Re: Battery or drain
[Re: Pkeel]
#2688070
08/15/19 03:16 PM
08/15/19 03:16 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,677 Stuttgart, Arkansas
rickseeman
master
|
master
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,677
Stuttgart, Arkansas
|
This is beyond my ability and I will be taking it in to a mechanic to look at.
I could not find the voltmeter. I might have tossed it, I don't know.
I work on my vehicles as relaxation from my regular job, this would not be relaxing to me. If that's the way you feel I understand, but Harbor Freight has multimeters for $5 (you need one anyway). And when you find the drain you will be proud of yourself.
2011 Drag Pak Challenger
|
|
|
Re: Battery or drain
[Re: rickseeman]
#2688263
08/15/19 11:10 PM
08/15/19 11:10 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,631 Freeport IL USA
poorboy
I Live Here
|
I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 10,631
Freeport IL USA
|
We just ran into a problem with the battery in my wife's car. She started the car and went someplace and it worked fine. When she was ready to come home, the car did not start. I jumped if off and she drove home. I put the battery charger on it (30 Amp charger) for a 1/2 hour, then disconnected the charger and went to start the car, but it wouldn't crank at all. I had to jump it to start it to get it into the shop. I pulled a battery cable thinking there must have been some kind of draw to take the battery down so quickly. Nothing! I pulled both cables, and put the charger back on for another 1/2 hour. After I removed the charger, I checked the voltage with my volt meter, I could watch the digital volt meter reading drop! In less then 2 minutes, the voltage went from 12.85 volts down to 10.75 volts! The 5 year battery developed a dead cell a day after the 5 year warranty expired! I've been around a lot of car batteries before, this is the first battery I've ever seen die so quickly. Usually they give you a little warning, not this one, good one hour, dead the next. It was kind of cool watching the battery voltage drop so fast. The new 5 year battery cost $64.79 out the door. Gene
|
|
|
Re: Battery or drain
[Re: poorboy]
#2688297
08/16/19 07:32 AM
08/16/19 07:32 AM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,083 Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
|
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,083
Niles , Ohio
|
Poorboy had prety much same problem with my 65.Went to cruise started just fine.Got ready to leave and nothing.Got a jump and it ran bad even with alt charging good.Got home shut it off.Checked batt volts and was at 5 volts.Hooked up the charger and alt was 14.3.Battery was at around the same when I took charger off.Opend the door and watched it drop to like 3 volts.Battery went bad that fast.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
|
|
|
Re: Battery or drain
[Re: Pkeel]
#2688793
08/17/19 04:38 PM
08/17/19 04:38 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,083 Niles , Ohio
therocks
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
|
oh wait.but hey.lets see.oh yeah.
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,083
Niles , Ohio
|
Get a cheap test light that uses a 12 volt bulb.Disconnect neg cable.Install light bettween cable and post.Should not be lite.Might have a real dim light if there are accessorys that you have.Make sure all items are off and doors closed.If its lite start pulling fuses.Easy way to test draw.If you have volt meter start and test to check alt output.Should be over 13 volts running at say 2ooo RPM.Rocky
Chrysler Firepower
|
|
|
Re: Battery or drain
[Re: poorboy]
#2689412
08/19/19 02:29 PM
08/19/19 02:29 PM
|
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,033 Tulsa OK
Bad340fish
master
|
master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,033
Tulsa OK
|
We just ran into a problem with the battery in my wife's car. She started the car and went someplace and it worked fine. When she was ready to come home, the car did not start. I jumped if off and she drove home. I put the battery charger on it (30 Amp charger) for a 1/2 hour, then disconnected the charger and went to start the car, but it wouldn't crank at all. I had to jump it to start it to get it into the shop. I pulled a battery cable thinking there must have been some kind of draw to take the battery down so quickly. Nothing! I pulled both cables, and put the charger back on for another 1/2 hour. After I removed the charger, I checked the voltage with my volt meter, I could watch the digital volt meter reading drop! In less then 2 minutes, the voltage went from 12.85 volts down to 10.75 volts! The 5 year battery developed a dead cell a day after the 5 year warranty expired! I've been around a lot of car batteries before, this is the first battery I've ever seen die so quickly. Usually they give you a little warning, not this one, good one hour, dead the next. It was kind of cool watching the battery voltage drop so fast. The new 5 year battery cost $64.79 out the door. Gene You can't really do any good with a battery charger like that. To properly charge a dead battery it will need to charge at 6-10 amps for 12-24 hours-usually 24. When you try to charge it with high amps like that you stand the chance of overheating the battery and doing more harm than good. That can sometimes get you moving though but that is not a good way to charge a battery. I will say this though, from what you are saying your wife's battery just died, it happens with age. When they are several years old they usually don't give much warning. Anytime you pull a battery off of a charge, especially a high amp one you will have a "surface charge" where the voltage reading will be higher than the batteries true state of charge. This will fall of gradually, and sometimes quickly depending on the circumstances. For instance you charge a battery all night long you might have a reading of 13.3 volts right off the charger. After the car sits for a few hours or longer it will settle down to the true voltage which would be around 12.7 for a fully charged 12v battery at rest. You can also just turn the headlights on for 30 seconds or so and it will knock the surface charge off. When possible a hydrometer is the best way to determine state of charge but less and less batteries these days have access to the cells.
68 Barracuda Formula S 340
|
|
|
|
|