Really confusing Electrical Problems

[stephan325i]

So i have been searching for answers to my problem/problems for a few weeks now and tried all the ideas i have found with no success.

So here is my problem that i hope i can solve soon, im sick of dealing with it. I have the same problem that i have found in other posts, when i park my truck and shut it off the battery will die within a night, no lights or any other power using accessory on. But it does not happen all the time, and there is no pattern to when it does it. Also... a year ago i replaced the alternator and the new one seemed to be keeping my voltage guage above normal, like 3/4 of the way up instead of 1/2 like it was with the old alternator. After i had the dead battery problem the first time the voltage now jumps around. At idol it is way down, when cruzing its most of the way up.

I have had the battery load tested and the alternator checked out too. Both are good according to napa and weavers.

Some possible solutions that i have found but had no success with:

1) Voltage regulator, this would make sense because of the jumping guage. But doesnt explain why some times it starts and some random times after sitting the battery drains.

2) Bad Relay (possibly fuel pump relay) This is a problem that i have had a problem tracing, it seems that by the time i get around to looking for it the problem is gone. Could use some help tracing this one.

3) Switching some wire from the alternator that goes to a selinoid to the battery instead, but to be 100% honest im not sure what is beiing said in this case. This is supposed to take care of the voltage jumping problem but who knows.

4) the last thing that i thought was a short somewhere, but i tested that extensively and didn't find anything.

Please help me if you can. i dont know if i can deal with this much more.

i appreciate any help i can get.

 

[MrShorty]

The battery in my Explorer used to do that, too. I had it load tested at a parts store, and it tested good. After a couple of months, I had the battery load tested again at a different parts store and it failed. I guess there are a few cases out there where a battery can be bad but still test ok.

 

[mobowhntr]

I had the same problem with my '91 and found it to be the Starter. New starter and haven't had a dead battery since.

 

[stephan325i]

Alright so here is the update for today. I thought that i should take it to have it load tested again and also check the alternator. They all check out for the third time.

As for the starter mobowhntr, that was also replaced around the same time as the alternator. Besides that, the truck has no problems starting when there is a charge on the system. What ever is causing the system drain takes it as far as the door ding doesn't even go off when the door is open with the key in the ignition.

Hope I can get some more help on this one. Specifically in the "bad relays" and the switching the wire from the selinoid to the battery direct.

Thanks again mobowhntr and Mrshorty for taking the time to try to help.

 

[JDraper]

Sounds like you have a relay sticking somewhere and draining the system, or a short in the system somewhere? Has there been any aftermarket installation of electronics?

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! Did you clean the battery terminals? You might have bad cables, or just corroded connections on the battery, cable ends, or frame ground area. An antioxidant solution might be a good thing to use after cleaning the connections.

 

[stephan325i]

JDraper, i do have a sound system in the truck, but when the problem happened the first time and i coldnt find an issue i disconnected every thing thinking that might be the problem, then a couple weeks later the same thing happened, a completely drained battery. I agree with the relay problems, the issue is that I don't know how to test that problem. I have taken all the relays out and shaken them, i pulled the negative without the key in and listened for clicks when i put the negative back on the terminal. With no success. So if any one has an idea i would appreciate some ideas on how to search for this problem.

BrooklynBay, The terminals were cleaned when i put a new battery in. As for the idea of bad cables, is there any ways that bad cables would make my battery drain? I could see bad cables causing it not to start with a charge in the battery, but how would a corroded cable, or bad connection on the end cause the battery to drain over night when the truck is turned off? Not saying your is a bad idea, just looking deeper into it so i understand. I can fix anything on a vehicle, but when it comes to electrical i think we can all agree, its a confusing subject.

Thanks again you two, lets keep digging, well figure this one out eventually, even if i have to re-wire my whole truck. But that doesn't sound like that much fun.

 

[ld50]

4) the last thing that i thought was a short somewhere, but i tested that extensively and didn't find anything.

Just wondering, have you established how much parasitic drain you have right now from your battery?

You need an ammeter/multimeter capable of reading milliamps.
What you do it connect it between your negative (ground wire) and battery. The most option-heavy vehicles will drain no more than 25-35 milliamps from your battery with ignition off, there is a method to setting up this test -how to test here:
Dead Link Removed

If you find that your drain is considerable, it is a matter of pulling fuses until the circuit with the drain is found. You`ll know when, because the drain will dissappear from the ammeter as soon as that particular fuse is pulled. -A helper makes it quicker. If you can nail down which part of your wiring harness is the culprit it makes the diagnosis alot easier.

Electrical problems are very frustrating, but actually very easy to nail down with the right methods.

 

[aldive]

Just wondering, have you established how much parasitic drain you have right now from your battery?

I was wondering the same.

That is always a concern with the boats.

 

[greyboxer]

For what it's worth I used to have a similar problem but it would take 3-4 days of sitting to kill my battery. I knew there was a draw but couldn't find it. As it turned out, and this is kinda stupid, the switch for the glove box light was broken and was stuck "on". Of course I couldn't see it so it took me a while to find it.
If it happened to my '93 it could just as easily happen to someone else's.

 

[xjames]

Checking for unseen lights is a good place to start. A glovebox or underhood light can drain a batt. pretty quick actually, especially if it is a constant drain. I would first disconnect all things that use power when the ignition is off and key removed, ie; radio, parking, interior, brake and headlights. Pulling the fuse on all these components should do the trick. This way, when you perform the test as ID50 suggested, the only drain you should have will be the comp, and your problem. Then with a test light you can chase the voltage right to the culprit. If you are unable to find an excessive drain at this point, you can start reinstalling fuses and see which starts the pull. I have seen faulty headlight switches short internally and cause this same problem.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Excellent link LD50! When I was referring to corroded battery cables, terminals, connections, etc, I was implying that the alternator could be good as well as the battery, but the battery might not be charging properly as a result of these connections. The voltage at the terminals would be correct, but the battery might not see it.

 

[ld50]

Wasn`t trying to steal your thunder, :
-it was just that from his first post it seemed like terminals and such would have already been checked out, unless whoever did the load tests were incompetent. -that made it seem like a drain situation.

 

[stephan325i]

BUMP... Im still having the same problem, jsut thought id see if there were any new "out in left field idea" that i could look into.

 

[fisher972002]

LD 50,
that's a good link with good info, thanks

 

[ld50]

Hey Stephan, so what has been happening for all this time then? You just jumping your battery when it happens?
Did you check for parasitic drain?
Do you have a multimeter yet??
Update us with any troubleshooting you've done in the meantime.........

 

[Tbars4]

....subscribing...

....this has also been a common subject lately and several times has been related to the fuel pump relay being bad....even one that was replaced 2 months ago and had again gone bad...

 

[mobowhntr]

....subscribing...

....this has also been a common subject lately and several times has been related to the fuel pump relay being bad....even one that was replaced 2 months ago and had again gone bad...

Yes that was my post. The new relay started sticking again yesterday, so it lasted a whole week. I went and took the fuse box out and got to the relays and noticed whenever I bumped the middle relay it would click, so I replaced it and as soon as I replaced it the fuel pump relay started working like it should. I am hopeful that it has solved my problem. I am getting tired of shutting off the key and hearing the fuel pump cycle and having to deal with a dead battery if I let it sit more than 24 hours.

 

[Tbars4]

...actually, i think the post was from robnlaurie or something like that...when i have time i have to do the same fix on my project X...i am hoping you found your solution too...please keep us informed as this has been kind of common lately...

...ld50, thanks for your info and that link...

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

I had a similar problem in my Superduty. It turned out to be the alternator. Unfortunately the test the auto parts store only test the battery under load and the alternators charging ability. They can work fine, but if the alternators voltage regulator stays on while the vehicle is off, it will cause a constant 3-4 amp draw. You'll need and amp meter to check it and if you see that 3-4 amp draw with the ignition off, disconnect the harness on the alternator and if the current draw goes away, there's your problem.