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Battery Keeps Dying- Fusebox Help!
Topic Started: Jun 10 2011, 06:06 PM (4,882 Views)
mwebb
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FOG

IF he just has a drain
something is powered up that should not be

bennie442 's guidance will point him in the right direction
BUT
if the problem is a voltage drop in the charging system
it will not

of course
there may be more than one problem , and it is likely that the battery and alternator did not need to be replaced

so
the OP needs to get his meter out and
do some testing ....
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Woodie
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:gp :+1

I still think that nothing is draining your battery, your battery is not getting charged properly. That's why it worked for three days when you replaced the battery, then went back to the same behavior. If you test the voltage at the battery with the engine running and it is not 14 volts, that means that either your alternator is not putting out properly OR THE CABLES BETWEEN THE ALTERNATOR AND THE BATTERY ARE BAD. Very possible that neither your battery or your alternator had anything wrong with them.
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squanchy26
New Member
[ *  * ]
In my original reply i mentioned i hooked the meter up in SERIES with the battery and it blew the fuse. My old Meter was a cheap one and the only setting for amps i had it was set to. I am not an electrical engineer, like mwebb apparently figures i am :) So last night when i checked it with "Lights 2" fuse out it read 00.0 MA on my new meter. Put that fuse back in and read the same still. It is my daughters first birthday today so i will not be working on it at all. I will read your suggested post mwebb tonight maybe. Sorry i am not doing what you guys are suggesting i am somewhat new to troubleshooting an electrical system. I will get back to this as soon as i can. Thank you everyone for dealing with me and taking the time to help me out!
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cgem
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Elite Member
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Hmm, sounds like another bad ignition switch not turning off completely. Are there any physical obstructions that are keeping it from turning all the way back? (a recent post was this problem) Other than that, when you are sure the ignition switch is off, test some accessories that are normally off, and see if the 10v shows up there.
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squanchy26
New Member
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Ok bennie. New meter has setting for DC 10A UNFUSED. Thats what i used to test battery in SERIES. key off , doors shut, when i touch the positive cable with the negative in place i hear a spark. Immediately following my meter reads anywhere between 3.96 - 4.82 for a split second then goes to a 1 on the very far left of the display. Which i am assuming is Out of Range considering my cables got very hot if left on there for more then 2 seconds. So there are the measurements. I am assuming this means there is a draw on my battery and not a ground problem?
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squanchy26
New Member
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Im retarded scratch that last post. I guess when you post something in bold capital letters like "SERIES" i should pay attention. I had to look up how to do this and am now going to take real measurements. Sorry.
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squanchy26
New Member
[ *  * ]
Ok so there is no amps drawing from the battery. It posted 0.01 for a second then 0.00 most time. So this means basically that it is something in my charging system Correct? I will begin by getting the car up and checking my grounds. There are 3? I am getting more and more upset realizing i maybe replaced a alt and bat for no reason. But at least once it gets fixed i will have a new bat and alt.
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squanchy26
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So i jumped it. Tested at the battery it tested 6.75V! Tested alternator, same voltage! Car is now up on ramps and i am about to check ground wires. Had the wife wish me luck!
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squanchy26
New Member
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Wondering how i test the ground on the alternator. Can i pull the plug and ohm it to see if there is resistance in the line? not sure which setting i should be using. But the plug on the lower end of the exhaust manifold is that the ground for the alternator, if it is how do i remove it?
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snowfish
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Basic GearHead

The alternator is grounded through the housing mounting brackets.

Only plug on the exhaust manifold should be the O2 sensor.

The largest "gang" ground is hiding on the back of the throttle body.
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squanchy26
New Member
[ *  * ]
i dont know if this is a problem but my battery fuse is not blown but the sides of the metal piece inside is noticeably corroded. I ohmed my negative terminal disconnected from the battery and the other side of that cable mounted on the motor and it gave me around 60 ohms. Alternator big wire to the other end of it on the fuse box at battery fuse was like 23 ohms. Are those problems?? If the alternator is grounded through the housing mounts if those are dirty could that be causing the problem?
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Jezza
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Boost Junkie

Watch this:



Problem solved
Edited by Jezza, Jun 13 2011, 04:05 PM.
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squanchy26
New Member
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Now my meter is saying that the ohms between both of those cables are around 1.7 ...... maybe i had it on the wrong setting but i dont see how. So my grounds look good and ohm good. Fuse ohmed at 2. Tested against another 60A fuse testing at 1.8 i would think that would be ok.... Totally lost...
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cgem
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Elite Member
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1. Get the car running and check (as said) at the battery for 14volts give or take a little. I check mine at cigarette
lighter. (same thing)
2. If 14v is present, do the video check for a battery drain.
3. If both check out ok, its possible you may have a bad battery. I know your battery is new, but I have
seen more than once a brand new battery that is defective, even tho it shows good on the tester at the auto
parts store. Forget the ohms test for now, corroded things act only as a resistor and normally will not
draw down. If you do have a corroded wire, you will not get 14v at the battery posts, when running.
Hang in there, these probs can sometimes be difficult to pin down for everyone.
Edited by cgem, Jun 13 2011, 08:21 PM.
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dayle1960
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Fastest Hampster EVER

Start your car. Take your DVOM or ohm gauge and place the black wire on the negative battery lead and place the red wire on the positive battery lead. If you read 14+ volts while the car is running, then the alternator is good. If you get anything less than 14 volts then your alternator is bad or going bad.

Sorry to sound harsh, but stop trying to find this, that, and something else wrong with your car. Get the easy testing out of the way first. Go and do what I instructed and report back with results you have written down.

Remember, do the easy testing first. Then we will guide you through the harder testing things.

Alright, get ready, get set, now go and test.............
Edited by dayle1960, Jun 13 2011, 09:21 PM.
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