch is in the proper run position. Is it possible that some wire is hooked up wrong, or is touching something that is causing the battery to drain over night? I totally removed the key from the ignition just to make sure nothing was turned on and still the battery was dead the next morning.

Thanks again for any help you can give me.

David

[vespbretta]

I assume there is a short circuit somewhere in the wire harness that drains the battery over night. Or a bad relay.
Relays tend to melt and freeze together and go bad on weak batteries. Therefore the wont open or close correctly.
But that can be a pita to search and find for an amateur.
And also there are a lot of w-questions...
Who bought this scooter originally for what reason and what price and why was this scooter then sitting 2 years in a garage without being used?
What do you know about the history of that scooter except from that what you have already mentioned?
Was the scooter serviced once in these two years? Where? What was done?
Is there any accessoire installed like heated handlebar grips or additional lights or alarm systems or.... ?
Is the USB port in the glovebox in use or unused?
Who is the original selling dealer? Does he know perhaps something "secret" about the scooter?

I think you will need an expert for electrics with a multimeter/voltmeter who is capable of doing a systematic check to find the leakage.

The whining sound under the seat after key on might come from the running fuel pump which stopps approx. after 5 seconds when it has reached the amount of pressure needed.

So I would probably check for a bad starter- and (multipurpose) light relay first.

And check with a voltmeter the charged battery. And then check while the engine is running. It should read more now.
If not, there might be some problem with the alternator, therefore the batterie is not being recharged during the ride. Only drained.

There was just recently a guy in this forum with similar issues on that multipurpose relay (light/starter/fuel pump).

Just my 2 cents. Good luck anyways!

[dcstoker]

I purchased the Kymco 2015 Like last week. The scooter is in pristine condition having sat in a person's garage for 2 years. He bought it for his wife for Christmas 2015 and she rode it once and didn't care for it. The Like scooter  literally had 15 miles on it and still has the new smell to it.

The only accessory is a battery tender which the owner said was factory installed. I hook up the battery tender at night and the bike starts fine, but after about 15 minutes the red engine light comes on and the engine quits. There is no more juice. When I hook up jumper cables I can get the scooter to start, but as soon as I take the jumper cables off, the red light comes back on and the engine dies.

I purchased a new battery 2 days ago thinking perhaps the old battery was 2 years old and dead. After the 2 days the new battery was having the same problem. With a dead battery the engine will not turn over. If I hook up the battery tender overnight the scooter will start the next morning. But then it dies after about 15 minutes of riding. Any thoughts? I appreciate any help.

[CROSSBOLT]

Sounds like it is not charging after it does start. I agree with vesbretta tha some relay is probably stuck closed.

Karl

[vespbretta]

What the previous owner said about the battery tender is interesting, because Kymco never has and never will offer factory installed battery tenders (at least for the Like models)*...that just being said as a sidenote.
This battery tender was installed by someone else then. Most likely by himself or by the dealer. The question is why.
May we have some sharp pictures of this battery tender installation and also from the engine compartement of this scooter? You would need to remove 4 bolts and 2 screws to get the seatbucket out.

Have you already checked the fuses in the battery compartement? There are 2 glass fuses. Good or one burned? One should be responsible for the charging system via regulator/recifier and AC generator.

Maybe you are lucky and its just a burned 15A fuse.

Otherwise you will have to continue the search. But you should let an electrics expert do this.

*edited*
 

[MJR]

What the previous owner said about the battery tender is interesting, because Kymco never has and never will offer factory installed battery tenders...that just being said as a sidenote.
This battery tender was installed by someone else then. Most likely by himself or by the dealer. The question is why.
May we have some sharp pictures of this battery tender installation and also from the engine compartement of this scooter? You would need to remove 4 bolts and 2 screws to get the seatbucket out.

Interesting you mention that because I was surprised to find a battery tender harness (no chrager just the plug) already installed on my brand new MyRoad 700i and it was put together from the crate as I waited. So factory maybe not but why would the dealer put it on when I was taking immediate delivery and it wouldn't be sitting around the showroom?

On the main post issue either the battery is bad, or there is a draw draining it, or the bike isn't charging the battery.

[Stig / Major Tom]

Some dealer's pop a tender on as they set it up, as a courtesy to new owners ....and if it sits they can keep the battery up to snuff without opening things up again..
I doubt this new scooter engine has been touched under the seat bucket....Don't see how things could have been knocked loose. 
Is the scooter simply running on the charged battery? then draws down and quits, battery too dead to restart?
Jump start is covering for the now dead again battery...and engine dies from no electricity when jump removed.
Seems the scoot is living only on the battery?
A photo of the battery terminals might be helpful - what wires are connected to this new battery?
Are the brake lights coming on without touching the brake levers, when engine is running -- is the starter running continuously when engine is running?

Yep, that 5 second noise is the fuel pump, not the starter - starter is not getting enough juice to turn over from the weak battery.
Stig

[DakLak]

If the battery, as well as the bike, has been sitting unused for 2 years the chances are the battery is dead or dying.

A motorcycle warranty is usually six-months for a reason.

If you place a headlight load across the battery terminals it should last a few minutes - if not buy a new one.

All this assumes that battery terminals are clean and coated with Vaseline to maintain good, corrosion free, contact.

[vespbretta]

@MJR
Are you sure that this wire harness you found, really was a battery tender harness? I remember a post years ago from Stig here about his Like scooter when he asked the mechanic about the diagnostic harness in the battery compartement. And the wrong answer from the mechanic was: "Thats for the battery tender".... But I have now edited my post above, because I don´t know about Kymcos largest models wheather they have it or not.
Normally all new scooters come with empty, dry, removed batteries with an extra acid pack in the underseat bucket on the crate. So normally all batteries need to be filled with acid first, then charged and finally installed into the battery compartement. At least thats the procedure for smaller to mid size scooters. Most likely also for large scooters, because it´s a safety issue for transportation/shipping.
So why should a manufacturer then factory install a tender harness with a certain plug that then most likely will not fit to a battery tender you have to buy afterwards or you already have at home which has a most likely different plug system?

@DakLak
The threadstarter already mentioned, that he has bought a NEW battery. So the battery should be fine now.

So, really, I would do the most simple things first:

Check the glass fuses. 
Then do some measurements with a voltmeter.
Then check other parts for electrical/electronical damage.

[DakLak]

@DakLak
The threadstarter already mentioned, that he has bought a NEW battery. So the battery should be fine now.

Something for me to remember - new batteries ALWAYS work . . . NOT!

Batteries often have defects - they are made by machine and, if a 'sealed' unit, flash charged which proves nothing. They hope there is sufficient charge to crank the engine so the alternator fully charges the scoots batteries.

I run my business and house on solar, which uses batteries, and a surprising number are sub-specification, even the Japanese ones.

AND IF the OP doesn't have access to a spare battery - go jump it from another and see if it works. Clean all the neavy duty connectors and cover with Vaseline.

[DakLak]

You can get a FREE LIKE MANUAL in PDF format at:
 
 

http://www.kymcousa.com/owners/onroad/Like200i.pdf

If not the correct one look for the one for your machine.

[vespbretta]

Ok, and what is the owner´s manual now good for in this specific case?

I purchased a new battery 2 days ago thinking perhaps the old battery was 2 years old and dead. After the 2 days the new battery was having the same problem. With a dead battery the engine will not turn over. If I hook up the battery tender overnight the scooter will start the next morning. But then it dies after about 15 minutes of riding. Any thoughts? I appreciate any help.

Why would he even have been able to start the scooter and ride for at least 15mins with a new faulty/dead battery (and lots of energie consumption through ignition/EFI/fuelpump and all the lights operating)? Shouldn´t the alternator and regulator-rectifier of a running engine immediately start to recharge the battery avoiding to get sucked dry empty?

Not sure whether or not this new battery is really that bad as you claim.
But who knows...

Maybe we should wait for a next post of the scooter owner to tell us what he has already done and checked.
Still waiting for some simple volt measurement results on the battery with a voltmeter in running and non running condition.

[MJR]

@MJR
Are you sure that this wire harness you found, really was a battery tender harness? I remember a post years ago from Stig here about his Like scooter when he asked the mechanic about the diagnostic harness in the battery compartement. And the wrong answer from the mechanic was: "Thats for the battery tender".... But I have now edited my post above, because I don´t know about Kymcos largest models wheather they have it or not.
Normally all new scooters come with empty, dry, removed batteries with an extra acid pack in the underseat bucket on the crate. So normally all batteries need to be filled with acid first, then charged and finally installed into the battery compartement. At least thats the procedure for smaller to mid size scooters. Most likely also for large scooters, because it´s a safety issue for transportation/shipping.
So why should a manufacturer then factory install a tender harness with a certain plug that then most likely will not fit to a battery tender you have to buy afterwards or you already have at home which has a most likely different plug system?

Indeed a molded two wire plug by the rear swing arm that connects directly to the battery. The diagnostic plug on mine it clipped to a panel under the seat. It maybe likely the dealer did it though I find it odd why when it was being assembled as I waited to take it and I'm not sure I would run a new battery initial charge through smaller wire. I sent in an email to their service department just to see if they can tell me.