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Voltage leak

MinnesotaPaul

Active member
Joined
May 31, 2003
Messages
35
Location
Minneapolis
Corvette
'59 Roman Red #920
I've got a voltage leak somewhere in my car. If I leave that battery connected it will go dead in a couple of days. Someone suggested that I test this by inserting a meter between the battery + and the positive cable. When I do this it of course shows 12 volts.

I then proceeded one by one to pull each fuse, but the meter never changed.

I'm a little stymied as to where to look next. Is there a circuit in the car that does not pass through the fuses?

Paul
 
Suggest you start by reading the "Electrical Issues" post & responses on page 2 of this forum, believe it'll save you a lot of the same questions & answers.

rlm :cool
 
Ron,

Thanks for pointing me to the Electrical Issues thread. It sounds familiar. It's a lot to plow through but I started reading all of it. I'll see where this takes me.
Paul
 
Here's a little Web Wisdom about c2 current leaks.

Battery Drain - I had a problem with my voltage regulator unit (not solid state). The field relay in the unit would not open when the ignition switch was turned off. It seems that this would let some current flow to the accessory position, but not enough to run any accessories so it wasn't obvious. This would drain my battery in one day. If you remove the cover of your regulator you can see the relay. It is the one with one set of points. Make sure they open when you turn off the ignition.

Battery drain tracing: If you are good with electricity, use a multimeter on 'amps' with a 10 amp circuit in the multimeter. (Problem 1- many multimeters don't have a 10 amp circuit. Problem 2- the fuse inside the meter is easily blown, voiding your tests) An easier way on a non computer car is to hook a 12v test light between the battery cable and the battery post with the cable off. [Pull your clock fuse to prevent it from tricking you into thinking there is a drain. If you have a digital stereo, pull those fuses too.] If there is a battery drain, the test light will be on. If you're pretty sure no interior lights are left on like the others mentioned, the next most likely culprits would be a shorted diode in the alternator or a stuck voltage regulator. Both of them are likely. Unplug the regulator and see if your drain goes away, and unbolt the fat wire off of the back of the alternator to see if the problem is there. If all of these are unplugged and the test light is still on, I'd start pulling fuses. Remember that there are several circuits not fused, though. Another one I've seen is an aftermarket Holley with the electric choke hooked up to the wrong place.
 
Magic,

Thanks for your suggestions. I will get to work on them one of these days. Busy right now.

I did run through all the fuses at one point, but I was checking for voltage not amperes. Also does it make any difference if I put my meter on the + or - side to check this? I do have a good meter with a fused 10 amp setting.

Paul
 
digital multimeters will register negative flow when connections are reversed, but analog (needle pointer) multimeters will not - so just touch the contact to see which way the needle jumps.
 
I should have been a little more specific in my question. I do have a digital meter. The question is whether I should insert the meter in series on the plus side of the batter (between the post and the cable) or on the negative side. Does it matter?

In reading the "eletrical issues" post there are a couple of things I want to check. First my clock is disconnected. I want to check that out. Then I also need to check the horn relay, the voltage reg. and the generator. I'll pull each of them from the system and see what happens.

Thanks for you help. I really do appreciate it.

Paul
 
Most folks customarily place the ohmmeter in series on the positive side, but it really doesn't matter.

rlm:cool
 

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