battery draining when driving
11-28-2017, 04:05 AM
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battery draining when driving
new battery replaced the alternator for the fifth time looks to be charging above 13.0 amps then drops below 13.0 to around 12.5 drove to work with lights on down around 12.0 amps on the way home stopped to get gas click, click would not start took the battery home checked with amp probe only 11.5 amps put battery on charger for an hour 12.5 amps took battery back put into the car started right up drove home.Wish I could know were to look for what is draining the battery.On the way home no radio, no lights,wipers. any ideas?
11-28-2017, 04:09 AM
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Re: battery draining when driving
new battery replaced the alternator for the fifth time looks to be charging above 13.0 amps then drops below 13.0 to around 12.5 drove to work with lights on down around 12.0 amps on the way home stopped to get gas click, click would not start took the battery home checked with amp probe only 11.5 amps put battery on charger for an hour 12.5 amps took battery back put into the car started right up drove home.Wish I could know were to look for what is draining the battery.On the way home no radio, no lights,wipers. any ideas?
11-28-2017, 06:33 AM
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Re: battery draining when driving
Its going to jump to the conclusion that when you said "amps" in your first post, you should have been saying "volts".
Those values look like they were measured at the battery posts. What is the voltage from the big terminal on the alt to the alt case?
Those values look like they were measured at the battery posts. What is the voltage from the big terminal on the alt to the alt case?
12-02-2017, 08:56 AM
#7
Re: battery draining when driving
Have you removed and had the battery and alternator tested independently? Have you made sure that the battery can hold a charge with nothing hooked up to it? I start with ruling out parasitic draw when working on loss of charge issues. It sounds like there is little chance of that being the cause but it's easy to rule out. From there ensure that the battery can be charged up and hold a charge and then test both independently and tell us what they are. Have you also followed the charging wire to ensure that it is not frayed or damaged? Have you made sure the the engine ground is good and the alternator is getting a solid grounding connection?
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12-04-2017, 06:26 AM
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Re: battery draining when driving
Update, after bring the battery home and charging it to 12.5 volts then taken it back and putting it back in drove the car home with the lights on shutoff wouldn't start click, click put the battery on charger again didn't get back to work on it anymore till Sunday. hooked up the battery started up fine 14.7 volts gauge stayed there drove around the block turned on the lights gauge dropped some looked like 13.0 shutoff restarted fine. don't know what the problem is with this car! checked the volts on the big wire on the back of the alternator had 14.7 volts.
12-04-2017, 08:29 AM
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Re: battery draining when driving
If the big terminal on the alt has 14.7V, then it's working right.
There's a big fat wire connecting the alt to the batt. The voltage at the batt should normally be slightly lower than the voltage at the alt (emphasis on slightly: maybe .1 - .2V or so) because as the current flows out of the alt and toward the batt and the load of the car, which is in that wire, there will be some small voltage drop in the wire.
If the batt has some dramatically lower voltage than the alt, then the charging wire is broken. Pretty simple fix.
Just to help square away your mind, voltage in electricity is comparable to pressure in hydraulics, and current (amps) is comparable to flow. Just like you can have very high pressure in a system but very low flow (your brakes for example) or very high flow but very low pressure (the Mississippi River), you can have the same situations in electricity. You can even mentally relate the size of wire to the size of pipe or river channel.
There's a big fat wire connecting the alt to the batt. The voltage at the batt should normally be slightly lower than the voltage at the alt (emphasis on slightly: maybe .1 - .2V or so) because as the current flows out of the alt and toward the batt and the load of the car, which is in that wire, there will be some small voltage drop in the wire.
If the batt has some dramatically lower voltage than the alt, then the charging wire is broken. Pretty simple fix.
Just to help square away your mind, voltage in electricity is comparable to pressure in hydraulics, and current (amps) is comparable to flow. Just like you can have very high pressure in a system but very low flow (your brakes for example) or very high flow but very low pressure (the Mississippi River), you can have the same situations in electricity. You can even mentally relate the size of wire to the size of pipe or river channel.
12-04-2017, 08:33 AM
#10
Re: battery draining when driving
Definitely sounds like you have a charging issue. Could be that the brown charging wire does not have constant voltage. It is supposed to be a switched 12V. May be possible that the wire is loose in the C100 connector or cut/frayed in the wire harness. If it's not that then you have a bad alternator.
12-04-2017, 09:22 AM
#11
Re: battery draining when driving
Could also be if you had the sensing wire (not the 12V switched brown wire) sensing voltage inaccurately. IIRC the sensing wire should go to a post by the battery that a few accessories also go to. It's used to sense the load on the system. The way I was taught the alternator sensing wire is wired is to put it on a junction point separate from the battery because the battery is too large to measure instantaneous useage. It would be like if you only drank water from a single water cooler. One day you were feeling dehydrated and you went to the hospital. Rather then check you for dehydration we just checked the level of water in the cooler. The water cooler gives you an idea but it's not quite accurate.
12-04-2017, 08:20 PM
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Re: battery draining when driving
I had a similar charging problem that turned out to be an intermittent connection on one of the wires that plugs into the side of the alternator. A replacement pigtail is inexpensive.
12-07-2017, 09:40 AM
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Re: battery draining when driving
Update 14.7volts coming off the alternator big wire on the back 14.7 on the brown wire and 14.7 on the red wire the gauge looks like 14.7 also. turned on the lights backed out of the garage volts drop to 12.5 or so drove around the block with the lights on stayed around 12-12.5 volts turned off the lights volts climb to almost 13.0 volts turned off the car unhooked the battery ground cable left off over night hooked back up this morning started the car 14.7 volts. I thinking that it's charging okay there must be something drawing when the lights get turned on.
12-12-2017, 05:42 AM
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Re: battery draining when driving
I found that the wires in the headlight switch had melted together and was causing all kinds of strange electrical issues. Worth a shot, remember to push in the pin on the bottom of the switch assembly to remove the **** thing. Might get you a better view with the dash pad removed as well. good luck!
12-20-2017, 04:23 AM
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Re: battery draining when driving
Sill trying to figure this problem out, I can start the car leave it set and run in the garage with the head lights on and the voltage will stay at 14.7 but put it in gear and back out and go for a drive with the lights on and the volt drop down to around 12.5 and maybe lower
12-22-2017, 02:19 AM
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Re: battery draining when driving
Did u guys figure it out am having the same problem but the diff is my battery is two years old like new and it will not hold charge also I get no crank just the temp gauge goes all the way up the security light stays on and the park and brake red light turns one when trying to crank it over no fuses blown vats wires by the connector read the same resistance as the key so I gues the vats working??? I opened the starter relay and pressed on it it cranks and starts for 3sec than dies right away new battery alternator at one point the exterior lights and Nterior light where not working except for headlights changed the fuse and it is fine now any idea what’s wrong ? And fuel pump kicks in
plus bunch of klick noises under the steering column and hood?
also I did get resistors and matched almost perfect the resistance of the key and plunged them in to the wires but security light won’t go off if that helps even if I charge a charger hockey up to the battery no difference
plus bunch of klick noises under the steering column and hood?
also I did get resistors and matched almost perfect the resistance of the key and plunged them in to the wires but security light won’t go off if that helps even if I charge a charger hockey up to the battery no difference
Last edited by David Schutza; 12-22-2017 at 02:26 AM.
12-27-2017, 08:23 AM
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Drain Pain
Originally Posted by David
having the same problem
Sometimes the under-hood or hatch light does not go out so check those easy ones first.
Then connect an ammeter in series with the battery.
If there is more than 50 milliamps there is excessive draw.
(You can use a small bulb such as a side marker bulb if you don’t have an ammeter.)
Disconnect the alternator wires to see if IT’S the problem.
With everything turned off and doors closed observe the current flow.
Pull the fuses one at a time, including the pump fuse near the battery, till you see the current drop.
That’s the circuit with the problem.
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01-01-2018, 08:18 AM
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Re: Drain Pain
Took the 78 amp alternator back and replaced it with a 94 amp one started the car and turned on the lights and the voltage meter in the car stayed around 13.7 cross your fingers that the 78 one was not putting out enough to maintain the usage.
01-04-2018, 09:44 PM
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Re: Drain Pain
[QUOTE=NINÅ;6191417]
Due to the fact your battery is only 2 years old it should be in excellent condition 91 Pontiac Firebird 305 5.0 V8 TBIHi there for the last 3 days I have the exact same problem my battery is 2 years old and I drove the car no more than 5 times I did start it up every month for 30 min since it’s a project car but my point is 3 days ago I wanted to move my car to the sec garage with heat in it so I can clean ntinue working on itand the battery was completely dead so I hooked up a charger and charged it for about 90minmit looked all good and I started it right up let it run for 40min went shopping and got gas I shut it of filled with new gas and went home next day I tried to start car was dead so I jump started it but cranked started and died than it wouldn’t even crank anymore only the security lights that stays on and when I try to crank it the red park and brake light comes on fuel gage goes all the way but no crank some klick under the hood and steering columnno blown fuses vat system my key is a 10 with 3.750but when I checked the connector under the dash the wires read the key resistance from the ignition keybut anyway I did get resistors and got it almos perfect to that what the key isnothing security light still solid onwhen I open up the starter relay on the side by the foot wall and press on it and turn the key it will crank and start but die after 2 sec and when I jump it with wires no relay same story dies after 3 sec I did notice my battery now after being charged up all 100% disconnected from the car it will drop down to about 70 to 60% of charge wierd the bat is basically new fuel pump is working to I even tried to jump the safety switch but no results pls help I have no idea what the problem is the car is a 91 Pontiac Firebird 305v8TBI with 183xxx it cool st me well over 10K by now since I got it for 2.7K it’s a Knight Right det Replica that’s why such costs thanks guys for the help I n advance 🍺😎And just so u know I just tested the codes on it no check engine light on but got these codes 53 54 45 the system High voltage is what concerns me cuz theO2 sensor is du to no muffler on my car fixing the rear axle rootAnd low fuel pump voltage is it cuz of the VAT system? Thanks for your help Dave🍺😎 and Merry Christmas 🎄😎https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/sear...archid=9430962
05-01-2018, 06:28 PM
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Re: Drain Pain
hi David
please for the love of god use punctuation,i just got a migraine trying to read your post.you wrote one continuous 300 word sentence and it almost liquefied my brain.
generally in my experience,when you write in this format no one will ever read your post or take you seriously.
So,anyway after typing a sentence,add a period like this..................................
try to work your thoughts into paragraphs with a beginning,a middle and an end.
its a very simple and easy to use format for basic English communication.
this also makes communicating with other people far easier,funner and far more intuitive.
you may even get responses to inquiries that you write or questions you might ask.
i recently had issues with my battery draining as well,i cleaned the terminals,checked
the output at the alternator and charged the battery until fully charged.i also fixed a
bunch of ******* stereo fukkery and ridiculous ghetto wiring and it runs great now
and holds a charge perfectly.
please for the love of god use punctuation,i just got a migraine trying to read your post.you wrote one continuous 300 word sentence and it almost liquefied my brain.
generally in my experience,when you write in this format no one will ever read your post or take you seriously.
So,anyway after typing a sentence,add a period like this..................................
try to work your thoughts into paragraphs with a beginning,a middle and an end.
its a very simple and easy to use format for basic English communication.
this also makes communicating with other people far easier,funner and far more intuitive.
you may even get responses to inquiries that you write or questions you might ask.
i recently had issues with my battery draining as well,i cleaned the terminals,checked
the output at the alternator and charged the battery until fully charged.i also fixed a
bunch of ******* stereo fukkery and ridiculous ghetto wiring and it runs great now
and holds a charge perfectly.