From: Richard (metal@fullwave.com)
Date: Mon Jun 02 2003 - 22:02:13 PDT
T.,
Pull the positive cable off the battery and
put an ammeter in series with it. If it takes
a few days to discharge, it's probably not
more than a couple amps, and any $10 digital
multimeter with a 10-amp current range
should work.
This will tell you what the total draw is;
if there is any. If there's no discharge, then
the batteries themselves are likely bad.
As another guy posted, just pulling the cable
will tell you that also...but the ammeter tells
you right away, without waiting a couple days.
If the wires from the positive terminal are
connectorized, then you can pop apart one
of them at a time, and insert the ammeter
in series, until you find which one the draw
is coming from.
Then find out what all is being fed from that
wire, and go disconnect each item's connector
in turn, inserting the ammeter each time, until you
find your answer.
notes;
1) any discharge under 10 milliamp would
likely be considered 'normal'. I think the spec
for my Jeep is 5 milliamp or less.
2) conductive crud anywhere in the system can
cause low-current discharges...i.e. corrosives
spilled over the starter-relay terminals, causing
a path to ground. Or between the pins of a
multi-pin conn. body. Or right across the top
of the batt. itself, etc. etc..
3) If the regulator is making the alt. charge the
batts at a bit too high a voltage, the batts will spit
acid vapor out the cap-vents all the time, and you'll
end up with a continuous film of acid over the
top of the battery between the terminals. That'll
cause a low-level discharge.
4) And like the other posters said, anything that
turns on on its own <g>, like the brake-light
switch the guy mentioned, will of course kill
the batts. I've got a flaky ignition switch in
a trackhoe that sometimes goes into -start- on
its own! Had to install a momentary toggle
in series with it.
Richard
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