the battery should'nt die that quick

topher5150

topher5150

Dedicated LVC Member
Joined
May 25, 2008
Messages
3,600
Reaction score
6
Location
Grand Rapids, Michigan
I know I should'nt but some times I forget to unplug accessories from the lighter, but it should'nt kill the battery in less than two days. Even if there is nothing plugged in and I leave it sit for a week or two and it's dead. Any suggestions, I'm sick of jumping the damn thing just so I can move it out of the way
 
^ Yup.

Cause that :q:q:q:q is not normal. Battery should easily make it a month or two without issue. 6 months is not even out of the norm. Either is not being fully charged (bad alt) or its a bad bad.

Take a volt meter to the battery when off. Should read over 12 volts for healthy. Anything less than 11 volts is pretty bad.

Then with it running, check voltage at battery again. Should read around 14 volts. Anything less than 13 is not ideal, less than 12 the alt is pretty much shot. I think mine read around 14.2.
 
unity said:
^ Yup.

Cause that :q:q:q:q is not normal. Battery should easily make it a month or two without issue. 6 months is not even out of the norm. Either is not being fully charged (bad alt) or its a bad bad.

Take a volt meter to the battery when off. Should read over 12 volts for healthy. Anything less than 11 volts is pretty bad.

Then with it running, check voltage at battery again. Should read around 14 volts. Anything less than 13 is not ideal, less than 12 the alt is pretty much shot. I think mine read around 14.2.
Click to expand...

unless what he left pluged in was an enoumous vibrating dildo, that in case may drain the battery fast
 
Danny that is something I hadn't considered when contemplating replying to this thread.
 
My fuzz buster kills my battery when I forget to unplug it overnight, as well.

Manufacturer says it's the battery. Battery manufacturer says it's the radar unit...

000-B004-ESA-Su-32FN-1S.jpg
 
topher5150 said:
Sorry to bust your bubble there Danny, but the only thing I left plugged in was a phone charger, or my fuzz buster
Click to expand...

my dad left his fuzz buster plugged in and his diesel wouldn't crank. its diesel with two big batteries so i guess it can happen.
 
Test the battery or if you can get to autozone have them test it.
 
Frogman said:
My fuzz buster kills my battery when I forget to unplug it overnight, as well.

Manufacturer says it's the battery. Battery manufacturer says it's the radar unit...
Click to expand...
:lol: Now thats funny rite der, I dont care who you are.




Anyway, on to the battery drain issue. If it only lasts a few days with the radar detector plugged in then thats about right. A car battery only has a 50-100 amp capacity depending on what you went with. Figure an average of 70amps. A radar detector in idle mode pulls around an amp. That means 1amp of battery capacity (I know, very rough description but works for these purposes) has been used in one hour. So after two and a half days the battery no longer has the power left in its storage.

A battery that has been drained several times because of this is now a dammaged battery and will only last a few weeks even with zero car acc drain. You can try and condition it with a smart charger but they cost as much as a quality new battery.
 
A Bell that I tested pulled 3 amps at start up and idled at 800mah. I just tested my Cobra POS using a POS Craftsman multi and it shows 480~490 at idle. But my description was real ..... rough to just give someone a rough idea of why their detector could kill the system without explaing everything about batteries and chit that I dont think I could explain well without copy and paste and I am just too lazy to do all that.

Point is, unplug the chit and see what happens.

Can I haz mah fan neow!??!?
 
LaserSVT said:
A Bell that I tested pulled 3 amps at start up and idled at 800mah.
Click to expand...

No everyone has vacuum tubed radar detectors from the 1940's like you do.


I just tested my Cobra POS using a POS Craftsman multi and it shows 480~490 at idle.
Click to expand...

Again... Old schit.

Point is, unplug the chit and see what happens.
Click to expand...

We KNOW what happens, jackass!

Even if there is nothing plugged in and I leave it sit for a week or two and it's dead.
Click to expand...

This tells us he's got either

a. One bad/going bad battery

b. A draw from a factory installed piece of electronic gear that isn't shutting down properly and keeps drawing AmpZ.


Can I haz mah fan neow!??!?
Click to expand...

You can haz the fawn. Soon as I haz a hold of a boxen.
 
I'm taking the old alt pulley off because I have a three piece pulley kit. Now I need to find a impact that works. The one we have can't even take off lug nuts
 
Frogman said:
A draw from a factory installed piece of electronic gear that isn't shutting down properly and keeps drawing AmpZ. .
Click to expand...

if i had a dollar for every time that ive seen that, well i'd still be poor , but at least i could get a few thing from the dollar menu for lunch today. hook up a DMM in line with one of the battery terminals and set it to amps, then see what amount of current is flowing with everything turned off (it should be very low like less than .1 amps) if its higher, pull one fuse at a time, until the amps drop, then you just found the circuit thats killing the battery (turn the air ride off for this as it can kick on while the car is off, and will most likely bluw the fuse in the meter)
 
1LoudLS said:
if i had a dollar for every time that ive seen that, well i'd still be poor , but at least i could get a few thing from the dollar menu for lunch today. hook up a DMM in line with one of the battery terminals and set it to amps, then see what amount of current is flowing with everything turned off (it should be very low like less than .1 amps) if its higher, pull one fuse at a time, until the amps drop, then you just found the circuit thats killing the battery (turn the air ride off for this as it can kick on while the car is off, and will most likely bluw the fuse in the meter)
Click to expand...
:lol: Its funny you say this. When I first got my 98 it had a drain on the system and I took my trusty Fluke with a 20amp capacity and put it inline to do that exact test. Well it was my first Mark VIII with a working air ride and I had no idea they kicked on when the car was off. And because Flukes use them damn expensive and hard to find (out here) fuses I had wraped the blown fuse with aluminum foil..... I know.

So I hook it up, see a 2.1 amp draw then lean on the car to start pulling fuses under the hood. I hear "grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" followed by the distinct smell off electronics and then the air pump slow down and shut off. Hearing the air ride for the first time my first thought was what the hell is that and why does it smell like burning electronics. Followed by "why is my $300 Fluke smoking" :( I let the magic smoke out of it and it no longer works. :(
 
That's why your supposed to use an inline fused jumper wire when testing parasitic drains. Poor fluke had no idea what it had coming.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 422 (members: 0, guests: 422)
Back
Top