Need4Camaro

iTrader: (1)

99 Z28.
Optima Red Top approaching 2 years old.
Atleast 5 Alternator Failures within a year, all of them Duralast Gold brand.

I am going to do the Big 3 upgrade, swap to a Power Master alternator and replace the battery, but before I do, I want to check for battery drains while the car is off, or basically a short in the system. I'm not sure if I have one but before I upgrade all this stuff, I dont want to do this and need a whole new battery and alternator a few months later especially since this car spends alot of time sitting.

So.

How exactly do I check for a short with the car off with a Voltmeter and a Test light?

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

You don't. You need a camp-on ammeter. The voltmeter tests the potential or the "size of the pipe" that electricity can flow from. The test light will create leakage to actually light up. The ammeter is what actually measures the flow of current and will show you where electrons are moving through wires.

farmington

iTrader: (14)

or get a small lamp with two alligator clips. remove the pos or neg battery cable and clamp lamp to cable and battery terminal. remove fuses one at a time until light goes out. that circuit is a drain (radio-clock will show as a drain too since it always gets power).