BAttery going dead
Thread Starter
|
Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 242
Likes: 2
BAttery going dead
I have a 2006 F350 that has a battery drain. It takes 4 or 5 days before its dead. I know the volt meter between the neg and battery post will not work, and when I tried the amp draw trick, it showed no amps. The volt meter I have is a high dollar Fluke, model # P5-600 that most all commercial electricians use. Maybe it doesn't do amps small enough to register.I know it goes up to 1000 amps but not sure how low. Any other ideas before I go to the stealer for repair?
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 2,333
Likes: 35
From: South Carolina
The Fluke you have does not measure DC current according to the specs I read.
You want a meter that reads DC current in the milliamp range, since you are losing a few hundred millamps an hour to deplete the battery over 5 days.
Look at this one, or one similar that measures DC current.
RadioShack 15-Range Digital Multimeter : Multimeters | RadioShack.com
You want a meter that reads DC current in the milliamp range, since you are losing a few hundred millamps an hour to deplete the battery over 5 days.
Look at this one, or one similar that measures DC current.
RadioShack 15-Range Digital Multimeter : Multimeters | RadioShack.com
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 780
Likes: 0
Just because you have a high dollar meter doesn't mean that it will be the best meter for your task. In any case, it should be able to read the voltage directly across the two battery terminals. Check it with the engine NOT running, and again with the engine running. Depending on the state of charge on your battery, you should read between 11.5 and about 12.5 when the engine is not running. You should read about 14.1 to 14.6 with the engine running. DO THIS FIRST. When we know those readings, then we can start looking for possible battery drain problems.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,022
Likes: 4
From: Redford, Mi.
I have a 2006 F350 that has a battery drain. It takes 4 or 5 days before its dead. I know the volt meter between the neg and battery post will not work, and when I tried the amp draw trick, it showed no amps. The volt meter I have is a high dollar Fluke, model # P5-600 that most all commercial electricians use. Maybe it doesn't do amps small enough to register.I know it goes up to 1000 amps but not sure how low. Any other ideas before I go to the stealer for repair?
Posting Guru
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,066
Likes: 4
From: Rogue River, Oregon
+1 on this. My wife's 08 Fusion battery recently went dead overnite and although a little time on the battery charger brought it back enough to start it, I looked and it was the original battery. It's also winter. So when she took it to the local O'Reilly for a test and they told her it tested fine, I thought not. I bought a new battery and we haven't had a bit of trouble since. Some batteries may test "good enough" but in reality any battery that's 4 or 5 years old and goes dead for no good reason is probably due for replacement.
Thread Starter
|
Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 242
Likes: 2
Taking battery to have it tested tomorrow. Bought it new in Sept. Charged it up to 100% and it should have 1035 cca . At 13 volts , my meter said 801cca and to replace. And yes I took off neg cable and today used a meter that will read DC amps. Found no drain is what pointed me towards battery.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
