Battery being drained - need ideas - HELP

[88_Eddie]

thanks a lot diesel for clarifying that.....i have been testing it wrong, i'm about to start working on it right now

 

[dennis461]

Now the meter has to be set to measure AMPS (or milliamps) not VOLTS.
Make sure one wire is plugged into a hole on the meter marked common.
and
sure one wire is plugged into a hole on the meter marked amps.
Make sure the dial is set to amps.

Post a pic of the meter ( or list the brand model)
This one has one hole for milliamps (small battery drain) and a second hole for 10 amps (large battery drain)

 

[88_Eddie]

i tried to put a pic of my tester up here, but i dont have a URL to link it to.

i have a digital multimeter made by ETEK, model # 10709.

how can i post a pic up here? it may be easier to do that because when i googled the name and model it came up with a bunch of them. i dont think my meter has a AMPS setting on it, i have been using 12V which is obviously the wrong one.

 

[AllanD]

You want one that'll measure AMPS

And the FIRST thing to disconnect after you have
the meter inline and showing the draw is not any of the fuses
(unless you are working on a gen2 or later and working in the under hood fuse box)

THE first thing you want to disconnect are the leads to the alternator.

One at a time.

Another obvious "tell" is in cold weather, cold engine (not run in several hours)
does your alternator feel warm?

When the V-reg goes bad it keeps applying field current to the alternator even when it's supposed to be off.

this turns the alternator into a crude electric heater, which is most
efficient at discharging a battery.

DO NOT turn the key on at any time while doing these tests,
because your problem is obviously either in the "Hot at all times"
parts of the circuit.
OR something that isn't supposed to be turned on that IS turned on when the ignition switch is on the off and locked position.

Another common thing is an aftermarket audio amplifier with
a faulty remote relay.

they can drag a battery down while trying to amplify nothing
overnight.


AD

 

[Earl43P]

http://flashoffroad.com/electrical/Batteries/BatteryDrain.html

shows one method to test for parasitic draw.

 

[88_Eddie]

my BII was doing this same exact thing my soph year of college. it ended up being the alternator draining it. that was about 6 years ago though, could it go bad in that amount of time?

it's not an audio amplifier because i dont have any of that stuff (never been into loud audio) my sound system is all stock. however, now that you mention audio, my dash speakers dont produce any sound at all, not even when i fade the sound all the way to the front. i replaced those speakers in highschool, probably 10 years ago. my bro said he has seen the radio short out as well, so i'm gonna take my dash apart and see what i can find out.

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

yes the alternator could have gone bad in that amount of time. But if it was the Voltage-regulator as AllanD said then it would not actualy be the a bad alternator, as the V-regulator is not inside the alternator its on the driver fender well. the other thing that it could be is one of the positive diodes in your rectifier bridge could have shorted. leaving a direct path to one of your field windings. best way to test it is hook up the multi-meter and disconect the V-reg, if the draw is still there disconect the wires from the alternator. if the draw is still there after disconecting the alternator start pulling fuses.

 

[Clem]

Disconnect the wires to the alternator and see if the battery still drains. Leave everything else connected.

Ray

 

[88_Eddie]

Update

well, i have concluded that my my multi-meter doesnt have an AMPS setting, so i'm gonna go acquire another ASAP.

i took a closer look at my NEG battery cable and noticed that it was frayed pretty bad in 2 places, so i replaced it.

Disconnect the wires to the alternator and see if the battery still drains. Leave everything else connected.

Ray

^^^^I'll also try disconnecting my alternator cables tonight and see if that makes a difference.

yes the alternator could have gone bad in that amount of time. But if it was the Voltage-regulator as AllanD said then it would not actualy be the a bad alternator, as the V-regulator is not inside the alternator its on the driver fender well. the other thing that it could be is one of the positive diodes in your rectifier bridge could have shorted. leaving a direct path to one of your field windings. best way to test it is hook up the multi-meter and disconect the V-reg, if the draw is still there disconect the wires from the alternator. if the draw is still there after disconecting the alternator start pulling fuses.

ok, i have consulted my chiltons manual for the last 30 minutes and i cannot find a voltage regualtor, i have an idea of what it may be, but not sure, any clarification?

ALSO, what the mess is a rectifier bridge and where can i locate it?

THANKS A LOT for your help guys, the sooner i get this taken care of the sooner i can lift it and start playing in it again.

 

[88_Eddie]

BTW
here is my multi-meter....i tried to get a close up pic of the dial.
is there an AMP setting on there? i looked through the manual and saw nothing that hinted that there was.

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

ok so incase you didnt know an alternator produces an AC current like what is in the walls through 3 field windings, the rectifier bridge is what changes that three fase AC current into DC current. it is built into the alternator and it isnt really acessable. the Voltige reg is the small black box on the inner driverside fender, it has a rectangular plugin. and also your multi meter has amps. its the lower left section inbetween 6 and 9 oclock on your dial. right next to the A with the ~ with a line above it. (and just so you know that ~ with the line above it is the symbol for DC or direct current. and the A stands for amps) also you will want your test leads as follows: black test lead in center conector or COM and the red lead in the 10A connector (far left) then set the dial to the amps, i would start at the 10 amp (or 2 clicks going clockwise from 6oclock) then connect the multi meter as shown earlyer and begin by disconecting the alternator.

 

[Bob Ayers]

(and just so you know that ~ with the line above it is the symbol for DC or direct current. and the A stands for amps) .

No, the ~ with the line above it is AC, and the --- with the line above it is DC

 

[88_Eddie]

No, the ~ with the line above it is AC, and the --- with the line above it is DC

ok, i'll consult the manual and see if it gives any clarification on what is what......now that i kinda know what i'm lookin for

 

[Bronco_Chuck]

im sorry my bad Bob Ayers is right, i had my sybols mixed up. but it should work as long as the butten ou the top left is clicked out.( the selector switch for AC and DC) oh and make sure that while you are testing amps that you dont connect the multi meter across the battery because you will fry it.

 

[88_Eddie]

oh and make sure that while you are testing amps that you dont connect the multi meter across the battery because you will fry it.

not sure what "across the battery" means......does that mean between each post -OR- from the positive post to the unattached positive cable (while neg cable is still attached to battery)


also, i took off the alternator and removed the voltage regualtor....how do i know if it's bad? everything looked fine to me but i'm not sure what to look for.

after i disconnected the cables to the alternator last night, nothing really happened. the voltage still reads about the same. i think it is just a very slow drain....however the car still doesnt wanna turn over unless the battery is fully charged (as soon as i take the trickle charger off)

could this be a starter issue?(i've replaced the cable that runs from the starter to the solenoid on the passenger side fender under the hood)


U ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS!!!!!!!!