[HALFWAY]

I think I have an issue with my battery either not charging or something is draining the power. If it sits a few days it doesn't want to crank as expected from a fully charged battery.

64 Lemans, 326, manual trans, add on a/c from vintage air and a satellite radio 2003 vintage.

New battery and when the car is running, the voltage at the battery terminals is 14.5 volts. Not running 12.8 volts. Haven't run the a/c since the new battery but have the radio.

I looked to make sure the light in the console was off when the lid is closed, no other lights are on inside or out.

I am going to disconnect the satellite radio from power to see if that is the issue.

Anything else you gurus think I should check? I have a meter to measure volts, ohms etc.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by HALFWAY

I think I have an issue with my battery either not charging or something is draining the power. If it sits a few days it doesn't want to crank as expected from a fully charged battery.

64 Lemans, 326, manual trans, add on a/c from vintage air and a satellite radio 2003 vintage.

New battery and when the car is running, the voltage at the battery terminals is 14.5 volts. Not running 12.8 volts. Haven't run the a/c since the new battery but have the radio.

I looked to make sure the light in the console was off when the lid is closed, no other lights are on inside or out.

I am going to disconnect the satellite radio from power to see if that is the issue.

Anything else you gurus think I should check? I have a meter to measure volts, ohms etc.

Simple battery drain test on an old car like this. Disconnect negative cable. hook a test light between the negative cable end and the battery post. Look closely at the test light. If it visibly lights, you have a big drain. If it just glows a little, you still have a substantial drain. you should see nothing. If it glows or lights then you need to find the circuit. Remove fuses, one at a time and retest after each one. Remember to close the door after each fuse is pulled to test each circuit. Having anything in the lighter socket when the car is not in use is a likely cause of your issue. Good luck,

[tjs72lemans]

About three weeks ago, with my car cover on, I could see light from my dash. I pulled cover and there was a light shining through the defrost vent by windshield. I traced it to the glove box. The new glove box light switch plunger was pushing to the side as the glove box closed. There was not much stability to the plunger, so I used a washer I slid over the top of the plunger switch and double stuck it to the base of switch to stabilize as it got pushed. It pushes straight in now as the glove box door is closed. Just a thought. Luckily, I keep a battery maintainer on, or I would've had a dead battery.

[HALFWAY]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Simple battery drain test on an old car like this. Disconnect negative cable. hook a test light between the negative cable end and the battery post. Look closely at the test light. If it visibly lights, you have a big drain. If it just glows a little, you still have a substantial drain. you should see nothing. If it glows or lights then you need to find the circuit. Remove fuses, one at a time and retest after each one. Remember to close the door after each fuse is pulled to test each circuit. Having anything in the lighter socket when the car is not in use is a likely cause of your issue. Good luck,

Thanks for the info, I will try that. Concerning the lighter socket, even the lighter itself?

Had to get a couple jumps before the new battery, the old one was close to 5 years old, the problem just popped up a week or so ago.

[HALFWAY]

Originally Posted by tjs72lemans

About three weeks ago, with my car cover on, I could see light from my dash. I pulled cover and there was a light shining through the defrost vent by windshield. I traced it to the glove box. The new glove box light switch plunger was pushing to the side as the glove box closed. There was not much stability to the plunger, so I used a washer I slid over the top of the plunger switch and double stuck it to the base of switch to stabilize as it got pushed. It pushes straight in now as the glove box door is closed. Just a thought. Luckily, I keep a battery maintainer on, or I would've had a dead battery.

It's about getting dark enough here that I am going into the garage with overhead lights off to see if there is something I missed as far as lights on.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by HALFWAY

Thanks for the info, I will try that. Concerning the lighter socket, even the lighter itself?

Had to get a couple jumps before the new battery, the old one was close to 5 years old, the problem just popped up a week or so ago.

No problem with the lighter itself in the socket, not pushed-in of course. I thought you had said you had some type of charger or something else plugged in there all the time. The lighter is "hot all the time". So you don't want anything pushed in and able to operate like a phone charger even if the phone is unplugged. I guess I was confused and assumed your satellite radio power was coming from your lighter socket.

[dataway]

If you find no drain, then disconnect a battery cable ... fully charge the battery, and record the voltage at the terminals every day and see how far it drops by itself.

[HALFWAY]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

No problem with the lighter itself in the socket, not pushed-in of course. I thought you had said you had some type of charger or something else plugged in there all the time. The lighter is "hot all the time". So you don't want anything pushed in and able to operate like a phone charger even if the phone is unplugged. I guess I was confused and assumed your satellite radio power was coming from your lighter socket.

The satellite radio is powered from the fuse box.

[HALFWAY]

Tried the test light trick and couldn't see anything.

With radio power disconnected overnight the voltage is still at 12.8 v. Cables to battery still attached.

Reconnected the power to the radio this morning and will see if the voltage drops.

Since I disconnected the ground from the battery to test I also took off the positive cable then reattached both as that was the last thing electrical on the car I touched. Terminals are clean and corrosion free. Checked the ground to block and any other connections in that general area that might have been loosened or not tight, couldn't find any that needed attention.

Previous to the battery I changed out the high pressure power steering hose that was leaking at the one of the crimps.

[mgarblik]

If you want to get more detailed, you can repeat the same test light test with your DVOM. Set up your meter for high amps. Probably 10 amps. With everything off, you should see near zero amps in an old car. Up to 50 milliamps is OK. Old cars are usually under 20. Good luck.

[punkin]

This is a great plan of attack. I would also suggest, lift all the fuses on one side (assuming you're still using glass fuses). With the battery still connected, put the ammeter across the lifted end of the fuse and the fuse clip and find the circuit pulling current. When you put the meter in between the fuse and clip, the meter will complete the circuit and show current where there is a draw.

[Bill Hanlon]

Most digital (or analog) hand held meters are limited to 10 amp max. They have an internal fuse that will blow if you measure anything more than that. Some have obviously replaceable fuses, but some are just a small strand of wire soldered onto the internal circuit board.

I have an old under dash 30-0-30 ammeter with 3' long wires terminated with alligator clips that I use when trouble shooting problems like the one in this thread. I use it first like the tests mentioned above to make sure there is not high amperage flowing in the circuit being tested. If the ammeter needle shows less than 10 amps, then I know it is same to measure with the DVM.

[mgarblik]

I have a Fluke DVOM. (expensive, quality meter) Since I am cheap and DO make mistakes, I immediately cut the meter lead of my new meter and installed a blade fuse holder. Soldered and heat shrinked the connections and installed a 7.5 Amp blade fuse. Now I have double protection in case of high amperage or my general stupidity. It is rare to have a battery drain over 1-2 amps. If you do your battery will be dead every day or less. But the extra layer of safety for your meter never hurts. I worked my entire career as a mechanic with a Radio Shack digital DVOM. Still have it. As a retirement gift, I received a Fluke 88. It's a wonderful tool. But the cheap Radio Shack meter fixed hundreds and hundreds of cars. The min/max feature and record function on the Fluke are fantastic.

[Bill Hanlon]

Now that is a great idea!!!

[HALFWAY]

After letting the car sit for a few days with everything connected the battery still shows 12.8 volts. So maybe there is no drain occurring that I can tell.

Just seems when first cranking the motor over on the initial try acts like not enough charge in the battery.

Next step is to have the new battery checked for the cranking amps, maybe I got a bad new battery .

[HALFWAY]

I am still experiencing my battery problem.

Had the battery tested, checks out good.

Found the alternator was bad and replaced it, now have 14.8v across the battery terminals. Car starts right up so I thought I found the problem.

Yesterday I drove it to go golfing and it sat in the parking lot for around 5 hours. Started right up and I drove it maybe 10 miles. Stopped to get gas and it cranked very slowly to the point I had to get a jump.

This morning I tested for any draw by disconnecting the ground cable and using a digital volt meter set to amps and absolutely 0 amps registering.

I am stumped.

[Bill Hanlon]

Given your statement "Yesterday I drove it to go golfing and it sat in the parking lot for around 5 hours. Started right up and I drove it maybe 10 miles. Stopped to get gas and it cranked very slowly to the point I had to get a jump." you don't have a minor current draw problem. Not enough time passed while filling with gas.

If a jump start ALWAYS gets it going the problem is either the battery or the cables where they hook to the battery.

Next time you get it starting good, turn it off, pull the coil wire so the engine won't start, hold your voltmeter leads to the battery posts (not the battery cables) and record the voltage while someone else cranks the starter. Put everything back together and wait for a failure. When the failure occurs do the test again and compare voltage readings.

You could do the same kind of tests, but move the meter's negative probe to the lug on the solenoid that connects to the starter motor.

[HALFWAY]

Thanks, I will try your suggestion. I currently have the battery on a charge. I am going let it charge for a couple days, run the test then leave it off the charger and start it daily. Let it run for awhile and if/when it starts cranking slowly, run the test again.

[Keith Seymore]

Following along (since I am currently having the same problem with my truck).

This might be exactly what Bill is suggestiong - but -

Could it be 'not a battery problem' but a cranking problem? ie - bad ignition switch or wiring?

I chased a hard crank in my Chevelle for a couple years, including adding dual batteries in the truck, before I realized it wasn't the battery(s) at all but the ignition circuit. I added a bump switch jumpered directly to the starter to crank, turn the key to the "on" position and it fires every time.

K

[Mario64]

It happened to me in my 89 c1500 Jimmy. Same symptoms. Turned out it was a bad ground cable. Changed it out and no problems since.
Good luck.
Ciao,
Mario64