What are the odds???

[batstiva]

What are the odds that I ended up with 2 bad batteries in a row?

Slick has been having some issues. Started back in late summer/early fall. If he sat for more than two days, no start. Jumped him, verified that the alt. was doing its job. 14.75 VDC at idle, with nothing on. 14.35 VDC at idle, with everything on. Okay, alts working. Shut the car off. Verify I have no draw on any fuses under the dash. Leave the car alone for two days, won't start. Battery voltage less than 4 VDC. Jump him again, verify the alt is working, and voltage across the battery is well within spec. Shut the car off, verify good voltage at shutoff. Disconnect the battery from the car, leave it alone for 2 days. Check voltage- battery sits at 3.9 VDC. Take the battery back to AZ, have them test it. Result- battery is crap. Take delivery of new battery, bring it home, slap it into Slick. 2 days later, battery is dead. Re-verify that charging system is working, and battery is above 12 VDC after shutoff. Disconnect the battery from the car, leave it alone for 2 days, check it, and voltage reading is 2.91 VDC. The voltage starts dropping within minutes of shutoff, and is below 12 VDC within 30 minutes. Still have no draw on the fuses when the car is off.

So, I'll be packing up my less than 1 month old battery, and heading back to AZ. At least at this point each new battery is free, but damn.

[eurotiva]

I've had a few die recently too.

[batstiva]

Okay, well it may not all be the battery's fault. Went out and double/triple checked, and I have intermittent current draw on two fuses. Meter and Engine. Comes and goes. So, now I get the pleasure of hunting that down.

The battery still has issues, as it dies even when not connected to the car. Double

[Pu241]

You got electrical schematics?

Battery dying when not connected to the car is an internal short.
Does the battery get hot?
Did they perform a load test on it?

[FestYboy]

also check that your alt isn't introducing AC into your system, this can kill a battery nearly instantly.

[batstiva]

You got electrical schematics?

Battery dying when not connected to the car is an internal short.
Does the battery get hot?
Did they perform a load test on it?

Yeah, I got schematics. Battery does not get hot. Have not had the new one tested, but the old one failed epically.

also check that your alt isn't introducing AC into your system, this can kill a battery nearly instantly.

No AC present.

Think I may have found the car's issue this morning, if not the battery's issue. Pulled my links, found the center one had cracked, and a fair bit of moisture was present on the prongs. Going to let them all dry out, hit them with an emery board, and see what happens. Definitely looks like enough water to allow them to short off each other. Guess we'll see. Getting ready to head to work, so probably won't get anymore done until tomorrow.

[Pu241]

Yeah, I got schematics. Battery does not get hot. Have not had the new one tested, but the old one failed epically..

Make sure they load test it, but for it to be a valid test the battery needs to be fully charged. Which might be difficult given the issue.

Think I may have found the car's issue this morning, if not the battery's issue. Pulled my links, found the center one had cracked, and a fair bit of moisture was present on the prongs. Going to let them all dry out, hit them with an emery board, and see what happens. Definitely looks like enough water to allow them to short off each other. Guess we'll see. Getting ready to head to work, so probably won't get anymore done until tomorrow.

Replace links with cartridge fuses!
clean them up and hit them with WD40 which is what it was designed for!

[batstiva]

Already had cartridges in there, the plastic on the center one is what was cracked. It's marinating in WD-40 as we speak. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

[drddan]

WD-40 FTW!
Water Displacement (on) 40th try

Invented by an aircraft chemical company to displace moisture on aircraft componet parts. The employees were using it and taking it home, The employees were like, This Is Amazing Stuff. You should market it. So they did.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/t...ho-knew-017233

There is a nice list of "other" uses for WD-40 here too.

Couldnt seem to find the original story I read. It said they had tried 39 times, and were going to give up, thought they'd try this one last formula.....Voila! WD-40!

[batstiva]

So far, it appears to be problem solved. New battery. Old one failed AZ's test. Dried out and cleaned up fusible links, and replaced with new cartridges. Also changed out battery cable terminals (just because). Have gone out randomly over the last hour or so. No voltage loss on the battery, and no current draw on the two fuses that had been my problem children. Guess at this point, I'll leave it alone til tomorrow, and we'll see what happens when I turn the key.

Should have known, as a former cable guy, that 99.999 percent of current draw issues with DC voltage always comes back to water.

[denguy]

I carry a can of WD40 in the car. My 92 Festy would die if I was following another car too closely in heavy rain. Spraying the dizzy and plug wires would soon get it going again.

[Pu241]

I carry a can of WD40 in the car. My 92 Festy would die if I was following another car too closely in heavy rain. Spraying the dizzy and plug wires would soon get it going again.

That's because your sparkplug wires need changed.
When they get really bad, in the FL high humidity, the car wont start.

[navdoc101]

Odds

Glad you got that issue fixed! GREAT artical on WD40 Drd!!! I saved it in my favorites. :wav:

[denguy]

I have DEKA battery dist. in my area. Really good batteries for everything.