battery vampire
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
battery vampire i am have battery charge issues you could say... if i let my ta set for more than 24hr the battery only has 6 volts, so i jump it and start the car and it reads 13.87 v on the multimeter when running then i shut off the car and the battery reads 12.50 v. i have had the battery tested multiple times and it test good and hold all the cranking amps it is suppose to. so what could be draining the battery, is it possible that the alternator is bad but still charging the battery and when i turn the car off it sucks the battery dry? i am taking it to autozone today so they can check the alternator, but if that isn't it then what is my next move? the only things i have done since i bought the car in november is install a new radio which everything checks out on, one 12in sub and amp. which i disconnected last night to see if my battery is dead when i get home. someone please help reseting everything is gettin anoyying!
you ready for this cowboy?.......check the little black/red (depending on the year) cable that goes to the top of the alt....it is pretty skinny and has a tendacy to come out or wear out...this is the cable that in easy terms....tells your alt to charge your batt........
If your battery is near dead, jumpstarting it will give it a quick charge, + the alternator will show higher amps since its charging. If the battery is dead it has to slowly charge up, its not instant.
Going with the theroy that you jumped it and let it idle and charge, possibly drive it around it should be fine.
My thought is that you have a draw some where in the car.
Take off the negative cable and tap the battery terminal, it should give a good spark, mind you that you will get a lil one due to the PCM but if there is something on, its gonna spark. Also listen for any clicks.
In my particular case, the prev owner directly wired a accessory from a 12 volt constant, the cigarette lighter and it got tied into a relay and had a constant draw, no matter what I did, if it sat more then 3 days it wouldnt start. I had to track it down.
Going with the theroy that you jumped it and let it idle and charge, possibly drive it around it should be fine.
My thought is that you have a draw some where in the car.
Take off the negative cable and tap the battery terminal, it should give a good spark, mind you that you will get a lil one due to the PCM but if there is something on, its gonna spark. Also listen for any clicks.
In my particular case, the prev owner directly wired a accessory from a 12 volt constant, the cigarette lighter and it got tied into a relay and had a constant draw, no matter what I did, if it sat more then 3 days it wouldnt start. I had to track it down.
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
well i check the cigarette lighters and they had nothing wired into them. i went a head and got a new battery yesturday to see if it may be that but i have a feeling it wasn't, i tried hooking a muiltimeter up in series with the postive battery cable and got 0.003 mA draw but that was it so i am completely stumped. anymore ideas, i will try almost anything?
ok....well the alt can still be good its more or less the single skinny wire coming out of the top that can detemine if its going to charge the batt.....also, its not unusual for these cars to use a large load, for example....i can sit at a light with my brake on and the radio up and the fan on....car will drops 1-1.5 volts....let off and it turns back up
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Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 67
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has anyone heard of a speaker draining a battery? i think it could be the problem, when i start the car the drivers side rear speaker makes a pop sound before the radio is even on and then as i am driving is makes a faint whisle.
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TECH Fanatic
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 1,135
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From: The 'Burgh, PA
it sounds like the only thing that you have changed is your stereo equipment since the problems began, so I would def. check all of your installation wiring. I would completely disconnect the stereo equipment (just pull the fuse(s)) and see if your problem goes away. You mentioned above that you were going to do this, but you never reported back on what happened. I would suspect the stereo equipment first before I would start throwing money away on batteries and alternators. Also, make sure it isn't something stupid like a small interior light that you left on. Good luck!
