Dead Battery question...

[t78]

Hi Everyone,

I have had a battery drain lately, and I'm stuck on what to do next. It has ruined two brand new batteries, and I don't know why. They are completely dead, and wont accept a charge. I can't even use the jump feature on my charger to start it. If I put the battery in from my other car (that I know is charged), it starts right up...

I hooked up the ampmeter, and pulled all of the fuses, but it is still pulling current... I know it's not the clock, because it doesn't work. I'm not sure what to check next. I imagine it must be a short before the fuse box, but I don't really know.

If anybody could give me any ideas on what to do next, that would be great. It used to take about 2 weeks to drain the battery, but now it only takes about 3 days. I replaced the alternator, so I know thats working.

Thanks!
t78

 

[barrier5]

Three things come too mind;dome light timer if there is one or most likly, starter wires shorted out or the alt.has a short.If the starter wire look ok try unplugging the alt. wires and taping them up to see what happens.

 

[bradfordsvettes]

elec draw

my .02 is the alt disconnect the flat plug and the main wire on the back could be bad diodes in the alt good luck Steve

 

[vigman]

Any after market Stereo stuff?

Ive seen power amps STUCK on...big current drain there, aftermarket antennas fail, draw current.

If you remove the batt & re connect it ( doors closed) do you get a spark?

Try the ALT removal trick.. I've seen that work a few times.

And if the clock DOESN'T WORK.. it dosen't mean the points are not fried in the ON position.

Aftermarket alarm?


Mike

 

[79er]

re:

Same thing was happening in my 79. While changing the air filter one-day I broke the little light bulb under the hood. So I just removed it and have not had a battery problem sense. My 2 cents.

 

[75SHARK]

Any problem, especially electrical is the PITA task of 'process of elimination'. Sounds like you've checked the lower circuit, now check the upper circuit. Pop the red wire off the starter with your current draw check and see if that stops it. If so, you'll know then, that from the starter on down lies the prob. (minus the fused circuits from the fuse block that you've checked) Some components that recieve current around the fuse block are: horn relay, ign switch, head lamp switch and A/C relay. A/C relay has its own fuse inline. The others are fused with inline links, known as 'fusible links'. If prob is found in above circuit, unplug or isolate each component from there to determine the culprit. (don't forget the alternator as mentioned above post)
In my experience, I would head for the horn relay. Fast and easy to check.
A note on battery recovery. Todays batteries are slower to take a charge. Obtain a 'trickle' charger, and let it work for a day or two. This could save you a battery that is out of warranty.
Best of Luck -Dave

 

[t78]

thanks

thanks for the quick replies. I'm going to try those items next. I did look at the Alt. last night, and the clip that plugs into the top of it looks corroded. I'm going to cut that one off and put a fresh one on. Hopefully that will help.

I'll keep you updated.

Thanks,

t78

 

[vigman]

Do your horn's work?

Sometimes that relay hangs, and if the horns dont work...ya never know.

The corrosion thing...It wont fix the current drain, but it cant hurt.

Put the Amp meter back in line and start disconnecting again..

Mike