Battery discharge
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
If you put the #14 black ground on the pos. term it will start fine.It will however give you a bad short.The #14 black wire is the ground for the wiper motor and the blower motor.If you have a 12 test light see if the wiper motor case is hot.If it is you have the wire on the pos. term.Remove it and put it on one of the starter bolts or bellhousing bolt.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,696
Likes: 10
Ok I went out and worked on th ecar for a bit and here is what I found.
The AC Delco starter I recently put on has 3 terminals on the solenoid, 2 small and one larger one (for the main power wire from the battery). I found a small black wire attached to the bottom of the housing on the starter as well. There are 3 small wires plus the main power wire attached to these three posts. One of the small wires is attached to each post with the main power wire also attached to the middle (larger) post. When I removed the small wire that was attached to the same post as the main power wire I no longer had draw on the battery.
I traced the 3 small wires to (a) the blower motor, (b) the coil and (c) wiper motor. I have to double check b and c in the morning as the wires were wrapped up together and I have to unwrap them to make sure that is correct.
This tells me that one of the three items above is pulling current when the battery is connected. My guess is it is the wiper motor. My question is this, if it is the wiper motor can I simply take the wire and remove it from the post that the main power wire is on to the same post as the blower motor on the solenoid or would this do some damage?
Thanks guys sorry for the long post, I appreciate any help or advice!
The AC Delco starter I recently put on has 3 terminals on the solenoid, 2 small and one larger one (for the main power wire from the battery). I found a small black wire attached to the bottom of the housing on the starter as well. There are 3 small wires plus the main power wire attached to these three posts. One of the small wires is attached to each post with the main power wire also attached to the middle (larger) post. When I removed the small wire that was attached to the same post as the main power wire I no longer had draw on the battery.
I traced the 3 small wires to (a) the blower motor, (b) the coil and (c) wiper motor. I have to double check b and c in the morning as the wires were wrapped up together and I have to unwrap them to make sure that is correct.
This tells me that one of the three items above is pulling current when the battery is connected. My guess is it is the wiper motor. My question is this, if it is the wiper motor can I simply take the wire and remove it from the post that the main power wire is on to the same post as the blower motor on the solenoid or would this do some damage?
Thanks guys sorry for the long post, I appreciate any help or advice!
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 2,337
Likes: 14
From: Norfolk VA
Your on the wrong scale to measure draw.You should be on the amp. scale but if you have a draw you will probably blow the internal fuse in your tester.---I always start out my draw testing with a standard 12 volt test light.Use it the same way your using your meter if the light lights you have a draw-work until you get no light then if you want to use your meter to check for very low draw then you wont blow the internal fuse.
If you have a draw with all fuses out and you have recently installed your starter then check to make sure you didnt put the black #14ground lead on the pos. term. of the solenoid.
If you have a draw with all fuses out and you have recently installed your starter then check to make sure you didnt put the black #14ground lead on the pos. term. of the solenoid.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
I believe at this point I have eliminated the clock, cig lighter and the rear compartment light. I removed the drivers side front door post courtesy switch. I hooked the negative cable back up to the battery. I rezeroed the meter (it is a clamp on) and fastened it to the negative cable. Once fastened to the cable I see .06 on the meter on a 40 amp scale. If I fasten a jumper wire to the courtesy lamp switch barrel that is removed from the door post & touch a grounded screw in the sill plate, the reading jumps to 1.78. If I push the lighter in, it jumps to over 7 amps. With the switch screwed back into the door post and the doors closed, I see .023. If I have the courtesy lamp bulbs removed from their sockets & insert them one at a time, the reading jumps about .60 each time. I just realized now that those figures don't add up. My courtesy lamp sockets aren't the best anymore but moving them around didn't change my readings at all. I would like to replace them if I could find them. I'm guessing at this point it must be a wire problem. I wouldn't think those bulbs should draw 1/2 amp each.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,696
Likes: 10
Well I followed the red wire to the horn relay on the drive side of the engine compartment. Where this wire attaches to the relay there is another red wire going back into the cabin of the car. When I removed the wire going into the cabin from th erelay I have no more draw on th ebattery, so I now have to follow this wire and see where it goes. From what I can see it goes into the steering column and I'm guessing there is some sort of horn switch that is probably messed up. Any thoughts?
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
Well I followed the red wire to the horn relay on the drive side of the engine compartment. Where this wire attaches to the relay there is another red wire going back into the cabin of the car. When I removed the wire going into the cabin from th erelay I have no more draw on th ebattery, so I now have to follow this wire and see where it goes. From what I can see it goes into the steering column and I'm guessing there is some sort of horn switch that is probably messed up. Any thoughts?
Last edited by ...Roger...; May 20, 2007 at 02:46 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,696
Likes: 10
Yeah sorry for highjacking your thread, I only did it b/c it was the same type of issue and I thought it might be able to help Amature as well. So far no luck, I've rule out the following things by disconecting them one at a time and then testing the battery for draw, clutch safety switch, stop light switch, ignition switch connection and the group that has the key warning/horn switch and directionals. I am actually more frustraited today then before now that ive gone through all of this and found nothing. Any suggestions?
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Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 16,528
Likes: 53
From: Dayton, Ohio
I've had the same problem and actually went fuse by fuse this morning, couldn't find a simgle problem. Right now the car is sitting with every fuse pulled out of the box on the driver side foot area and I'm still seeing a 12.26 volt draw when I hook my tester up between the positive cable and battery. Is there a secondary fuse box or am I jus tmissing soemthing? Should I be testing for something other than volts with my multi-tester? Thanks!
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,696
Likes: 10
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
You need the multimeter set to AMPS, highest range it has to start, then step it down if necessary.
Be carefull, you can smoke your meter doing this test if your not careful. Make sure everything is turned off, tape down the door switches, pull the cig lighter. What your looking to measure it the possible current draw off the battery with everything shut down. It should be something umder 100 miliamps, but start with the meter set to the 10 amp scale and connect it between the + battery cable and the + terminal on the battery so tat the meter itself completes the circuit
Be carefull, you can smoke your meter doing this test if your not careful. Make sure everything is turned off, tape down the door switches, pull the cig lighter. What your looking to measure it the possible current draw off the battery with everything shut down. It should be something umder 100 miliamps, but start with the meter set to the 10 amp scale and connect it between the + battery cable and the + terminal on the battery so tat the meter itself completes the circuit
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,696
Likes: 10
I did that earlier with everythnig out and found it to be (with 200milliam setting) like 0.7 if I remember correctly, is this ok or is it still drawing? I can run outside real quick and double check if you'd like.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
With the meter set to the 200Ma settind and a reading of only .7 your good to go, that is well under the limit, its just a trickle.
Start hooking everything back up and reinstalling the fuses and check with item reinstalled.
Start hooking everything back up and reinstalling the fuses and check with item reinstalled.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
From: Twin Lake Mi
This is making me feel real stupid. I may not have had a problem at all. I put in a new battery last October. This battery was built in Feb. of 2006. Once I put it in, the car sat most of the winter. I did start it a couple of times but had to put the charger on each time. I started assuming there was a bad short somewhere. I did put the light tester on between the Neg. terminal of the battery & the negative cable. The light did not come on. I was encouraged to let the charger run for at least 12 hours, which I believe I only charged the battery for about 5 hrs. Normally I will replace a battery in the spring. I start to drive the car at that point so I never have a low charge condidtion. More gray mater not functioning as it should anymore I guess. I did learn from all the good suggestions though. Thanks for the input.
