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Electrical Problem. Please Help

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Old Dec 14, 2006 | 04:20 PM
  #1  
vt89gtvert's Avatar
vt89gtvert
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Default Electrical Problem. Please Help

OK, I go to start my car Tuesday night to take a girl on our first date. Stang won't start. So I get a jump from my neighbor thinking the battery has just gone dead, and it is about a 15 mile 60MPH drive so I thought it would charge up on the way out there. Car dies as soon as I get off the highway and the RPM's drop. So I figure it's not worth messing with it right now because of the date thing(Thinking it is just the battery gone bad since I drove the car on monday with no problems, the voltage light never came on, and the battery is 9 years old). So I get a friend to loan me his car for the night and the next day drive out and drop in a new battery. The voltage meter is climbing as I drive and gets to 14 within a couple miles so I just think it is the battery. This morning no my way to my exam the Battery is dead again(Absolutly nothing). So here is where I need help.

1. I don;t think the alt is bad since the car was running fine when I last turned the car off???
2. So logic leads me to beleive that there is a drain on the battery somewhere
3. But To my kowledge a short would blow a fuse and break the circut so no power could be drained??



Any help would be great appreciated.



P.S It has a full aftermarket stero with 4 guage wire (On a 30 AMP fuse) running two two amps. One 50x6 for the speakers, and one 250x1 for the sub. But I would think it would blow the fuse as well before allowing a short....
Old Dec 14, 2006 | 07:06 PM
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Default RE: Electrical Problem. Please Help

some times amps won't turn off disconnect the stereo fuse, and then charge the batt. and see if that fixes it... if not let me know and i'll think about it alittle harder and give you a flow chart of what and how to check things
Old Dec 14, 2006 | 07:40 PM
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Default RE: Electrical Problem. Please Help

hook a ammeter between the battery positive post and the battery positive cable and read what it says. I think .5 amps is within reason. If over that, start pulling fuses and see when the amps go down, then you have your suspect
Old Dec 14, 2006 | 10:00 PM
  #4  
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vt89gtvert
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Default RE: Electrical Problem. Please Help

Thanks for the idea 88 notch. With respect to the amps, they are both lighted so if the lights go out then they should be turning off.
Old Dec 14, 2006 | 10:21 PM
  #5  
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Default RE: Electrical Problem. Please Help

I would take the alternator to autozone and have it checked to be sure. It could be over charging as well. Just a thought.
Old Dec 14, 2006 | 10:57 PM
  #6  
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Default RE: Electrical Problem. Please Help

That many amps its alot of stress on your electical system. My freinds Accords alternator took a dump with just a 250/1 amp on it. My bet is your alternator/battery are bad, and you need to upgrade your Alt. to a bigger unit, and a new battery.
Old Dec 14, 2006 | 11:02 PM
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Default RE: Electrical Problem. Please Help

stock alternator only puts out 75amps at 2,000rpm
and only like 40amps at idle.

bet your radio is sucking your battery dead.

get you a PA Peformance 200amp upgrade
Old Dec 14, 2006 | 11:12 PM
  #8  
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Default RE: Electrical Problem. Please Help


ORIGINAL: vt89gtvert

1. I don;t think the alt is bad since the car was running fine when I last turned the car off???
2. So logic leads me to beleive that there is a drain on the battery somewhere
3. But To my kowledge a short would blow a fuse and break the circut so no power could be drained??
1, First rule for things to go bad is.....they have to be working properly first. NM logic, worry about Murphy..."if things can go bad, they will...and if things can't go bad, they will"....... FYI I've had cases where I have installed brand new alternators, fuel pumps, radiator fans...that have failed within hours. Check/monitor battery voltage engine running @1,500 rpms for 10 minutes, accessories off and on....alternators can be bench tested and pass, but fail after they heat up under use.

2. Check the procedure to do a parasitic drain test at http://www.autoshop101.com/trainmodu...rvice/118.html however, if the engine dies under use, the charging system is the one to check first.

3. A short could also cause a drain depending on the circuit is at, and the "severity"...if a short causes a draw of 4 amps in a 10A protected circuit, the fuse will not blow, the draw will continue, and the battery will be drained over a period of time.

My 2ยข.
Old Dec 14, 2006 | 11:34 PM
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Default RE: Electrical Problem. Please Help

Same exact thing happened to be and it was a number of things. First the alt was bad, and the battery was bad because it didn't want to hold a charge. My fuel pump and filter were bad, so get those checked as well. Thne there was a problem of the rain. When it rained, the battery would die, so I went through as much of the engine I could and EVERY single wire I saw that was a little exposed I covered with eletrical tape. I haven't had a problem with it since. Try it and let me know and get your fuel pump and filter checked. Get a volt meter too, they are helpful in situations like this so you can check both the alt and the battery.
Old Dec 14, 2006 | 11:35 PM
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Default RE: Electrical Problem. Please Help

Also, I removed a bad/old wire from an old stereo system that used to be in the car and it led into the trunk where the amp used to be. I pulled that and it helped some. I also needed the belt fixed that was hooked to the alternator because it was done all wrong (theguy that owned my car before me was a f*ckhead) AND I had a friend put in a second ground. All of that stuff together helped.



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