I bought a new battery last year. Babied it through winter in the house with a trickle every 3 months until the charge light turned green Had problems with the car holding a charge recently and had to replace the alternator. Took it to a show half an hour away today after trickle charging it again. Got me to the show and got me home. Tried to start the car later this afternoon and nothing but a ticking sound. What the heck ??? The regulator was checked and it is fine.
Sinking money into this ride is nothing new but I'd like to have s little progress to show for it. I'm right back where I started except my wallet is lighter.
What is causing the draw? A trickle charge is meant for extended storage time. If you are charging this in a few hours or overnite, you need a proper charger. Maybe the battery is bad, take it back and have it tested. Make sure all your connections are clean and tight.
Warren
Take your voltmeter meter, check the voltage at the battery after charging it up. Should be about 12.6 volts.
Start the car, with it running, the voltage at the battery should be around 13.4 Volts, showing you that the alternator, although being new, is actually pushing out a charge.
I have this most awesome device for my cigarette lighter. I actually use it as my voltage only gauge now.
I will search through all my bills for that one and hope the warranty is good. Then jack up my ride to get the battery out. I have a proper charger but I was using a battery tender. I thought it was the same thing but I guess not. The good news is my booster works and it got me home. Clean and tight connections ? Well I've replaced to many batteries for the connections to get dirty so maybe I'll tighten them more. Thank you.
Sounds to me like you have a drain on the battery while it sits. While it is parked and fully charged, disconnect the battery until the next time you want to use it, preferably a week or two. . If it cranks over good, you have a drain somewhere. If it won't crank, bad battery.
with everything turned off, disconnect the battery positive and connect a small 12 v light bulb between the + battery post and the positive battery cable. if bulb lights up, you have a drain on the circuit
It all sounds like great advice. Thank you. I will buy a disconnect switch. I had one but gave it to a friend. And I will try to find the drain on the circuit as recommended. Until then, I will disconnect until I get a switch. That device looks neat 123 but I don't have a cigarette lighter. Actually, I don't have much of anything. Just the essentials.
with everything turned off, disconnect the battery positive and connect a small 12 v light bulb between the + battery post and the positive battery cable. if bulb lights up, you have a drain on the circuit
Just to add,, if the bulb or test light lights up start pulling fuses one at time. When the bulb goes out you have found the problem circuit.
So I could use an old 1157 bulb I have had for years ? Or a test light I guess. Thank you Larry.
The disconnect switch is on my next 'go to town' list.
I have to search through paperwork to find the battery bill. That could be worse than solving the circuit issue.
Ah well, here goes. First things first - find the draw.
Turns out that my new alternator is defective so - back to the shop. I'm getting to know the staff in the shops so well they know my name when I walk in - because I keep coming back for the same things !
Is this normal with alternators ? Should I request a one wire ?
I will buy a disconnect switch to replace the one I gave away. Tomorrow I will try a bulb between the battery terminal and the cable to determine if there is a drain somewhere.
I feel I am very close to getting it right. I am on my 3rd regulator. I think we fried the last one. I smelled smoke and it got really hot.
Bill can't figure out what's wrong and he gets really upset so I took him home yesterday and I'm on my own from now on. He kept insisting I get a 1 wire alternator but if I do, all I learn is how to give up. I have a new 1 wire on the bench but I'd rather learn how to do a 3 wire correctly. The 1 wire is my failure option.
My little book is an easy guide but sometimes it leaves me asking questions. One image shows an ignition with about half a dozen connections in the back. But my ignition just has a single bolt extending out of the back of the ignition switch with all the wires on it. How do I connect something that isn't a constant draw if they all connect on the same bolt ?
I understand that I am to take the wire from the 'i' terminal of the regulator and run it to the 'i' terminal on my relay after it passes through the ignition switch and an idiot light. I did that. And my battery is reading 12.4 with everything turned off. But that's as far as I get. If I start the engine, 12.4 doesn't rise. It may have gone to 12.2 - I forget. The idiot light doesn't come on. It did come on when I had the wires run somewhere else but it stayed on so I knew that wasn't correct.
To sum up, my alternator / regulator adventure continues and it is looking kind of bleak but I still like my little hot rod repair guide book. It should get me there eventually.