Bradprobert Posted February 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 Unhook the battery cables from the battery. Set your DMM to check resistance and hook it up to the battery cables and note the resistance. Remove the positive lead off of the alternator and check resistance. If it goes way up, then it is your alternator. If not, start pulling fuses out one by one and see if the resistance changes. If you pull a fuse and the resistance goes way up, then you are losing power through that circuit. Cross reference with the fuse panel to find out what each fuse corresponds to. Keep in mind that most cars have two fuse panels, on under hood, one inside. Resistance with the car off and all closed up should be between 50 and 150 ohms. My car sits at ~118 ohms during this testing. It's not the most accurate way of testing it out, but it is a start. How long does it take for the battery to go from fully charged to dead when you aren't driving it? i will definitely run those test when i get a chance. thanks for the advice. not completely sure but if it sits over the weekend you can tell the battery has drained some because it starts slow. [sharedmedia=garage:vehicles:2223] 4th-order under rear seat build log: http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/165708-4th-order-under-rear-seat-chevy-extended-cab/#entry2410477 SD, thank for the input. I would have replied earlier, but I was measuring the output of my amp with a yardstick . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbg Posted February 11, 2013 Report Share Posted February 11, 2013 dude just use a test light! the dmm is way to much work. Unhook the battery - from the battery, hook the test light clip to the - terminal and put the point of the test light on the - cable. if the light LIGHTS UP u have draw. (if u pull a fuse and the light goes out then u have found the draw) start pulling fuses one at a time intell u find the draw. make sure to check all fuses inside truck and under the hood. if u do this u will find the draw for sure! 01 focus se 110 amp alt Big 3 sky high and stinger hpm ofc 1/0 Super start platinum AGM (starting) 2 runs of 1/0 Execution audio front to back Kenwood double DIN DDx271 A pillars- orion 4" super tweeter and 2-1" alpines. Orion xtx 64 in the front doors 2:1 4th order bandpass Sealed off trunk Digital designs deadener on roof/ rear deck Orion hcca 12s (black coils) Orion xtr3700.1 Orion xtr250.2 mid/highs All sky high 1/0 in trunk dual runs(power/ground) Sky high dual 1/0 inputs 2 xs power D3100 in back Sky high batt blocks Rose audio batt blocks Stinger volt meter All sky high 1\0 fuse and holders Db link remote/ rca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicks Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Unhook the battery cables from the battery. Set your DMM to check resistance and hook it up to the battery cables and note the resistance. Remove the positive lead off of the alternator and check resistance. If it goes way up, then it is your alternator. If not, start pulling fuses out one by one and see if the resistance changes. If you pull a fuse and the resistance goes way up, then you are losing power through that circuit. Cross reference with the fuse panel to find out what each fuse corresponds to. Keep in mind that most cars have two fuse panels, on under hood, one inside. Resistance with the car off and all closed up should be between 50 and 150 ohms. My car sits at ~118 ohms during this testing. It's not the most accurate way of testing it out, but it is a start. How long does it take for the battery to go from fully charged to dead when you aren't driving it? i will definitely run those test when i get a chance. thanks for the advice. not completely sure but if it sits over the weekend you can tell the battery has drained some because it starts slow. Your last statement sounds like either your truck has a low-level current draw or your battery is not holding its charge. Has the battery been load tested? If you're losing battery charge over a weekend, where the vehicle hasn't been started, then that takes the alternator out of the equation. This post sent with 100% recycled electrons. 2004 BMW M3Mechman 280A 2 - XS Power XP30001 - XS Power D375 500F of Maxwell SuperCaps (soon to be 1000F) iPadMini2Dash mounted O-scopeAudison bitOne (Remote DRC MP) Highs Amp - PPI Art A404 Hertz HSK130 (HSK165 waiting...) DC Audio DC9.0K 2- DC Audio XL12m2LEGAL - 147.3dB @ 41Hz OUTLAW - 150.2dB @ 45Hz OUTLAW - 145.7dB @ 30Hz JUNE 2014 SOTM WINNER 2014 COLORADO PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNER SOTM BUILD:http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/141656-wicks-e46-m3-build-bass-turbo-button-and-a-big-new-addition/page-68#entry2802026 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wicks Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Sounds like you have a DMM that measures current draw. Disconnect one of your battery cables and put the DMM inline with the battery. Make sure you're on DC current and not AC. Measure the draw on the battery with the vehicle completely off and doors/hood/trunk closed so there are no lights on or anything. i tried this and found zero current draw :/ bummer. im really leaning towards a bad alternator Is the DMM capable of measuring milli-amps? What brand/model is it? You need to have some amount of current draw from your vehicle's CPU and whatnot, although it may be small enough that a normal DMM won't show it.... What is the battery's resting voltage (vehicle off)? What is the charging voltage with the vehicle running? the smallest it can read is at the 2mA setting if there was any it was less than that. not sure what brand it is but it's yellow and a very common one at lowes, not to mention it's fairly old.The battery's resting voltage is ~13.6 the charging voltage is ~16.8 The reason i believe its the alternator is because i have a battery tender that maintains the battery, works very well till you run over it if i do not use it and not drive the truck regularly the battery looses charge. if i drive the truck regularly its fine, which contradicts the alt being a problem. Charge at 16.8v? Is it a 14v battery? That's way high.... This post sent with 100% recycled electrons. 2004 BMW M3Mechman 280A 2 - XS Power XP30001 - XS Power D375 500F of Maxwell SuperCaps (soon to be 1000F) iPadMini2Dash mounted O-scopeAudison bitOne (Remote DRC MP) Highs Amp - PPI Art A404 Hertz HSK130 (HSK165 waiting...) DC Audio DC9.0K 2- DC Audio XL12m2LEGAL - 147.3dB @ 41Hz OUTLAW - 150.2dB @ 45Hz OUTLAW - 145.7dB @ 30Hz JUNE 2014 SOTM WINNER 2014 COLORADO PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNER SOTM BUILD:http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/141656-wicks-e46-m3-build-bass-turbo-button-and-a-big-new-addition/page-68#entry2802026 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplesyrup Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 probably just has a dead cell in the battery, mine did that once, it would hold a charge for a couple hours then just be dead, If i drove to have the battery load tested everything always came back that everything is fine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandiman71874 Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Just a fyi here since there is so much mis informatioin given here. A .050 amp draw will drain a battery in a matter of 2 days to the point that the vehicle will not start. Chasing draws sucks. Daily Driver 1999 Kia Sephia Kenwood DNX-893s Audison Bit One Processor 2 Dat 4.125's Sundown Audio SCV-6k Hertz hsk-165xl's Mids running active Focal V30 Series Tweeters running active Sundown Sa-8 v1's in the doors 2 Sundown Zv5 12's Lots of Hushmat Big 3+ and 3 + & 3- runs of Trystar 2/0 2 Dc Power Engineering 320 HP Alts 2017 Comp Vehicle 2006 Toyota 4 Runner Kenwood Excelon DNX-893s Audison Bit One HD DSP 4 Sundown Sa 6.5v2 Component Sets Focal Access 6.5 2 ways Sundown Audio Sax-50.4 Sundown Audio Sax-100.4 2 Dc Power 370xp Northstar agm27f Northstar agm65 2 Northstar asmagm 480's 2 Dual 1 Sundown Nightshade v3 12's 2 Sundown SCV-7500's All SMD Fuse Holders Shitload Of Sundown 1/0 120 sq ft Second Skin Damp Pro No, Its Not A Burp Truck!!!! 2016 Season 3rd place in Xtreme 1 At Finals 2016 Season 6th Place In Kaos 1 At Finals ( Blew The Subs Up In First Round Eliminations) 2 Kansas State Records Set In 2016 In Xtreme 1 And Kaos 1 In Midwest SPL David said: audio is a lifestyle, not a hobby newls1 I cant read a tape to save my life... 1/2's are ok, but other marks confuse me kingsuv only men who cant read a tape, take it in the ass kingsuv you sir, get a pink hard hat on jobsites Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bradprobert Posted February 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Sounds like you have a DMM that measures current draw. Disconnect one of your battery cables and put the DMM inline with the battery. Make sure you're on DC current and not AC. Measure the draw on the battery with the vehicle completely off and doors/hood/trunk closed so there are no lights on or anything. i tried this and found zero current draw :/ bummer. im really leaning towards a bad alternator Is the DMM capable of measuring milli-amps? What brand/model is it? You need to have some amount of current draw from your vehicle's CPU and whatnot, although it may be small enough that a normal DMM won't show it.... What is the battery's resting voltage (vehicle off)? What is the charging voltage with the vehicle running? the smallest it can read is at the 2mA setting if there was any it was less than that. not sure what brand it is but it's yellow and a very common one at lowes, not to mention it's fairly old.The battery's resting voltage is ~13.6 the charging voltage is ~16.8 The reason i believe its the alternator is because i have a battery tender that maintains the battery, works very well till you run over it if i do not use it and not drive the truck regularly the battery looses charge. if i drive the truck regularly its fine, which contradicts the alt being a problem. Charge at 16.8v? Is it a 14v battery? That's way high.... no not 14. its a 12 probably just has a dead cell in the battery, mine did that once, it would hold a charge for a couple hours then just be dead, If i drove to have the battery load tested everything always came back that everything is fine the battery is brand new and i highly doubt that. the battery before that did like yours. Just a fyi here since there is so much mis informatioin given here. A .050 amp draw will drain a battery in a matter of 2 days to the point that the vehicle will not start. Chasing draws sucks. thanks for the help i really appreciate it. they do suck my dad and i havent found the problem for about 2-3 years! [sharedmedia=garage:vehicles:2223] 4th-order under rear seat build log: http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/165708-4th-order-under-rear-seat-chevy-extended-cab/#entry2410477 SD, thank for the input. I would have replied earlier, but I was measuring the output of my amp with a yardstick . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt14 Posted February 12, 2013 Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 16.8v charging on a 12volt system? 2006 GMC YukonPioneer HU SHCA ran throughout Crescendo BC3500 One 18 AA Mayhem in a 4th order ZED Levithian 6 channel Rainbow Dual 6.5 comps ran Activehttp://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/155628-matt14s-yukon-mayhem-in-a-4th-ordernew-amps-and-bats/page-3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bradprobert Posted February 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 16.8v charging on a 12volt system? ok to clarify on how to find the charging voltage you put the + of the DMM on the alternator + and the - of the DMM on the negative of the battery. while the car is running of course. [sharedmedia=garage:vehicles:2223] 4th-order under rear seat build log: http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/165708-4th-order-under-rear-seat-chevy-extended-cab/#entry2410477 SD, thank for the input. I would have replied earlier, but I was measuring the output of my amp with a yardstick . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bradprobert Posted February 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2013 Just a fyi here since there is so much mis informatioin given here. A .050 amp draw will drain a battery in a matter of 2 days to the point that the vehicle will not start. Chasing draws sucks is there any information i can get that might help? would pictures help? [sharedmedia=garage:vehicles:2223] 4th-order under rear seat build log: http://www.stevemeadedesigns.com/board/topic/165708-4th-order-under-rear-seat-chevy-extended-cab/#entry2410477 SD, thank for the input. I would have replied earlier, but I was measuring the output of my amp with a yardstick . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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