Author Topic: Help! Why is my battery showing 19V????  (Read 2821 times)

Offline Glacial

  • ^ Proficient Motobricker
  • Posts: 158
Help! Why is my battery showing 19V????
« on: June 03, 2017, 01:31:42 PM »
Checking things over before setting off for a ten day trip down to the Black Forest in Germany and back.  Noticed that the GPS was not receiving power from the dash-mounted socket. Got the voltmeter on it and found that I had 19V when the engine was not running and nothing when I started the bike up. I have done no electrical work on the bike for months and have not had occasion to check the voltages for a while so I don't know when this issue started. I still get 19V from the battery positive post to chassis ground. I will obviously have to start tracing what might be causing this but if anyone has had such an fault before, please let me know so I can get back on track for the trip.
  • Cambridge, UK
  • 1990 K75S VIN 0109678
'If this is your mid-life crisis, you are going to live to be 114'

Offline kioolt

  • ^ Proficient Motobricker
  • Posts: 237
Re: Help! Why is my battery showing 19V????
« Reply #1 on: June 03, 2017, 01:43:00 PM »
You need to verify that your voltmeter is working correctly.  Check another 12 volt battery to see what you read there. 
2018 R1200RT 8,000 miles,2004 R1150RT 189,000 miles
1991 K100LT 128,700 miles,1982 R100RT 106,900 miles
The cheapest thing on a BMW is the nut that connects the seat to the handlebars.

Offline Glacial

  • ^ Proficient Motobricker
  • Posts: 158
Re: Help! Why is my battery showing 19V????
« Reply #2 on: June 03, 2017, 01:51:57 PM »
Good call kioolt! That was exactly the problem.  As soon as I sent the post off, the brain kicked into gear and said there is nowhere to get the energy to have 19V - need to find out if the reading is true.  So I checked the battery on the car and sure enough that was 19V before I changed the battery on the voltmeter and 12.6V after.


Panic officially over! Many thanks.
  • Cambridge, UK
  • 1990 K75S VIN 0109678
'If this is your mid-life crisis, you are going to live to be 114'

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