Re: Battery dies in car

biodragon1 <biodragon1@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>Anybody got any ideas about where to start looking for a problem where a
>good battery goes dead in a matter of a few hours setting my car? 1988
>Taurus. Runs great, all fuses intact, just draws battery down real fast.

Put ammeter on battery. Watch the load. Start pulling fuses out until
the load goes away. Check whatever is on that fuse.

If the fuses are all pulled out and the load is still there, start looking
at anything on fusible links. Feel around for cabling that is warm.

A clamp-on DC ammeter makes this a lot easier, but you can always just
disconnect the ground strap and put an ammeter in series with it. The
clamp-on meter, though, makes it much easier once you've started to
track it down because you can just clamp it on any line and check the
current.

Note that most clamp-on ammeters can't handle DC, but an auto electrical
shop will have one right handy.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
.

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