Battery recharge problem or maybe just a crappy battery?

[Zooted]

ok so every time i wanna dirve my 240 i have to charge the battery before i leave the house and i only get a few starts out of it before the battery dies again. I tested the alternator at discount auto parts and it failed EVERY test so i bought a brand new one. Nothing has changed at all tho. next i decided to check the draw on the battery when the car is off so i fully charged it, got out the multimeter , and theres only a .06 amp draw so that cant be it. im thinking the battery just isnt being recharged through some strange wiring problem but could it be that its just a crappy economy battery thats the problem? this sucks, i just wanna drive my 240 daily and i cant because of this huge problem with probably a pretty easy fix.

any help is appreciated

btw its an s13 sr with a battery relocation to the hatch if that matters at all.

[badbob2121]

have you gotten that battery tested? how old is the battery?

starting/ignition problems suck

[Mercury_Hg]

What gauge wire are you using? Check the voltage of the battery with the car running and off. It should be ~14 volts running and ~12 volts off if I remember right.

[Zooted]

the battery is about a year and half old. I even took it up to where i bought it not too long ago and they trickle charged it overnight. when i came back they tested it and said it was putting out perfect numbers.

i did have a problem with my ignition when i bought the car. after the swap i noticed id have to turn the key like 20 times to get it to start but it was because someone once had a crappy alarm system in there and tapped into the main ignition power. i ripped out the alarm system box and soldered the main wire back to only itself.

could it be the starter selenoid is going out and requires massive amounts of power to work so it soaks all the jucie out of my batt whenever i start the car?

[Zooted]

What gauge wire are you using? Check the voltage of the battery with the car running and off. It should be ~14 volts running and ~12 volts off if I remember right.

2 gauge

[Mercury_Hg]

Should be fine.

I would test the battery cold, after driving, just to make sure it's taking a charge.

[Zooted]

ok, im not home right now but when i get home ill let it run for a bit and then turn it off and test it. what am i looking for when i turn it off? just the 12v?

[Mercury_Hg]

ok, im not home right now but when i get home ill let it run for a bit and then turn it off and test it. what am i looking for when i turn it off? just the 12v?

Yeah. I'd drive it normally, then let the car sit for a couple hours. Check the voltage using a multimeter, use the lead side on the positive terminal and ground side on the negative terminal. Voltage should be >12 volts. If it's lower (11), your battery's probably junk. I'm assuming you don't have a power leak somewhere, but you might want to check the current draw directly after turning the car off. If you check it after the battery's already been run down, it'll be low, naturally.

If it's fine (>12 volts), then start the car up and check it again. This time it should be >14 volts. If not, there's something wrong with your charging system (alternator or wires).

So do this:
1. Drive car normally.
2. Turn off car.
3. Recheck current in series.
Is there a high draw? If yes, this is your problem. Find the leeching electrical component. You can do this by pulling fuses one at a time and checking again.
If no, continue to 4.
4. Wait a few hours.
5. Check voltage in parallel.
Is it less than 12? If yes, your battery might be gabbage.
Continue to 6 either way.
6. Start car.
7. Check voltage in parallel.
Is it less than 14? If yes, check your alternator (even if you replaced it), check your wire connections, check your grounds. Your battery might not be bad in this case.
Otherwise, if step 5 was bad, replace your battery.

[Zooted]

so i wasnt able to check for a draw because my friend is borrowing my good multimeter but i did have a small one to check the voltage. iv checked for a draw multiple time after turning off the car and its always less than a tenth of an amp.

before driving with battery fully charged - 12.35v
while the car is on- 13.5
right after i turned off the car- 12.5v

voltage never went over 14 so i have no idea what to do next.

also the power and ground on the alt arent loose at all.

[Mercury_Hg]

Check out this thread:
http://www.240sxforums.com/forums/sr20d ... ttery.html
Follow the directions on the last post.

The wires might not seem loose but there could still be a problem.

EDIT: Also is it a new alternator, or remanufactured unit?
EDIT2: Check your alternator fuse.

[alms24sebring]

Weird, seems like everything is ok. I would guess that something like loose wiring could be the culprate, or maybe a dying battery internally. :

[OutToWinPAHC]

A few corrections.... wire gauge is not relevant unless you know the wire type aka the breakdown temp of the insulation 60c 75c 90c 105c or even higher. Check with NEC article 310.16 for clarification.

Charge battery and have it load tested. If you have access to a Alber or midtronics test use that too.

Then check this. batteries-101-t451219.html?hilit=batter ... p#p5084909

[SilviablhS14]

I would also do a resistance check on the ground and positive cables to make sure that there is now high resistance in the cables. Also check the route of the positive cable and make sure that there is no kinks or spots where the insulation has rubbed off or been removed.

[wa-chiss]

a parasitic draw should be no more than .05 amps, or 50 milliamps. Aftermarket radios and alarms are common factors. Redo the draw test and start pulling fuses to pinpoint the circuit at fault.