Battery Draining

pepperman

The Real Deal
Joined
Jun 6, 2004
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Oklahoma
Something is causing a drain on my battery. I got it tested tonight and the battery was good, what they told me was that the alternator was getting weak, and the key switch was bad. Would a combo of the two cause the battery to drain ? As a temp fix i had to have a kill switch installed on the battery.

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I had similar situation with my door switches malfunctioning and my interior lights would stay on till they timed out and my radio stayed on. I made sure my radio was off before exiting vehicle cured my battery drain and I now will change both door switches.
 
Those V readings look very similar to what my old 130k oem unit put out with a bad set of diodes. I replaced it (Still worked) and with load/no load it'll never go below 13.8~. I'm pretty sure I took pics of the voltage readings on both alts before and after. I'd have to check when I get home.

Is it failing to start after sitting a day or two? That would indicate a possible parasitic drain somewhere in the system. if it's just a lower than optimal reading and the battery tests ok then it's likely a weak alt that will in time, if it hasn't already, kill/severely weaken the battery.

If you're driving short distances with a load it's very possible that the alternator isn't putting out enough to charge the battery properly. As it sits, it's pretty much outputting standing battery voltage while under load.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, i do plan on replacing the alternator when i can. I will replace the door switches next month.
 
I have searched the threads and I am thinking about going with a 200 amp alternator. My question is would a 200 amp alternator be too much for my car ?
 
lol. nah. alternators are regulated.
a 200 amp alternator can provide up to 200 amps at load, not that is produces it at all times.
is it overkill? maybe a bit. is it "too much?" no such thing.
 
i bought a 200 amp alternator from DB Electrical at least 8-9 years ago, still cranking and I have a 1000 watt sub. That and a Die Hard platinum battery (over 5 years old now) and never any issues with electrical.
 

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