Power Drain

[skokie]

I havent started the truck in a week and a half. I go out and turn the key nada. Put my multimeter on the battery and guess what 9.25 instead of 12. Put the charger on for an hour and a half and he fires right up. I saw the faq regaridng key drains. I unplugged everything from the fuse box except for the fuel sending unit. Is there anything else that I could try?

Thanks

[skokie]

To the top

[krue]

With everything unplugged are you still getting the drain?

[franko72]

sounds like a bad battery. put a charge on it and take a reading after the charge cycle.How old is the battery?reconnect the battery and start the engine and get a reading of your charging circuit.If both are OK you will have to pull fuses one at a time to check for shorts in the circuits at the fuse block.could be a voltage regulator or an alternator not completing the charge pattern also. sounds like an old battery that needs replaced.

[RON WOODGEARD]

There's a Diode inside the alternator that occassionally goes bad, It will charge in a normal manner, everything does what it's supposed to do ( charge well) then it drains the battery when the key is off..

You can do somewhat a test at home without diagnostic equipment, Just charge the battery then Unplug all wires from the alternator and let it set a few days. But it's faster and free to have it checked.

[skokie]

Krue: Yes everything is unplugged from the fuse box minus the fuses. I will try unplugging the alternator.get a reading and then check again tomorrow and see what happens. I will post back what I find.

Thanks

[thisolechevy]

Why not just unplug the +pos. cable on the battery when you store it? I do minew every time it goes into storage for more than a couple weeks.
BUT it definetly is a good idea to figure out why it drains.

[Blue Beard]

Have the same issue, checked all the wiring seems to be right.

Net will be the alternator.

[Robert1970C20rstbukt]

Try checking the fusible links at the front of the engine compartment, they're in small black fuse holders. One is hooked up to a junction box on the passenger fender, and the other one is in almost the same spot on the drivers side. There's a really small 5 amp fuse in both of 'em. Not sure if that's the problem, but it's good to check 'em anyway.

[cableguy0]

unhook the positve cable put one lead of your voltmeter on the battery the other end on the battery cable it will read a voltage have a buddy start pulling fuses until the draw goes away it will read very low when you find the problem like well under .5 a volt. that test will get you looking in the right spot just check everything on the circuit that that particular fuse controls

[krue]

It just so happens that I am going to have to do this now, since I have found that I have a key off drain since I put my engine back in the truck.

[krue]

Found mine, it's the positive cable.

[skokie]

Bad cable hu? HMM. Maybe I will change mine out.

Thanks

[krue]

Got against the manifold.

[68w/sbc406]

when i put my motor in i switched to a (used) newer style internally regulated alternator and put an electric fan on it. i got a key off drain about two weeks later. i took my alternator in to autozone and they said it was fine. so i figured my battery just wasnt holding a charge anymore so i went out and con-ed the guy at the auto parts store to exchange my 3 year old optima for a new one (only a 1 year warrenty), killed my new battery. after 3 days of chasing wires i took it to a shop. my alternator that autozone said was fine wasnt. it charged fine, but it had a key off drain. the electric fan burnt the diaod up. so new 80 amp(i think) alternator, no problems.