ah, battery is dead again. Can I watch it charge with a multimeter?
01-10-2009, 01:33 PM
#1
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ah, battery is dead again. Can I watch it charge with a multimeter?
I guess I have a short somewhere, once in awhile my battery just goes dead. I used to be a slow drain and would take a week or so for the battery to go dead, I bought a new battery but that didn't help. So, I would just make sure to drive the car every few days. I checked the battery yesterday and it was at 12v. I just went out to go start it and I don't even have dome lights, the voltmeter doesnt even move. Ugh. I hate being stuck up at school with no tools.
I tried jumping it but after 4-5 minutes it still wasn't showing any signs of life. If I jump the car, can I check it while its charging with a multimeter?
I tried jumping it but after 4-5 minutes it still wasn't showing any signs of life. If I jump the car, can I check it while its charging with a multimeter?
01-10-2009, 01:36 PM
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you need to measure cranking amps, not volts, sounds like you have an alternator issue
autozone has a battery tester if you really want to check that out.
01-10-2009, 01:45 PM
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the alternator charges the battery
have it tested to see if it can hold a charge. You said the new battery still keeps dying on you right? So you know the battery is probably fine. The battery starts the car, but relies on the alternator to run the car and recharge the battery.
01-10-2009, 01:54 PM
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When the car is running it shows that I'm getting ~15v. It might be something with the alternator
but I'm assuming its some kind of parasitic drain. It has been sitting for 6 days. On day 5 it all the electrical goodies worked and the voltmeter showed 12v and then a few hours later its totally dead? Can batteries go from working to not working that fast?
01-10-2009, 01:59 PM
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15v is high....sounds like the alternator
<ul><li><a href="http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Projects/Alternator/Alternator.htm">http://www3.telus.net/chemelec/Projects/Alternator/Alternator.htm</a</li></ul>
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01-10-2009, 06:21 PM
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Nitpick: The alternator does NOT "charge" the battery.
They are <b>not</b> battery chargers and will promptly burn up if you treat it as such.
The alternator runs the car and it does so by running 13-15 volts through the battery to the vehicle's power supply.
A nice "side effect" is a battery that gets charged.
But don't try to charge a battery with an alternator or the strain will be too great and you will find yourself poorer.
The alternator runs the car and it does so by running 13-15 volts through the battery to the vehicle's power supply.
A nice "side effect" is a battery that gets charged.
But don't try to charge a battery with an alternator or the strain will be too great and you will find yourself poorer.