Battery not charging

Brownie Mobile · Jun 29, 2012

Had my battery tested it was 90 something percent good, had my alternator tested good as well. I was told the electronic regulator could be it, looks brand new( could be a coincidence) but how do i test it? i dont have the money to go just buy a new one and hope it works. I think the battery is charging well although im not sure but thats my oppinion i think something may be grounding out or something and draining my battery but how to test? ive looked all around for any broken wires cant find any whats your guys oppinion? Are there any common problems involving battery charge with these things? oh btw 84 b2 2.8 c5 tranny, thanks.

509lifted · Jun 29, 2012

mine did the same thing took it to napa battery test fine but mine wouldnt charg over 61 so they put it on there charger and now it works great so idk what happened. maybe u could have that done and see what happens

adsm08 · Jun 29, 2012

First thing you need to do it verify charging.

Go to Sears and get yourself a GOOD multi-meter. Not the $20 one, spend some money, get the Fluke. Think of it as investing in your diagnostic capabilities.

Then fire up the engine and check the voltage across the battery posts. If you don't have at least 13.5 you have a charging issue. 13.5 to 14.5 is ok. Some parts of that range are better than others, 14.25 is just about perfect.

If that is ok, shut everything off close all the doors, unhook the battery negative post and connect the battery to the cable with just jumper cables. Walk away fro 20 minutes and then come back. Clip the meter positive lead to the negative battery cable. Clip the meter negative lead to the jumper cable, somewhere that it will have a path to the battery post. Then set your meter to amps (full amps if it isn't auto-ranging) and unhook the jumper cable from the battery cable. Anything over .003 is a problem and you need to get in and start pulling fuses until the draw drops off.

You may want to get some duct tape and secure the driver's door ajar switch in its closed position before starting all that. That way you can open the door without turning the lights on.

Brownie Mobile · Jun 29, 2012

509lifted said:
mine did the same thing took it to napa battery test fine but mine wouldnt charg over 61 so they put it on there charger and now it works great so idk what happened. maybe u could have that done and see what happens

I have a battery charger so im pretty sure that doesnt fix the problem ive put the batttery on for whatever the reccomended time is and while that helped after a while it still lost charge

adsm08 said:
First thing you need to do it verify charging.

Go to Sears and get yourself a GOOD multi-meter. Not the $20 one, spend some money, get the Fluke. Think of it as investing in your diagnostic capabilities.

Then fire up the engine and check the voltage across the battery posts. If you don't have at least 13.5 you have a charging issue. 13.5 to 14.5 is ok. Some parts of that range are better than others, 14.25 is just about perfect.

If that is ok, shut everything off close all the doors, unhook the battery negative post and connect the battery to the cable with just jumper cables. Walk away fro 20 minutes and then come back. Clip the meter positive lead to the negative battery cable. Clip the meter negative lead to the jumper cable, somewhere that it will have a path to the battery post. Then set your meter to amps (full amps if it isn't auto-ranging) and unhook the jumper cable from the battery cable. Anything over .003 is a problem and you need to get in and start pulling fuses until the draw drops off.

You may want to get some duct tape and secure the driver's door ajar switch in its closed position before starting all that. That way you can open the door without turning the lights on.

Luckily i already have a nice multimeter i dont think its the fluke but i got it for 60 bucks and ive seen the electrician use this multimeter when he came to fix my microwave so id say thats good. Im a little confused about the part with the jumper cables sorry if its a bother but could i get more in depth instructions ( sorry my brain cant always handle things automotive) thanks.

doorgunner · Jun 29, 2012

adsm08 said:
First thing you need to do it verify charging.

Go to Sears and get yourself a GOOD multi-meter. Not the $20 one, spend some money, get the Fluke. Think of it as investing in your diagnostic capabilities.

Then fire up the engine and check the voltage across the battery posts. If you don't have at least 13.5 you have a charging issue. 13.5 to 14.5 is ok. Some parts of that range are better than others, 14.25 is just about perfect.

If that is ok, shut everything off close all the doors, unhook the battery negative post and connect the battery to the cable with just jumper cables. Walk away fro 20 minutes and then come back. Clip the meter positive lead to the negative battery cable. Clip the meter negative lead to the jumper cable, somewhere that it will have a path to the battery post. Then set your meter to amps (full amps if it isn't auto-ranging) and unhook the jumper cable from the battery cable. Anything over .003 is a problem and you need to get in and start pulling fuses until the draw drops off.

You may want to get some duct tape and secure the driver's door ajar switch in its closed position before starting all that. That way you can open the door without turning the lights on.

PART A:

open the driver's door....

use duct tape to keep the little button-switch pushed in so the INSIDE light won't come on....

start the engine...

pop the hood latch....

open the hood....

set the multimeter to read DC volts...

hold the red probe tip on the positive post on the battery....

hold the black probe tip on the negative battery post....

the meter should read at least 13.5 volts.............

TURN OFF THE ENGINE & ANSWER THE QUESTION BELOW......

WHAT DID THE METER SHOW??????

adsm08 · Jun 29, 2012

You are trying to do a parasitic draw test. Or at least that is what I am trying to have you do.

The real trick of this test is that you have to make the path through the meter the ONLY path from the battery post to the battery cable, but you have to do it without ever fully breaking contact. Basically the jumper cables are there to keep contact while you hook up the meter.

So you insert the jumper cables between the battery and it's cable, then you run the truck up the road and back. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then hook the meter up along side the jumper cable so that it is between the battery post and it's cable as well. Then, with the meter on amps, unhook the jumper cable. Not sure how else to explain it.

Tominator · Jun 29, 2012

Another telltale sign is after verifying you get over 13Volts, turn on the headlights and then the blower and make sure the voltage holds.

Battery not charging

Brownie Mobile

Well-Known Member

509lifted

Well-Known Member

adsm08

Senior Master Grease Monkey

Brownie Mobile

Well-Known Member

doorgunner

Lab Rat for V.A. hospital

adsm08

Senior Master Grease Monkey

Tominator

Well-Known Member

Similar threads

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

TRS Events

Member & Vendor Upgrades

Latest posts

Recently Featured

Ranger Adventure Video

TRS Merchandise

Follow TRS On Instagram

Latest Album Photos

TRS Sponsors

Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad

Amazon Deals

Sponsored Ad