OK, back to nipples, crap! I meant electrical. :rofl:

Actually had weather that allowed a test drive. Checked the battery voltage after it was off the tender for an hour and had 13.17v, then went on a 20 minute drive with minimal stops only running the heater on low and no other lights or accessories. Shut it down and it restarted with no noticeable starter laboring. Checked the voltage again and it was 13.07.

Check it in the morning and see what it reads.

Also, if your multimeter can read amps, remove the positive lead off the batter and read between the cable and the battery. You should have little to no amperage depending on what stays on while the car is off ie clock or security system. You'll need to make sure the interior lights are off before you do this.

I found a bad relay on a 76 vette that was killing the battery. It was part of the factory alarm system so there was no outward indication that anything was staying on when the car was off. Just had to follow the draw on the power source to its end.

Just checked the battery and it was 12.87v. I'll check again in the morning.When checking for amp draw between battery and positive lead the alarm started chirping real soft at 200u with each increase on the scale it got louder.

This is interesting as I noticed the last time I disconnected and reconnected the battery the alarm didn't trigger as it normally would. So I could have a bad relay in the alarm......possibly one that's the ignition kill circuit? Could this test possibly have reset the system? I doubt I could get that lucky...........but I'd take the win. :D Or a poor alarm ground?

FWIW - It's an older Viper system with shock, motion, ignition kill, and door locks. Time to dig for the alarm manual from twenty plus years ago.........

It's not easy being dump as a stump when it comes to electrical systems. :(

Hmmmm, I'm not sure about the alarm chirping. Were you maxing out the scale as you increased from micro, u, ie did the reading go higher than the scale would allow and that's why you increased the scale?

If nothing else, I'd disconnect the alarm and see if that stops the voltage drop. To me, a 20 year old alarm is nothing but a noise maker. It won't even come close to stopping a thief that wants the car.

Trey, I wasn't focused on the reading when I noticed the alarm, I was listening. I'm guessing I can replicate the condition.

Agree on the alarm system value, but the car thief's we have in our area aren't very sophisticated. The power door locks are the best part of the system. I'll be re-evaluating the system in the near future as I was never impressed with the attention to detail of the original install. The NGR steering wheel quick-release I just installed is a better theft deterrent IMO.

Just check the battery after sitting over night and most of the day without the tender or alarm on and it's reading 12.66v. I'm running the car in to town so I'll check for draw after the trip.

Thanks for the input. :thumbsup:

No starting issues with two restarts on the trip. Checked battery on return 13.44v and after an hour down to 13.08. Watched the volt gauge while driving with heater on low 15.1v, with parking lights or headlights 14.2v. It appears the charging system is OK.

Also checked the battery leads, .6 ohms resistance. Exploration and testing to be continued.............

Okay -- I'll just keep SCUBA diving since you don't seem to need my .02 worth of expertise.


:D

Still waiting for pics. :unibrow:

I haven't forgot........
Holiday stuff was getting in the way of my gear-heading tasks list.

Dawgis - Shouldn't you be tinkering on your friction generators? :D