Car died, in my last post I thought my alternator was bad, went and bought a new one, jumped it. It ran and I watche the battery guage drop until it died. Checked a lot of grounds, and charged the battery at autozone, they talked about parasitic amp draw. Well the battery lasted me halfway home, and shut off, all lights on and fine, wouldn't start, switched fuel tanks, smelled gas and nothing, it eventually started and ran for 5 seconds an died. I'm thinking fuel pump is draining battery or over amping and draining the battery enough so alternator can't charge the battery. Suggestions please
If it was your fuel pump, I'd think it would blow the fuse. Check that your fuses are the of the correct rating, then take an amp draw with the key on and the engine off, on your main supply, then with the engine running to see what you've got for an amp draw.
Can I check amp draw where the fuses are plugged in or do I physically have to be on top of the parts? And I didn't see that this topic posted. I said the same thing in my last response to my other thread.
I've been looking around and I see how to test it. I'm not by my truck right now. And everything I'm reading is for a slow battery drain over a day or 2. My battery is dying within an hour. Like 10miles of driving. I can witness how fast it's draining.
Do you have an amp meter? A clamp style. Take the amperage from the hot wire from the battery and the amp draw from the alternator. The added value should be the total (approx) amp draw of your truck.
Yes I do. And do I do this while it's running? And put the clamp around the hot wire closest to battery, and the neutral wire that plugs onto the alternator?
Hello TKO: Anything drawing enough amperage to cause your battery to drain in minutes should cause a fuse or fusible link to "blow". How old is your battery and was it tested when you charged it? Follow Cat Skinner's advice, check for excessive current flow, but don't forget to check simple things first.
Never known a good battery to drain in such a short time whilst driving . Checking for a parasitic drain wouldn't apply in this case it's so bad . Only thing I can think off if battery had dud cell/s it wouldn't hold a charge and alternator would be battering it's brains in trying to keep up with the drain .
The battery is used from autozone. I can always put another one in and is there a way to test If a cell is dead? And I will check amps. I have to tow it home after work. Bringing starter up to autozone to test it also. And a little light couldn't pull that much could it? Or maybe the cell just died in the battery and wouldn't charge anymore. Thanks for the replies. Just getting a list of things to try after work
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