battery wont stay charged.......

[bracktheron720]

Hey guys..iv been havin this problem for a while now..but if i dont start and let my truck run for a while at least every day the battery goes dead...its really a pain in the a** when i go out and try to start it and it turns over three times and stops....the battery is less than a year old and the Alternator is maybe 2 years if that...I know the Alts putin out power because i can take the battery cable off while its runnin and it dosent die..so how the heck do i figure out whats drainin the battery ???????Any help would be great!!!

[86 720]

Are you sure it is the battery, and not the starter?

I was having the same problem, would go for a drive to the store, would come back and the truck would either not turn over(no clicks either) or barely turn over. Would take it to the parts store to have the battery charged, than have them test the whole system. Would happen even though I had a new alterantor and battery.

I would remove the starter and take it in to have it tested 4-6 times. The in-car tests usually is false as all components will show as passed.

[bracktheron720]

i thought that at first and had the starter tested and they said it was ok...but your not the first person to tell me that...so im gunna yank it out real quick in the morning and have them test it a couple times..any more input would b helpful.. thanks 86!

[captainzeros]

How long has it been doing it? Do any electrical work lately? A stereo or amp installed poorly can cause some pretty significant battery drain like that, sounds like something might be shorting out somewhere to me potentially.

Edit: if it is a random short in the harness somewhere, good luck finding it. I have an old ambulance with miles of crazy wiring in it, and I use a battery disconnect switch and remember to turn it off after I drive it every single time, otherwise it drains overnight just like you're describing. With the disconnect flipped, it'll last months.

[86 720]

i thought that at first and had the starter tested and they said it was ok...but your not the first person to tell me that...so im gunna yank it out real quick in the morning and have them test it a couple times..any more input would b helpful.. thanks 86!

Starters overheat and when they do they have very similar symptoms to a dead battery which makes you think it's the battery and alternator.

Uninstall it and take it in to have it tested. I've had way to many systems tested in the car and they have all passed only to fail again 20 minutes later down the road. I've learned not to trust their hand testers they bring to the parking lot.

Also make sure to have them tested at LEAST 5 times. I've also had starters/alternators pass 3 times, than re-installed at home only to fail again.

[bracktheron720]

the more i think about this dam thing the more i come up with...lol im sure my starter could b replaiced its old and has a small crack in the solenoid i noticed last time i was lookin at it it probably wouldnt hurt...but im sure the battery is draining bcuz its not that it just wont start its dead no lights no stereo nuthin.....iv been told i can check for electrical leaks at the fuse box with a multimeter and check for sumthin taking power... now i have one of those but i dont really know how to use it other than to find a hot wire.....lol any thoughts on that????When i get my licence back i want this to be my DD but i gotta get this figured out first.....

[Rev_D21]

Remove the negative cable from the battery. Set up a test light between the cable and the (-) lug. Make the sure test light is visible from inside the truck. Start pulling fuses one at a time till you get the light to go out. Once the the light goes out you now know what circuit was drawing down the battery. then it's just a matter of checking all the things that run on that particular circuit.

[bracktheron720]

So...if the light doesnt come on at all would that mean im not drawing power??and im assuming do this with the key off..

[noface]

yes, and yes

or you can use a multimeter set on amps to do the same thing. Set up the leads on mm to read amps (10a setting usually). Neg lead to chassis, and red lead to battery post. If you have a reading... it's flowing current. Then do as said above.

[MetalFab]

Remove the negative cable from the battery. Set up a test light between the cable and the (-) lug. Make the sure test light is visible from inside the truck. Start pulling fuses one at a time till you get the light to go out. Once the the light goes out you now know what circuit was drawing down the battery. then it's just a matter of checking all the things that run on that particular circuit.

yes, and yes or you can use a multimeter set on amps to do the same thing. Set up the leads on mm to read amps (10a setting usually). Neg lead to chassis, and red lead to battery post. If you have a reading... it's flowing current. Then do as said above.

Epic advice guys! I hate anything to do with electrical systems, and I have a short somewhere in another truck of mine and have just installed a battery disconnect at the battery. It's just a ranch truck so it's not too much of a hassle on the days I actually use it. But the fact is I've been lazy, and honestly didn't think it would be as easy as stated above to chase down a wiring issue (and isn't at all on the newer cars, locating which fuse only digs you further into a nightmare in those)

I'm loving the info, some of the KA buildups has me planning for when my newly aquired motor goes south with the first one. Thanks!

[bracktheron720]

Epic is the perfect word metalfab!!So i went out to start checkin fuses and my multimeter was bein really wierd...so i opened it up and the dam thing was all burned up!!sumbody was messin with it and didnt know what they hell they were doing...i will find them.....lol...so i started thinkin and i remembered i used to have these two little led accent lights in my fire bird and i yanked them out when i sold the car..so after an hour digging through drawers and boxes and shelfs i found them!!one had enough wire in it to connect to the negetive post and wire and run rite under the dash were i was working!!!!statred pullin fuses and nuthing....just stayed lit up...third one from the last one i pulled it ALMOST shut the light completly off!!its the dome light/tail light fuse...???but it still stays on a little way dimmer than when i have the dome light fuse in but still lit up so theres sumthing else drawing power but i cant find it....any more ideas??and any ideas on how to start chasing the leak now that i have an idea where it is???

[captainzeros]

That's why I own a really nice multimeter, and a $3 harbor freight meter (which I actually got for free on a "buy anything, receive a multimeter!" deal).

If I need to work on something, I use my good one. If I need to work on something really sketchy, or loan one to a friend who may or may not know what they're doing, they get the disposable one

[Aven]

Bracktheron, under the passenger seat next there are two boxes. The smaller of the two is the timer for the dome light. It might be part of your electrical issues.