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Old 02-07-2010, 08:04 PM   #4
Lil bastard
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Du Monde
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What you describe is not normal. If the battery is new as you state, then the charging system, parasaitic draw or shorts are suspect.

Pull the battery completely and charge it using a charger with no more than 1.5Amps - Yes, they make 10 or 15 Amp battery chargers, but these are for convenience and NOT battery health. Using more than 1.5 Amps can overcharge the battery and overheat it causing water to boil out of the electrolyte ruining it's balance. The water vapor will vent from the battery and you will damage the plates reducing the battery's ability to accept and hold a charge.

Once charged, take a DMM (Digital Multi-Meter) and check the voltage across the battery terminals (not connected to the car), this should read approx. 13.2 VDC (each of the 6 cells in the battery produce approx. 2.2VDC (X6 = 13.2VDC).

Now connect the battery to the car and start it. Again check the voltage across the terminals (cables connected). It should now read 13.5-14.5VDC This is the power supplied by your alternator. If voltage does not fall in this range, suspect one or more of the 3 pairs of diodes in the alternator are bad requiring replacement of at least the diode pac (if alternator has some miles on it, suggest replacing with a rebuilt unit). Also, remove front engine cover and check deflection of te drive belt - it should be tight with no more than .5" deflection.

Finally, turn off car, disconnect the negative terminal and connect the DMM between the cable and the battery negative terminal. Your reading s/b less than 50 milliamperes. If more than 50 milliamperes, check that all doors are shut, nothing is powered by the Cig Lighter, trunk and 'Frunk' are closed and not powering their lights. If all found OK, go to the fuse box and one-by-one, remove each fuse and check DMM to see if there is any effect. Replace the last fuse before pulling the next. If the DMM drops when a particular fuse is pulled, there is a short somewhere in that circuit which needs to be found to remove the excess draw on the battery.

Cheers!
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