Well, everyone has made good suggestions so far, and I will try the
ammeter to see if that shows anything. I do not have a radio installed,
or anything else that should pull any sort of draw except for the clock.
I think if I do figure out the drain, I will put on a battery switch to
help counter thieves and to help with the battery to just as a backup.
Thanks for all the suggestions, and I'll let you know if I find
anything.
Thanks
Scott
-----Original Message-----
From: Theo Smit [mailto:theo.smit@dynastream.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 7:37 AM
To: 'Jen/Scott'; tigers@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: Battery Drain
Hi Scott,
If you've got an alarm or radio with a permanent battery connection then
it might be slowly draining the battery. There isn't anything in the
factory wiring that would have a constant current draw, so if you think
there is something that is pulling current all the time, just check all
the electrical accessories with a voltmeter and see if anything is
powered on when it shouldn't be.
You should make sure that the battery is not draining itself through
crud on the exterior. Wash the top and sides of the battery with a
dilute baking soda mix, rinse with clear water, and dry it. Make sure
the battery is sitting on an insulated tray.
Lastly, I can't remember my lead/acid chemistry completely, but isn't
12.0 volts the nominal terminal voltage for a car battery? It will be at
12.6 for a short while after you've run the car but it will basically
sit at 12 volts until it reaches something like 20% charge, at which
point it will start to droop. You should definitely worry if your
battery self-discharges to below 11 volts in a week, or if the voltage
drops significantly when you turn on the headlights, but having the
battery at 12 volts is not necessarily a cause for worry. If this is
wrong I hope someone will jump in to correct me...
Best regards
Theo
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