At 11:04 AM 1/29/00 +0000, you wrote:
> > Would appreciate some general advice. I suspect that a vehicle is shorting
> > somewhere and draining down the battery. If I place an amp meter
> between the
> > battery positive post and the positive cable should I be able to detect a
> > draw if something is shorting (assuming the ignition key is off)?
> >
> > The only thing that I know of that should be drawing is the memory on the
> > radio - no clock or anything else that should stay on. What would the draw
> > from the radio be? I suspect about 1/10th amp or so.
> >
> > Would appreciate any input. Mark L
>
>Mark,
>You better get a 400 amp ammeter. You will be measuring the starter
>current, if
>you start the car. That is avoided in the normal ammeter circuit. If you
>do not
>start the car, it can work, but make sure you don't exceed the rating of the
>ammeter with whatever you decide to turn on.
>
>Steve
Actually the simplest way to detect a small draw is to disconnect
the positive post from the battery, wire a small 12 volt bulb between the
battery post and the terminal end. If there is a draw, the bulb will
light. Then you start disconnecting items from the power source
connections until the lamp goes out. The last item disconnected is the
draw culprit. Then you get to find out why and fix the problem.
I found that my redundant electronic boxes for ignition ended up
with this kind of a draw. Neither Mfg. could solve the problem, so I had
to invent my own solution. I hope your "problem" is an easier fix.
TomHall
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