Wiring / electrical topic

sam z

sam z

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After leaving the car sit for a few days, you guessed it, dead battery.
If you are interested or believe you can help by all means keep reading:

This is what I have done:
1. -Yesterday: Battery dead. Jump start car with wife's Honda. Drive around a little bit and did some internet research in order to trouble shoot.
-Charged the battery for roughly 4/5 hours. Needle gets into "charged" range but not much more. Unplug for the night.

2. - Today: (Battery has been disconnected since last night).
-Returned from work and ran some tests with voltmeter. Results say in the range of "Replace Battery".
-Ran a test to see if there was some sort of draw with the voltmeter. Needle didn't move during the test.
-Took to auto store. Their machine states , "replace battery, alternator good, passed on the test to see if there was a draw."

My point is this: Should I be skeptical of this test they ran? The car is so damn old I'm sweating a draw from some location in the car. Only thing that would indicate no draw (besides the tests that were done) is that I don't appear to have any electrical equipment malfunctioning.

Thoughts? Thanks in advance...
 
It does sound like the battery.

Unlike the newer cars, there really isn't a lot of things for parasitic draws on the battery... Things pretty much work or don't work. If something is drawing power with the key off, its usually smoking too.

Do a voltage test with the engine running to check the charging system. It should be right around 14 volts running. Turn on the headlights and check it again.

http://69roadrunner.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=473
 
how old is your battery? usually 5 years is the life for one. If yours is goig dead, without being hooked up, and you had it tested, and it failed, then time for a new one.
 
while the engine is running disconnect the ground battery cable ...if it stays running the charging system is good and like big john said test the system with a volt meter...should be around 13.5 to 14 volts...if the battery is 4 to 5 years old its all done....should be a date tag on the battery itself...another trick is to pull the coil wire...pop all the battery caps and have someone crank it over....look inside each cell and if one of those cells is bubbling you have a bad cell which means the battery is junk...if you think you have a draw while the car is shut off take off one of the battery cables and just touch the post with the cable and if it sparks alittle you might have a draw.......let us know how you make out
 
Just be real careful around the dead battery (or any battery). As a lead-acid battery discharges, it gives off an explosive hydrogen gas. It can collect around the top of the battery. A spark can set it off.

I've seen batteries explode from hooking up jumper cables. :eek: It ain't pretty.
 
George,
I have never had a spark when connecting the cables as you have described.

Thanks for all of the input. It is leaning more and more to be a bad battery over anything
else based on the conversation here and the tests that have been performed.

All of the alternator tests have been in range by the way.
 
sam z said:
George,
I have never had a spark when connecting the cables as you have described.

Thanks for all of the input. It is leaning more and more to be a bad battery over anything
else based on the conversation here and the tests that have been performed.

All of the alternator tests have been in range by the way.
Click to expand...

when you buy the new battery have them test the old one to see if there are any bad cells just for hahas
 
Is there any corrosion? A little corosion will cause a hard or no start but will spin up sometimes with a jump.
 
No corrosion, and I would gather that is the case from being kept
indoors most of its life and not seeing much use in the last
several years.
 
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