hey guys need some help.
I have noticed that if I leave my battery hooked up over a couple nights that it drains. The battery is good. How can I find the short? Suggestions please.

After a carb cleaning, new timing chain and some timing the truck is running very good.

Thanks

Chris
Ste Gen, MO

 

take the positive battery cable off and hook a test light between the cable and battery terminal

if the light goes on youve got a draw

pull fuses til the light goes out and start there

note make sure doors are closed and hood light is off when checking the test light

 

There is an obvious short circuit in your electrical system.
It could be that you are not closing your doors all the way,leaving a light on.
Make sure all your lights are off...

 

You can also pull one fuse at a time and test across the two terminals at the fuse block itself.

 

Another part could be the alternator itself. It could have an internal short allowing the battery to drain if parked for any length of time. It will still charge when running but the battery will go dead after its parked for a while.

 

I read something about parisitic drain, Does this apply to our trucks?

Once it stops raining I will start with the formentioned suggestions to run down the short.
Thanks

Chris

 

I would say that any unwanted drain would be a "parasitic" drain... unless this has another strictly automotive meaning I am unaware of. What were you reading that made mention to this?

 

Parastatic drain is anything that unessacarily draws the battery down while the engine is off.

The above two methods are very good for determining the location of the draw. Test light and pull fuses or pull fuses and test for power.

Josh

 

Had a similar problem in Mustang--turned out to be a bad regulator. Something else to check. Dan

 

Hey Bullitt do you have any more info on that "Parastatic drain" never heard of it and I like to fancy myself knowledgeable when it comes to electrical theory and such.

As far as a "Parasitic drain" well... that would and could be anything wouldn't you say? Sorry maybe I am the only one that finds it funny Parastatic-Parasitic, HAHAHA

 

It just means the battery is being drained without you "wanting" it to. I hardly ever hear the word used much.

If you intentionally leave a light on or leave the stereo on or whatever with the engine off, you are draining the battery, but it isn't parastatic drain, you are KNOWINGLY draining the battery.

Whereas, in this case, something is draining the battery that shouldn't be. It could be as simple as a dome light to a mystery like the diodes in the alternator.

So, to find the circuit that is causing the drain you have to do a process of elimination regarding the fuses. If you get thru the fuses and still do not find the problem you move on to the alternator and regulator. Not to mention possibly the ignition switch staying "ACC".

Josh

 

Ok It stopped rainin a little bit and I disconnected the positive side of the battery. I then connected my multimeter bewteen the battery terminal and the post. No key was on and it showed a 12v. Was I doing this correctly.
It should be showing nothing because the flow to the solenoid was stopped there...

let me know if im correct. I despise electrical issues.

If anyone wants to come by and chase this problem for me in trade of some pinstriping and a bbq meal let me know LOL..

 

anonther thing... Parisitic Drain... hellof a band name... or some new STD

 

OldSkewl - this is incorrect. You had your meter set to volts; it won't work that way. You'd need to set your multimeter to amps (which often requires you reconfigure the leads as well) because you're placing it in series with the load. Make sure you don't have the doors open, or anything else that would turn a dome light on or some other load. Many commercial multimeters are internally fused at 10 amps (or less), so normally you'd only place the multimeter in series (as an ammeter, set to amps) when you expect the current draw to be low. Never do this otherwise. This test will tell you how much current is being drawn from the battery, and pulling fuses until the current drops to zero (assuming you don't have a stereo with memory) will pinpoint the circuit. To be honest, this test is easier to do with a test light. I'd recommend that instead of the multimeter method, given that you (by your own statement) are not versed in electrical troubleshooting.

"Parasitic" refers to anything that is present in a system undesirably. "Drain" in this context refers to current out of a battery. "Parasitic drain" refers to current drawn from a battery undesirably.

 

Had the same problem a while back. The solenoid was shorting out.