[DeTomaso] Battery Power Loss

[sean mundy]

It doesn't have any other setting on it.  If there isn't supposed to be any current flow then I guess it shouldn't peg the needle anyways ?   I tested the multimeter at this setting with a 1.5 battery and a small electric motor just to see if it worked so I know them mm isn't broken.   


Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2011 00:04:10 -0500
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Battery Power Loss
From: rob at dumoulins.net
To: seanmundy at hotmail.com
CC: doug351c at gmail.com; mikeldrew at aol.com; detomaso at realbig.com

I don't have mine in front of me, but isn't mA Milliamps or 1/1000 of an amp?  You want Amps instead.


On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 11:52 PM, sean mundy <seanmundy at hotmail.com> wrote:


Tonight I removed one fuse then closed the door.  Using a Craftsman Analog Multimeter #82411 set on mA DC 250.   When I touch the mm leads to the negative cable and the other to the negative battery post the mm needle pegs.  I didn't hold it on very long just sort of tapped it so the needle on the mm just bounced.  Does this mean I have a BIG current draw?  I repeated this step with every fuse and same result each time.  Does this mean its the alternator causing the draw?
If I disconnect the alternator and measure again will that work?




> From: doug351c at gmail.com
> To: seanmundy at hotmail.com; mikeldrew at aol.com; detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: RE: [DeTomaso] Battery Power Loss
> Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 14:55:32 -0800
>
> Sean,
>
> Set your multimeter to its current reading mode and start out using it's
> highest Amps scale or you may blow its internal current fuse. Disconnect
> the negative battery cable and connect your multimeter's leads between the
> just removed negative battery cable and the battery's negative terminal.
> Then get into the car with the door closed (as Mike suggests) and pull the
> fuses one by one.
>
> Doug Braun
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com
> [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]On Behalf Of sean mundy
> Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 2:35 PM
> To: mikeldrew at aol.com; detomaso at realbig.com
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Battery Power Loss
>
>
>
> Thanks Mike, sounds like a good info to start with. Now I have to figure
> out how to use a multimeter.
>
>
>
> From: MikeLDrew at aol.com
> Date: Mon, 3 Jan 2011 17:11:58 -0500
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Battery Power Loss
> To: seanmundy at hotmail.com; detomaso at realbig.com
>
>
> In a message dated 1/3/11 14 04 9, seanmundy at hotmail.com writes:
>
>
>
> Suggestions on how/where do I begin figuring out the exact cause? Electric
> stuff scares me.
>
>
> Frightens me no end, too.
>
> Bill Taylor will be able to explain this much better than I do. You can set
> your multimeter to register the power draw on the battery. With a helper
> manning the multimeter, get inside the car and close the door (to extinguish
> the dome light). With the key turned off, there should be zero current
> flowing, but probably, there will be, if you have an electrical 'leak'.
> Now, one at a time, remove and replace each fuse. Eventually, if you're
> lucky, you'll pull a fuse and the leak will drop to zero. You've now
> isolated the fuse that is contributing to the problem.
>
> Then, it's a matter of isolating the various circuits on that fuse to find
> the culprit.
>
> You may find that the pull-the-fuse trick doesn't work; that would then
> indicate that the culprit is an unfused thing. I vaguely recall hearing
> that the alternator can fritz out and cause such a draw?
>
> Okay, we've rapidly reached the end of my knowledge on this topic! Somebody
> else, please weigh in with an actual, informed step-by-step procedure!
>
> Mike
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