mxdirtking

I got an 87 camao that had a 2.8 v6 and i recenctly swapped it out for a 305 TPI. I got it running but a new battery will only last for like a half hour in it. I don't if im missing a ground somewhere or if something is shorting out.

Thanks, mxdirtking

84z .....

trace all ur grounds and make sure to use a tester
one bad ground can cause all kinds of headaches

Elthesh

If your battery is dying in half an hour, either your alternator is not working properly or a connection is bad between the battery and the alternator. Your car is likely running off the battery alone when running which isn't good. Get the alternator tested and check your cables and connections to and from the alternator/battery.

mxdirtking

Okay thanks guys for the advice I will check this tommorow.

mxdirtking

Whats the best way to check an alternator?

Elthesh

If you don't have the equipment yourself, take it to Autozone or somewhere and ask them to test it on the car. Otherwise, remove it and bring it in. They should have a setup to bolt it up and test it in the store.

mxdirtking

Okay thanks Elthesh

corey13

a simple test that will tell you right off if its your alternator is when the cars cranked pull the negative wire off your battery, if your car dies, your alternators bad. if you have a multimeter or voltmeter you can also hook it up to the battery cables with the car running and see if its putting out volts and what its putting out. i believe it should be at least twelve but no more than 14 volts being pushed out of your alternator.

mxdirtking

Okay ill check for that tonight. Thanks for the advice corey13

corey13

no problem... on my truck when the alternator went out all my gauges went haywire and i was kinda like WTF... that was fun cruising down the highway at 80...

mxdirtking

I checked the battery when the car was running and it read 12.3 volts. But my windows take forever to roll up and down and I found out that if I just disconnect the negative battery terminal when its going to sit so it doesn't drain it and when I want to start it up I hook it up and it fires right up.

corey13

If it's draining like that you probably have either a power wire shorting somewhere or ur battery has a bad cell. Does ur car die when u disconnect the ground wire with it running

mxdirtking

I forgot to put the ground wire that connected to the car and the block and I connected that and left the battery hooked up all night and then the next morning it fired right up but when I went to start it again the next day it was drained but not as bad.

corey13

is ur battery still draining

mxdirtking

Yes so now everytime when I shut it off I just dissconnect the negative battary cable its starting to get old!

corey13

try bringing your car by an auto parts house, (advanced, auto zone, oriellys, etc...) they can test your battery, you may just have a dead cell now. it only takes a few min for them to check it. and it doesnt hurt to know...

mxdirtking

But its a brand new battary it only drains the battaries when you leave the negative battary cable hooked up.

corey13

then check the wires from your alternator to your battery and your battery to the starter, you could have a nick in one were its grounding out to the frame or the block. or the one to your starter could have melted off the cover and it could be shorting to the block.

tr6guy

I had a similar problem. Turned out the light in the trunk was on - duh! Try putting an ammeter between the battery and battery cable. See how much current is being drawn with the engine off. Go to the fuse box and start pullng fuses until the current (amps) drain stops - thats your problem circuit. Worked for me. You've obviously got either a dead short somewhere or something like what I had. Good luck!

infared337

ok i pulled all the fuses, pulled the negative battery cable and tested with my digital vom and im still getting a draw I then pulled the wires off the started execpt the top drivers side post wires on the starter..still getting a draw on my vom. Now i think i found the problem but dont know how to fix it...please help
the p.o. put a one wire alt on the car. the brown wire and the red wire that was connected to the alternator have been cut. However they are still getting 12 volts!! both wires brown and red. Are these two wires possibly connected to the starter? and if so can i just remove them from the starter and not loose power to anything else such as headlights heater and signals? I know the brown wire is supposed to go to the dummy light but why would it have constant power? and the red wire must go to the starter? What do you guys think? I have 2 days to get this car on the road

mxdirtking

I replaced the alternator and it solved all problems!