peteryjg2008

It happened two times in the last week that the battery was out of power, and I had to use jumper to start the car. Does this battery need to be replaced? By the way, the weather became cold at last weekend.

Thank you in advance!

jwko

If the alternator is charging I'd say replace the battery

SHOZ123

Assuming there is not some excessive parasitic current draw when the car is sitting turned off and the alternator is good yes the battery is bad. But I would not just change it out.

You need to test the alternator/battery voltage and test the current draw after the car has set for an hour or so. The current draw should be less than 50mA. The battery voltage when the car is running with as many electrical loads that you can apply and at 1500 rpms should be over 14 volts.

peteryjg2008

Thank you guys. I will check them ant report the results.

SHOZ123

If you check the current draw the meter has to be connected and them let the car sit for a hour so all the modules time out and go to "sleep".

It's also informative to check the voltage of the battery after you have shut off the car for 15 minutes and then again after the car has set for 8 hours or so.

barbaro1

My car would not start if I don't use it for 2-3 days then I give it a boost and it will start everytime. Usually on Mondays after the car have been sitting for the whole week-end it will not start. I took the battery to charge and they told me at Autozone that the battery was good. I had this battery for 3 years and it is guaranteed for 6 years. I think i have a small drain. Can anyone tell me how do I go about finding if I have a drain in my battery. How do I measure this small drain and where should I check for battery drain. Any help would be appreciated.

SHOZ123

Use an amp meter between the negative cable and the negative post on the battery. Then start pulling fuses. 50mA is the normal draw after all the modules have timed out (about 5-15 minutes).

barbaro1

Thank you for your response. If I understand you correctly... after I connect the ampmeter between the negative battery cable and the negative batery post, the current should be less than 50mA. What do I do if it is higher?.... Do I then pull fuses or one at a time?... If I find the fuse that is carrying a higher than 50 mA current, then what do I do? How do I fix it. How do I use the ampmeter to diagnose the circuit?

I will appreciate if you could take me through the diagnostic steps. It is the first time I am attempting to do this.

tbird100636

See my reply in your own thread.

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Master ASE Certified L1 Chrysler Technician- still a Ford fan at heart.
1964 Thunderbird Hardtop- Chantily Beige- 390 FE 4V V8-Uncle's Car
1966 Thunderbird Convertible- Red- 390 FE 4V V8- Uncle's other car- waiting for paint and body work!!!
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