battry drain
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Senior User
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battry drain
the battery on my 74 f100 likes to die over night..... some times. checking for a parasitic drain with the multimeter set to 200ma it reads 138.9 is this the drain im looking for. one of my friends say that s way to much drain and the other says its not that much. what do you guys think?
MSEE
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,386
Likes: 35
From: Austin, TX
You need to provide more information.
1) How are you checking the current draw? Are the meter leads configured for an ammeter? Where are they placed? Are all other loads (dome light, etc) cut off? If so, then yes, 140 mA is twice the limit.
2) What does "battery likes to die" mean, specifically? Are you saying the truck is slow to turn over? What do you to remedy the problem? Does it start on its own, or do you have to stick the battery on a charger?
Please state all details clearly such that I have to ask zero questions.
1) How are you checking the current draw? Are the meter leads configured for an ammeter? Where are they placed? Are all other loads (dome light, etc) cut off? If so, then yes, 140 mA is twice the limit.
2) What does "battery likes to die" mean, specifically? Are you saying the truck is slow to turn over? What do you to remedy the problem? Does it start on its own, or do you have to stick the battery on a charger?
Please state all details clearly such that I have to ask zero questions.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 654
Likes: 2
From: The Lone Star State
How old is your battery?
If you disconnect your battery for over night, will it start up when you reconnect in the morning?
I don't think there should be any electronics (maybe a newer radio or alarm system) that would draw any current when the key is off.
You can take your battery into the auto parts and they'll test it for free. If your battery checks out okay and you know your charger is charging then you can start by isolating circuits one at a time.
Here's a nice video on the subject.
If you disconnect your battery for over night, will it start up when you reconnect in the morning?
I don't think there should be any electronics (maybe a newer radio or alarm system) that would draw any current when the key is off.
You can take your battery into the auto parts and they'll test it for free. If your battery checks out okay and you know your charger is charging then you can start by isolating circuits one at a time.
Here's a nice video on the subject.
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Battery likes to die meaning it will go dead over night to the point where it won't even be able to make the solenoid click let alone turn over the motor. I'm testing it by setting my multimeater to 200 mA disconnecting the battery put one of the leads of my multimeater on the positive side of the batary and the other lead to the batary cable to see how much power is getting drawn from the batary the batary is a few years old three at max
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Senior User
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You need to provide more information.
1) How are you checking the current draw? Are the meter leads configured for an ammeter? Where are they placed? Are all other loads (dome light, etc) cut off? If so, then yes, 140 mA is twice the limit.
2) What does "battery likes to die" mean, specifically? Are you saying the truck is slow to turn over? What do you to remedy the problem? Does it start on its own, or do you have to stick the battery on a charger?
Please state all details clearly such that I have to ask zero questions.
1) How are you checking the current draw? Are the meter leads configured for an ammeter? Where are they placed? Are all other loads (dome light, etc) cut off? If so, then yes, 140 mA is twice the limit.
2) What does "battery likes to die" mean, specifically? Are you saying the truck is slow to turn over? What do you to remedy the problem? Does it start on its own, or do you have to stick the battery on a charger?
Please state all details clearly such that I have to ask zero questions.
MSEE
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,386
Likes: 35
From: Austin, TX
I'm testing it by setting my multimeater to 200 mA disconnecting the battery put one of the leads of my multimeater on the positive side of the batary and the other lead to the batary cable to see how much power is getting drawn from the batary the batary is a few years old three at max
Other than that, the procedure you described is practical. However, you can safely repeat it with the negative cable next time.
Are you saying the 140 mA draw goes away with the CD player disconnected? That's a little high, but either way, that won't kill a battery overnight. I agree with everyone else on the thread: either the alternator or regulator are draining the battery, or the battery is bad. The alternator/regulator drain would show up on the meter, but if it's intermittent (which it sounds like it is), maybe it's happening when you're not looking.
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Folks, never disconnect the positive battery cable while the negative battery is still connected. Always disconnect negative first and reconnect it last.
Other than that, the procedure you described is practical. However, you can safely repeat it with the negative cable next time.
Are you saying the 140 mA draw goes away with the CD player disconnected? That's a little high, but either way, that won't kill a battery overnight. I agree with everyone else on the thread: either the alternator or regulator are draining the battery, or the battery is bad. The alternator/regulator drain would show up on the meter, but if it's intermittent (which it sounds like it is), maybe it's happening when you're not looking.
Other than that, the procedure you described is practical. However, you can safely repeat it with the negative cable next time.
Are you saying the 140 mA draw goes away with the CD player disconnected? That's a little high, but either way, that won't kill a battery overnight. I agree with everyone else on the thread: either the alternator or regulator are draining the battery, or the battery is bad. The alternator/regulator drain would show up on the meter, but if it's intermittent (which it sounds like it is), maybe it's happening when you're not looking.
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I had a similar issue with my truck for a long time and what finally solved it I discovered by accident. A 200ma load isn't very much, a good truck battery should be able to drive that for a week and still have enough juice to start the engine. I say this because the average battery is more than 50 amp hours which means it can supply 50 amps for 1 hour. 50 divided by .2 = 250 hours at 200ma or about 10 days before the battery is drained.
My problem was also intermittent, the only thing I could think of was that sometimes the alternator would land just right and drain the battery. Replacing the alternator didn't solve the problem. On my third battery on a whim I stuck the plastic tray it came with on the top to protect the terminals under the battery. This insulated the battery from the grounded metal battery tray. After that the problem just stopped. I figured out with dumb luck that the battery was discharging through the housing of the battery through the metal tray to the frame of the truck. Not saying this is your problem but it might be.
My problem was also intermittent, the only thing I could think of was that sometimes the alternator would land just right and drain the battery. Replacing the alternator didn't solve the problem. On my third battery on a whim I stuck the plastic tray it came with on the top to protect the terminals under the battery. This insulated the battery from the grounded metal battery tray. After that the problem just stopped. I figured out with dumb luck that the battery was discharging through the housing of the battery through the metal tray to the frame of the truck. Not saying this is your problem but it might be.
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