Electrical Drain

[boosd]

I have had a drain for quite some time, after the car sits for a month or so it is usually dead or close to, and if i let it get that far it usually does not recharge well and will end up dying on me on the road. Every year or so the alternator goes bad and has to be replaced. I have gone through probably about 6 alternators in 8 years, the only reason I have never addressed the problem is the combination of not knowing where to begin on tracking an electrical drain (that eventually ruins my alternator) and i have lifetime replacement on my alternator, so its always been cheaper this way. But i would like to get things working correctly and am looking for advice on how/where to begin.

Thanks

[madkaw]

Does the battery leads spark when connecting them?

If so, methodically pull fuses one at a time until connecting the battery does not create a spark. Then you have narrowed the system down of the drain.

[Zed Head]

What year/type of car? Has it been modified at all?

[boosd]

i will try the fuses soon, i did notice the radio fuse sparked when i pulled it the other day, or rather when i put it back in. it is an early 74 260z, aftermarket radio, holley 4 barrel

[madkaw]

DING DING DING we have a winner. After market stereo wouldnt have a sub or separate power amp? If so - disconnect and try the battery test for spark. I have personally had an amp shorting to ground and still worked, but played havoc with all my electrical stuff

[SteveJ]

Does it have an internally regulated alternator? The 73 & 74 had the power for the fuel pump relay coming off the alternator but before the voltage regulator. Replacing this with an internally regulated alternator would keep the coil for the fuel pump relay energized all of the time. This will cause a slow drain on the battery.

[boosd]

How would I know if it is internally regulated?

I did disconnect the amp and now the radio fuse is not sparking, so what does this indicate? Does it mean the bolt it is using to ground is insufficient? Or that another wire is touching metal that shouldn't be?

Thanks for your help, atleast now I inderstand what is causing this problem I've been having for years.

[SteveJ]

If your car doesn't have a voltage regulator, it has an internally regulated alternator. A voltage regulator is a small box with wires coming out of it mounted om the right side of the engine bay near the alternator. Google 260Z voltage regulator and look at the images. I even saw one picture of the VR mounted in the engine bay.

[madkaw]

How would I know if it is internally regulated?

I did disconnect the amp and now the radio fuse is not sparking, so what does this indicate? Does it mean the bolt it is using to ground is insufficient? Or that another wire is touching metal that shouldn't be?

Thanks for your help, atleast now I inderstand what is causing this problem I've been having for years.

It might mean that the amp is internally grounding and causing a drain. In my case the amp was junk and I took it out. I was running a sub/amp and for some reason it was grounding. You could have a bare wire somewhere, but I think that would blow the fuse.

If the power is turned off on the amp and you hook it up and it cause a spark, then somethings wrong.

[240260280z]

Does it have an internally regulated alternator? The 73 & 74 had the power for the fuel pump relay coming off the alternator but before the voltage regulator. Replacing this with an internally regulated alternator would keep the coil for the fuel pump relay energized all of the time. This will cause a slow drain on the battery.

Sherlock Holmes are you!!!!

[boosd]

So took out the amp, and my amp meter is still slightly below 0, and when the lights turn on it drops even further below 0...

Suggestions?

[beermanpete]

The sparking on your radio fuse might not be caused by key-off drain. It could be caused by a capacitor charging up when you install the fuse. To check for key-off drain you need an ammeter that has a full scale sensitivity of 200 or 300 milliamps. Connect the meter in series with the battery and measure the current draw. It should be no more that 20 or 30 milliamps.

The components that will draw a little current when the car is off are:

a modern radio with a clock and memory for preset stations

the original clock

an alarm

The alternator will not draw any current unless it is bad.

If the key-off drain is too high disconnect components one at a time while measuring the current drain to isolate the problem.

Also, the battery could be the problem and you cannot measure its internal self-dischage. To test the battery unhook it for a few weeks and see if the voltage drops after sitting during that time. If the outside of the battery is very dirty it could cause a leakage path. Make sure the battery is clean.