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battery draw test procedure question

Old Mar 5, 2008 | 11:03 PM
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Default battery draw test procedure question

i think my red top has shot craps because it can not hold a charge for more than two days, but i am going to charge it back up and read the voltage across it and put an ammeter in series to test for an abnormal current draw. now my question is that i have i know i have to wait until sleep mode to test the current draw and make sure the hood light is pulled, how do i open the p side door and pull the inside fuses to check circuits if i notice a greater than 25ma draw ? does this not take it out of sleep mode or do i have to disconnect the interior light too? also, i am looking at a napa battery to replace the red top at about half the price. anyone got recommendations as to a cost effective battery to put in if that is what it turns out to be? consumer reports recommends a die hard which is another option. you comments and recommendations will be appreciated.

thanks
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Old Mar 5, 2008 | 11:37 PM
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I had a red top that was bad as well. After putting it on the charger for a day, it wouldn't hold overnight. If you think the battery is bad, go to a local auto parts store and they'll probably test everything in the car for nothing.

I took the car to Advance Auto, and they had a device that tested the charging system and the battery. The battery was bad, so they replaced it.
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Old Mar 6, 2008 | 01:32 PM
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Originally Posted by bluvette79
i think my red top has shot craps because it can not hold a charge for more than two days, but i am going to charge it back up and read the voltage across it and put an ammeter in series to test for an abnormal current draw. now my question is that i have i know i have to wait until sleep mode to test the current draw and make sure the hood light is pulled, how do i open the p side door and pull the inside fuses to check circuits if i notice a greater than 25ma draw ? does this not take it out of sleep mode or do i have to disconnect the interior light too? also, i am looking at a napa battery to replace the red top at about half the price. anyone got recommendations as to a cost effective battery to put in if that is what it turns out to be? consumer reports recommends a die hard which is another option. you comments and recommendations will be appreciated.

thanks
I've not tried it but I think you could put your ampmeter inline and then just wait for sleep mode, leave the hood open and the doors open. In a few minutes (10 if I recall correctly) all the lights should go out. Then you can read the ampmeter and if it's higher than 25ma then start pulling fusses to find the bad circuit. Let us know if that works, it should.
DocOhm
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Old Mar 6, 2008 | 02:51 PM
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thanks, i'll give it a try!
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Old Mar 6, 2008 | 04:21 PM
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i put my ammeter in series, opened a door and waited and the vette went to sleep before i did with the door open. my current draw dropped to between 70-80ma. i guess it should be around 25ma so i got some fuses to remove the battery dropped a volt during the waiting to go to sleep process so now i am going to keep it disconnected and check it in a couple of days (going out of town) to see if it holds a charge. my guess is that with an 80ma draw it wouldn't go dead in 3 days so i may have a bad battery as well as a current draw problem!

any ideas on suspect circuits?
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