BJ Martin wrote:
>
> My '77 spitfire ... is there an easy way to check to see if I have a short
>that is draining the battery between drives? (please respond in simple terms
>as I'm an electrical idiot but I do have a multimeter) thanks, brent
the "amp" setting on the multimeter is your ticket - pull the (+) cable
off the battery and connect one wire from the meter to the (+) post and
connect the other wire to the disconnected battery cable.
With the meter on "amp" setting (you probl'y have to move the test lead
to a different hole on the meter) it will measure the current flow thru
the electrical system. If you have a short or something draining your
battery, it will register as a current draw on the meter.
*** WARNING *** don't try to start the car with the meter in place -
most starters draw more current than the average multimeter can deal
with. Tap the brake pedal or turn the parking lights on/off and see
what the meter reads.
For those of you without a meter, a 12v lightbulb with some wires
soldered on to it in the same configuration will work. Bright light =
current draw.
my old dodge (may she rust in peace) had "old dodge disease" where a lot
of things developed shorts and this was a great way to find them. Pull
fuses one at a time to troubleshoot where the problem might be.
My gut feeling however is that your "4-5 year old" battery is on it's
last whatever. Try leaving the headlights on with the car off for
awhile. a good battery should allow you to "forget" your headlights for
at least 15 - 20 min and still allow you to start the car up.
Here in minnesota I've never seen a 4-5 year old battery that was good
for anything other than $5 off of a new battery at the store.
reg
'74 s - p - i - t 1500
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