[DeTomaso] Battery Power Loss

[doug351c]

Sean,

Car batteries typically have about 80 ampere-hours in them when charged so a
250 mA draw will drain a car battery in about 320 hours or about two weeks,
which is not good.  I'd take all the fuses out (keep track of which one goes
where where though) and try the meter test again.  You may have skipped a
fuse and taking them all out will rule out this possibility.  If you still
get a 250 mA draw then disconnect the alternator.  Since your needle is
pegging quickly, be sure to not leave the meter connected very long our
you'll blow its internal fuse (or if it doesn't have an internal fuse you
may damage the meter).

Doug

 -----Original Message-----
From: sean mundy [mailto:seanmundy at hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2011 9:22 PM
To: rob at dumoulins.net
Cc: doug351c at gmail.com; mikeldrew at aol.com; detomaso at realbig.com
Subject: RE: [DeTomaso] Battery Power Loss


  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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  Rob DuMoulin
  904.476.8744
  rob at dumoulins.net