Hey guys. I have recently encountered a problem where my battery won't stay charged long and progressively dies. I have a new battery (which I have gotten recharged/tested) at autozone and am told the battery is in good condition. The alt is also a few months old, as well as the voltage regulator so I do not suspect it is that. I have noticed that when I drive turning on the headlights or even turning on a turn signal will almost always cause the radio to turn off then come back on as if it lost power. I am 100% clueless when it comes to electrical issues so I wanted to know what tests can I conduct and how to conduct them to identify the issue.
Electrical Gremlins...are the worst kind... I would start with disconnecting the battery and see if it dies on its own. I see this post is double posted...
Okay I will attempt to do so as soon as autozone opens and I am able to charge my battery. Thanks for the heads up, I deleted the duplicate thread.
Bring the alternator too. Sounds like it is not charging. Sometimes rebuilds are junk. Once you are on the road, it should put out enough power to power the radio and the lights. Check/replace cables and look for a ground strap. Micah
Sounds like a bad connection...Check the wires/connections at the battery side of the starter solenoid. Also check the connections at the ignition switch on the steering column. Source for draining a battery...Something is pulling current/voltage with the key off.Most common culprit is the dome light and or one of the dome light switches in the door jamb. They can short out...They are 40 plus yrs old.. I have seen altenators short internally causing a constant low voltage draw that will kill a battery in a day or two as well...
I'd like to suggest you buy a voltmeter. Set the voltmeter to the ammeter position. Disconnect the negative (black cable of the battery.) With the ignition off, place the probes between the negative side of the battery and the end of the black cable. This will show if you have a current draw. Note: Make sure the voltmeter is set to amps (ammeter position) or else you'll pop the fuse on the voltmeter. As always wear eye protection or a face mask when fiddling with a car battery. If it shows a current draw you can start disconnecting things to see what's causing the draw. Pretty much a two person job.
