Battery Drain...

[Boss302 22]

Car: 69 Grande 302 v8 2bbl

 

normal driver, runs fine no issues. ill park it and drive the other cars, or just goto friends and crash for a week.....

 

Come back, it will be around 6v-8v using 2 sources for that info:

1)multimeter on battery will read 11.5v'ish

2) a cigar lighter battery tester, reads 8.4v

 

i figure, it might be 11v at the battery, but running thru the regulator,,misc stuff, the volts drop.

 

while the car is running, ill unplug the battery and car still runs with out skipping a beat..meaning: the alternator is properly charging the system

 

 

theres a trick to test the regulator, something about jumping a socket or something, its off the "doc" restored mustangs shop guy

 

but i didnt want to do that....

lights work, so i didnt think it was the regulator...

 

but, on my Voltmeter gauge, at certain times it will spike from 14v back to 8v and back again...then normal out...

 

or when im using the Blinker, it shifts back and forth from 11v to 14v

 

 

Is there another way to test the sytem..

 

or its reached that time in its life that reg.,alternator, need replacing?

or a FATORY screw up and its a pinched cord...or a bug.

 

 

Recent Things ive Done to the Mustang:

Installed the Accessory Post

Running the Cigar Lighter, Voltmeter Gauge, on the acessory post

running tachmeter like normal

for the gauge lights, all tied to each other and then quick-connected to the key-on accessory glass tube fuse

 

 

no fuses have blown, no ticks,clanks,ka-booms, or anything.

 

so maybe a frequent pulse of energy to and from the system?

 

Sometimes, ill have my RADAR detector plugged into the cigar lighter thing

or my GPS, recently the Battery Tester tool

 

BUT, when the key is OFF, those are automatically turned off...correct?

they are not on, there are no lights on them...just like on newer cars,key is off so are the accessories

 

 

I thought about upgrading the alternator, its an old one now, probably factory spec, the only thing aftermarket was the cd player with 4 speakers.

 

Also, im thinking of upgrading the battery to a dry cell, RED TOP

i used those when i had car shows with my imports...

 

any ideas? or suggestions..thanks

Edited February 22, 2012 by Boss302

[Boss302 22]

Car: 69 Grande 302 v8 2bbl

 

normal driver, runs fine no issues. ill park it and drive the other cars, or just goto friends and crash for a week.....

 

Come back, it will be around 6v-8v using 2 sources for that info:

1)multimeter on battery will read 11.5v'ish

2) a cigar lighter battery tester, reads 8.4v

 

i figure, it might be 11v at the battery, but running thru the regulator,,misc stuff, the volts drop.

 

while the car is running, ill unplug the battery and car still runs with out skipping a beat..meaning: the alternator is properly charging the system

 

 

theres a trick to test the regulator, something about jumping a socket or something, its off the "doc" restored mustangs shop guy

 

but i didnt want to do that....

lights work, so i didnt think it was the regulator...

 

but, on my Voltmeter gauge, at certain times it will spike from 14v back to 8v and back again...then normal out...

 

or when im using the Blinker, it shifts back and forth from 11v to 14v

 

 

Is there another way to test the sytem..

 

or its reached that time in its life that reg.,alternator, need replacing?

or a FATORY screw up and its a pinched cord...or a bug.

 

 

Recent Things ive Done to the Mustang:

Installed the Accessory Post

Running the Cigar Lighter, Voltmeter Gauge, on the acessory post

running tachmeter like normal

for the gauge lights, all tied to each other and then quick-connected to the key-on accessory glass tube fuse

 

 

no fuses have blown, no ticks,clanks,ka-booms, or anything.

 

so maybe a frequent pulse of energy to and from the system?

 

Sometimes, ill have my RADAR detector plugged into the cigar lighter thing

or my GPS, recently the Battery Tester tool

 

BUT, when the key is OFF, those are automatically turned off...correct?

they are not on, there are no lights on them...just like on newer cars,key is off so are the accessories

 

 

I thought about upgrading the alternator, its an old one now, probably factory spec, the only thing aftermarket was the cd player with 4 speakers.

 

Also, im thinking of upgrading the battery to a dry cell, RED TOP

i used those when i had car shows with my imports...

 

any ideas? or suggestions..thanks

Edited February 22, 2012 by Boss302

[Powershift 19]

Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and place your volt meter leads between the cable end and the Neg battery terminal. This will show the amount of draw on your battery. You can then start pulling one fuse at a time to watch and see when the major draw on the battery stops. This will indicate which circuit has your draw, and you can narrow down the fault.

[Powershift 19]

Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and place your volt meter leads between the cable end and the Neg battery terminal. This will show the amount of draw on your battery. You can then start pulling one fuse at a time to watch and see when the major draw on the battery stops. This will indicate which circuit has your draw, and you can narrow down the fault.

[Boss302 22]

Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and place your volt meter leads between the cable end and the Neg battery terminal. This will show the amount of draw on your battery. You can then start pulling one fuse at a time to watch and see when the major draw on the battery stops. This will indicate which circuit has your draw, and you can narrow down the fault.

 

 

so disconnect the Negative Cable,

 

then place the multimeter red/black on the neg cable end, and the other on the battery negative post.

 

just trying to understand what your saying. i know it doesnt help whem im drinking.

[Boss302 22]

Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and place your volt meter leads between the cable end and the Neg battery terminal. This will show the amount of draw on your battery. You can then start pulling one fuse at a time to watch and see when the major draw on the battery stops. This will indicate which circuit has your draw, and you can narrow down the fault.

 

 

so disconnect the Negative Cable,

 

then place the multimeter red/black on the neg cable end, and the other on the battery negative post.

 

just trying to understand what your saying. i know it doesnt help whem im drinking.

[TexasEd 188]

Yes test the current draw over the meter. But I just replaced the 42 year old battery cables on my car and insulation was falling off everywhere.

[TexasEd 188]

Yes test the current draw over the meter. But I just replaced the 42 year old battery cables on my car and insulation was falling off everywhere.

[69RavenConv 286]

Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and place your volt meter leads between the cable end and the Neg battery terminal. This will show the amount of draw on your battery. You can then start pulling one fuse at a time to watch and see when the major draw on the battery stops. This will indicate which circuit has your draw, and you can narrow down the fault.

 

+1 to what Powershift said.

Set your meter to milliamps. Hook the (+) red lead to the disconnected negative battery cable. Hook the (-) black lead to the negative battery post. You shouldn't see any current flow.

 

I have a Sunpro mini-tach that was drawing a small parasitic loss until i moved it to a switched 12V to stop it. Kept draining the battery.

[69RavenConv 286]

Disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and place your volt meter leads between the cable end and the Neg battery terminal. This will show the amount of draw on your battery. You can then start pulling one fuse at a time to watch and see when the major draw on the battery stops. This will indicate which circuit has your draw, and you can narrow down the fault.

 

+1 to what Powershift said.

Set your meter to milliamps. Hook the (+) red lead to the disconnected negative battery cable. Hook the (-) black lead to the negative battery post. You shouldn't see any current flow.

 

I have a Sunpro mini-tach that was drawing a small parasitic loss until i moved it to a switched 12V to stop it. Kept draining the battery.

[Powershift 19]

You never mentioned the age of the battery either. It would be a good idea to have a load test done, if it's not fairly new.

 

Also, "Red Top" batteries aren't really an upgrade to the system. They don't work any better, and are a HUGE pain in the AZZ if they happen to go dead. Gell batteries are REALLY tough to save after they are drained, unlike a traditional acid battery. I had one die in my 2000 Cobra R race car (my fault), and it was only about 4 months old. After speaking with Optima, doing EVERY recharge process they advised, the battery was still junk. Great way to waste $170. LOL

[Powershift 19]

You never mentioned the age of the battery either. It would be a good idea to have a load test done, if it's not fairly new.

 

Also, "Red Top" batteries aren't really an upgrade to the system. They don't work any better, and are a HUGE pain in the AZZ if they happen to go dead. Gell batteries are REALLY tough to save after they are drained, unlike a traditional acid battery. I had one die in my 2000 Cobra R race car (my fault), and it was only about 4 months old. After speaking with Optima, doing EVERY recharge process they advised, the battery was still junk. Great way to waste $170. LOL

[Boss302 22]

+1 to what Powershift said.

Set your meter to milliamps. Hook the (+) red lead to the disconnected negative battery cable. Hook the (-) black lead to the negative battery post. You shouldn't see any current flow.

 

I have a Sunpro mini-tach that was drawing a small parasitic loss until i moved it to a switched 12V to stop it. Kept draining the battery.

 

 

that was going to be my 2nd question, ma or v, thanks.

 

 

for my imports and offroad vehicles, ive always used optima, red or yellow, NEVER had an issue, i swear by them,no leaks,no drains, always started, day or night wet,cold,frozen...

 

SunPro..eh?

Well, i have a triple gauge pod, VoltMeter,Oil(mechanical) and Water temp.

the VoltMeter is wired to the Accessory Post, and a separate wire is also attached from the cigar lighter. But they shut off once the key is "OFF"

 

ill do that though..tomorrow

thanks.

[Boss302 22]

+1 to what Powershift said.

Set your meter to milliamps. Hook the (+) red lead to the disconnected negative battery cable. Hook the (-) black lead to the negative battery post. You shouldn't see any current flow.

 

I have a Sunpro mini-tach that was drawing a small parasitic loss until i moved it to a switched 12V to stop it. Kept draining the battery.

 

 

that was going to be my 2nd question, ma or v, thanks.

 

 

for my imports and offroad vehicles, ive always used optima, red or yellow, NEVER had an issue, i swear by them,no leaks,no drains, always started, day or night wet,cold,frozen...

 

SunPro..eh?

Well, i have a triple gauge pod, VoltMeter,Oil(mechanical) and Water temp.

the VoltMeter is wired to the Accessory Post, and a separate wire is also attached from the cigar lighter. But they shut off once the key is "OFF"

 

ill do that though..tomorrow

thanks.

[69gmachine 15]

+1 to what Powershift said.

Set your meter to milliamps. Hook the (+) red lead to the disconnected negative battery cable. Hook the (-) black lead to the negative battery post. You shouldn't see any current flow.

 

I have a Sunpro mini-tach that was drawing a small parasitic loss until i moved it to a switched 12V to stop it. Kept draining the battery.

 

 

It will work just as well by setting it to volts. Just make sure the scale is appropriate, e.g. 0-20. There should be 0 volts. One thing that typically fails (shorts) on a 69 is the ignition switch, so I would suggest starting there. I just did the same thing and after pulling my dash and disconnecting the clock, radio, console, a/c, lights, instrument cluster etc. from the main underdash harness, I finally pulled the ignition switch.

[69gmachine 15]

+1 to what Powershift said.

Set your meter to milliamps. Hook the (+) red lead to the disconnected negative battery cable. Hook the (-) black lead to the negative battery post. You shouldn't see any current flow.

 

I have a Sunpro mini-tach that was drawing a small parasitic loss until i moved it to a switched 12V to stop it. Kept draining the battery.

 

 

It will work just as well by setting it to volts. Just make sure the scale is appropriate, e.g. 0-20. There should be 0 volts. One thing that typically fails (shorts) on a 69 is the ignition switch, so I would suggest starting there. I just did the same thing and after pulling my dash and disconnecting the clock, radio, console, a/c, lights, instrument cluster etc. from the main underdash harness, I finally pulled the ignition switch.

[buening 63]

There will likely be some draw if your car has a factory clock that works (when you do the check). It isn't enough to drain a battery unless we are talking about months of sitting idle.

[buening 63]

There will likely be some draw if your car has a factory clock that works (when you do the check). It isn't enough to drain a battery unless we are talking about months of sitting idle.

[Boss302 22]

ok ran the checks, im getting 0.00 on mamps

 

i drove it around some, parked it, sat for 4 hours now, and the battery reads,

17.5v using my mutlimeter on volts setting

 

but if i plug in my battery tester to the cigar lighter it reads around 14 driving...

when i idle, it reads 13.5'ish(v)

 

i DO have the factory Clock...but it only wants to work at random times..lol might be a bad wire....but thats a pain in the ass to get off and fix anything...(unless theres a trick to it all)

 

i had the car parked, in the garage, for 4 days..maybe 5..

 

usually it will be 2..3 MAX, and it starts..sure ill pump some gas in to the carb to prime it. but it starts right up.

 

 

i guess, ill just check it ever so often with that trick for checking with multimeter with neg cable and neg post.

thanks.

[Boss302 22]

ok ran the checks, im getting 0.00 on mamps

 

i drove it around some, parked it, sat for 4 hours now, and the battery reads,

17.5v using my mutlimeter on volts setting

 

but if i plug in my battery tester to the cigar lighter it reads around 14 driving...

when i idle, it reads 13.5'ish(v)

 

i DO have the factory Clock...but it only wants to work at random times..lol might be a bad wire....but thats a pain in the ass to get off and fix anything...(unless theres a trick to it all)

 

i had the car parked, in the garage, for 4 days..maybe 5..

 

usually it will be 2..3 MAX, and it starts..sure ill pump some gas in to the carb to prime it. but it starts right up.

 

 

i guess, ill just check it ever so often with that trick for checking with multimeter with neg cable and neg post.

thanks.

[69RavenConv 286]

17.5 can't be right but the rest sounds ok. Maybe you don't have a problem. Just for reference,

 

• A healthy, fully charged battery will read about 12.6V with the engine off.
  
• The system will measure around 14V when the engine is running. It runs higher so it will charge the battery.
  
• Immediately after shutting off the engine, a battery might read ~15V due to a phenomenon called surface charge. Turning the headlights on for 30 seconds will remove the surface charge (it will dissipate over time as well) then it should read a normal battery voltage.
  

If your battery is going dead with no current drain, maybe it's just a dying battery

:hang:

[69RavenConv 286]

17.5 can't be right but the rest sounds ok. Maybe you don't have a problem. Just for reference,

 

• A healthy, fully charged battery will read about 12.6V with the engine off.
  
• The system will measure around 14V when the engine is running. It runs higher so it will charge the battery.
  
• Immediately after shutting off the engine, a battery might read ~15V due to a phenomenon called surface charge. Turning the headlights on for 30 seconds will remove the surface charge (it will dissipate over time as well) then it should read a normal battery voltage.
  

If your battery is going dead with no current drain, maybe it's just a dying battery

:hang:

[Boss302 22]

its a 4month old battery...but, yea after sitting, it reads 17.5v

maybe the alternator is over charging it...

[Boss302 22]

its a 4month old battery...but, yea after sitting, it reads 17.5v

maybe the alternator is over charging it...

[69RavenConv 286]

its a 4month old battery...but, yea after sitting, it reads 17.5v

maybe the alternator is over charging it...

 

Yeah, that could be a problem. That much voltage isn't good for a battery.