battery help
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battery help
All of the sudden my battery started going dead when the truck sets for a while. I charge the battery and it starts fine, but when I shut it off for a while and then try to restart, it's dead. I pulled the neg. bat. cable and put my voltmeter (I don't have a test light) between the cable and neg. post and got 12.5 volts. I then pulled all of the fuses and still have 12.5 volts. Is this normal? If not what could it be and what should I do next? Thanks.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2000
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From: SD
What vehicle is this?
No this is not normal, you have a electrical draw that is draining the battery. You are testing it correctly. As you were pulling the fuses, did you have the doors closed when testing? -if not, the dome light was on. Also disconnect the alternator, radio, headlight switch and starter solinoid. Hopefully one of these will chage your reading. Let us know what you find.
Marty
No this is not normal, you have a electrical draw that is draining the battery. You are testing it correctly. As you were pulling the fuses, did you have the doors closed when testing? -if not, the dome light was on. Also disconnect the alternator, radio, headlight switch and starter solinoid. Hopefully one of these will chage your reading. Let us know what you find.
Marty
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From: Virginia
I pulled the neg. bat. cable and put my voltmeter (I don't have a test light) between the cable and neg. post and got 12.5 volts.
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Sorry. It's an 89 f-150 4X4 with a 300. I went and bought a test light and did the test. The light was on with all of the fuses out. Then, thanks to the post above, I figured out that the hood light was causing it. Once I shut the hood to where the hood light would go off, the test light went off. I then started reinstalling fuses and when I got to the number 8 fuse (courtesy, dome, cargo lamp, warning buzzer and radio) I found out this was the problem. Then for no apperant reason, it started working again (not making the light come on). So I guess there is an intermittant problem with either one of these things or the wiring. All of the things that this fuse feeds seem to be working with the exception of the warning chime, which doesn't seem as loud as it used to be. Could this be the problem? If so, does anyone know where it is located on this truck?
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From: Virginia
Make sure you always shut the door before doing your test. And if you have a courtesy light for the glove box, it could be the door is not hitting the switch sometimes. Also make sure your door switches are in good shape. I don't know if your truck has the little pin switches in the door jamb, or if it has the ones made into the door latches.
