Battery Drain

[Mr. Pink]

Okay....I've found I have a pretty significant battery drain. With the Key Off I'm getting a good draw from the battery. I did a circuit test as Pat-In-LA did with Kiwi at the last reunion and pulling the fuses DID NOT isolate what circuit the draw is coming from.

Best I can tell, the draw is coming off the heavy gauge solid Yellow wire that hooks up to the battery side of the starter solenoid. I believe this wire goes to the Fuel Pump Relay but it also seems that this wire may be Hot at all times.....

So, where am I figuring this out wrong? Should I try the same test and pull the Fuel Pump Relay? Could a relay get stuck in the "on" position? I didn't have this issue before doing all the latest work and I did VERY LITTLE with wiring.

[Mr. Pink]

Okay....tried pulling the relay under the driver's seat....no change. The test light still stayed lit.

[Mr. Pink]

Mike - thanks. I'll double check those areas as well. I believe though I may have found the culprit. It looks like I had the alternator wiring reversed. Believe I reversed the Field and Stator wiring.

[Ken Potter]

Wouldn't the horn and the gas tank door / hatch release be live all the time as well?

[Ken Potter]

There's this thing called a switch between the power source, the battery, and the load, such as the horn, fuel door release solenoid, interior lights, etc.

As long as the switches are opened/not pressed, then all is good.

Just wondering since you mentioned the hood lamp and interior lights. Those are switched also... yes?

No big deal.

[Mr. Pink]

Mike (or anyone else)....what is the proper/safe voltage for these batteries when the car is running?

Right now, I'm getting almost 17 volts at the battery with the car running/idling. This is with no accessories on.....I turned on the headlamps and fog lamps and the voltage dropped down into the high 15's. This is on a stock replacement alternator too.

This seems to high and is an overcharging condition. Any thoughts?

[SVO4PWR2]

Should be around 13.0 - 14.9.
Bad regulator ?
Maybe it got spiked with wire crossed?

Or the Boport head does wonders

-RICH-

[SVOeric]

I've had more than one regulator drain the battery...

Make SURE the regulator is grounded.

[Mr. Pink]

I've had more than one regulator drain the battery...

Make SURE the regulator is grounded.

Yeah, its grounded. I've got another one on the shelf I'll throw on the car...at least its another Motorcraft one.

[Srsvo]

My 2 cents: I recently had a serious ,overnight drain and it turned out to be a bad alternator. That was on a 302.

[Mr. Pink]

Thanks. I put the battery on a trickle charger all day and just put it back into the car. I'm going to let it sit overnight and see where I'm at.

Just doing some other reading across the net and it is sounding like it is probably going to be a bad Alternator or Voltage Regulator.....funny thing is I had an electrical issue a couple years ago and it turned out to be the Voltage Regulator....although the Alternator got replaced at the same time.

Always something......

[Erics SVO]

Now wheres the sound clip of the new setup??

[MIKESVO]

Regulator

Jason - -
I'd look at the regulator first. Current can flow backwards and cause the battery to go dead. Had this issue on my Capri RS years ago.
Mike

[Raven855]

For most lead-acid batteries, that's about two minutes from a battery explosion. Stop running it until you fix the charging problem.

The normal Ford charging voltage is between 13.7 and 14.5. GM usually maintains a shorter range: 14.0 - 14.4. Anything over 15 is dangerous.

Mike's right! Fix the over charging right away. The charging rate has changed over the years and is different between manufactures and battery types ie low maintenance, no maintenance and the newer type optima styles. Overcharging will kill the battery and the outgassing and possible explosion are not fun either.

[blueboss]

OMG! I was right!

Someone make a note of this!

Easy big guy.....I'm sure it'll happen at least one more time. Act like you've been here before man. Sheesh....