Need help on tracking down a short.
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Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 52
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From: lakeland,fl
Need help on tracking down a short.
My wife's '76 has a short or grounded wire somewhere in the system. It is enough to drain the battery in 3-4 days. I put in a new Optima battery in case there was a bad cell in the old one. I think it is coming from a circuit in the interior. I could not find any obvious grounds, mice chewed wire etc in the engine compartment. I am just blanking on a reasonable technique to track down which circuit it could be in. Any help would be appreciated as she will be taking mine if I don't fix hers soon.
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 91
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From: Denver Colorado
Re: Need help on tracking down a short. (bankbadhabits)
pull the positive cable off the battery, hook an amp meter in line between the terminal, and cable. with every thing off, you should have very little current. start pulling fuses one at a time (the clock first, because it always runs) when the current drops off you have found the faulty circut.
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Joined: Sep 2000
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From: Oneida WI
Re: Need help on tracking down a short. (bankbadhabits)
A test light will work also. That's how I found mine. Center rear storage box wasn't shut completely so the light was stayin on.
[Modified by Tom Johnson, 2:10 PM 3/5/2004]
[Modified by Tom Johnson, 2:10 PM 3/5/2004]
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: South Central Louisiana
St. Jude Contributor
Re: Need help on tracking down a short. (Tom Johnson)
Storage compartment light staying on and the interior light delay box going bad are notorious for battery drains. Shorts normally trip fuses. I bet it one of the two mentioned drains.
