electrical problem?

[morepowerjoe]

My current car and my old one always charged at around 15 volts. When I had my other 2012 it was like that for 3 years with no problems. Then after I got my new 2012 I used the battery in if for the last year with no problems at the same voltage. So I'm not totally convinced that it ever does drop.

[redcoats1976]

hmmmm...food for thought.it was usually in the 13-14.3 range until last wednesday when i went to start it and it was totally dead.now it starts but 14.7 is higher than it used to be.going to let it sit till next wednesday and see if it turnes up dead or reduced charge then.i have a lot going on till then and have to take my wife to the cardiologist tuesday.im thinking its not the battery because when i swapped in the battery from her car it was still running 14.7 volts

[gtstorey]

Stop worrying so much about charging voltage and concentrate on battery testing.

[Wizard1183]

Originally Posted by gtstorey

Stop worrying so much about charging voltage and concentrate on replacing your battery.

Fify

[redcoats1976]

its been tested at 3 different places but im thinking a short in the battery.charging it all day and then its going to sit unhooked for 3-4 days so i can monitor for voltage drop.with all the crap i got going on i wont be needing it till friday.if its still fully charged then i will hook it back up and see what happens

[Aqua Blue RS/SS]

I would do a parasitic draw test. That will help confirm if it’s in the car or the battery.

[redcoats1976]

how can i do that test?

[gtstorey]

Have you checked voltage drop in any format yet? Either while starting or sitting connected in the car after a day or two or unconnected? If the voltage drops much when sitting connected in the car, either the battery is bad or you have a parasitic draw problem.

It can also be checked with a DVM that measures amperage.

[morepowerjoe]

Originally Posted by redcoats1976

how can i do that test?

Make sure your battery us fully charged.

Step 1: Remove the negative battery cable. You can do the test on the positive cable, but it’s much easier and safer using the negative side.
Step 2: Turn on the multimeter and make sure it’s set for DC, not AC. Choose 10A or 20A and make sure the leads are in the correct locations. Then put one of the multimeter’s leads on the negative battery post and the other on the disconnected battery terminal. Use the zip ties or clamps to keep the leads secure.
Step 3: Start removing and replacing fuses while checking the multimeter for a drop in Amps. Move to the interior fuse panel and check those as well.
Step 4: When you finally pull a fuse that makes the Amps drop significantly, then you have found the culprit. However, keep in mind that this test will point you in the right direction (like the alternator, for example), but you’ll still need to fix the main issue.
Step 5: Replace the negative battery cable

[gtstorey]

Originally Posted by morepowerjoe

Make sure your battery us fully charged.

Step 1: Remove the negative battery cable. You can do the test on the positive cable, but it’s much easier and safer using the negative side.
Step 2: Turn on the multimeter and make sure it’s set for DC, not AC. Choose 10A or 20A and make sure the leads are in the correct locations. Then put one of the multimeter’s leads on the negative battery post and the other on the disconnected battery terminal. Use the zip ties or clamps to keep the leads secure.
Step 3: Start removing and replacing fuses while checking the multimeter for a drop in Amps. Move to the interior fuse panel and check those as well.
Step 4: When you finally pull a fuse that makes the Amps drop significantly, then you have found the culprit. However, keep in mind that this test will point you in the right direction (like the alternator, for example), but you’ll still need to fix the main issue.
Step 5: Replace the negative battery cable

You also may need to wait a few minutes after closing the doors and having the switch off to allow modules to go into "sleep" mode.

[Aqua Blue RS/SS]

I’ll add in some cases I like to leave the doors open and the hood open for 15-20 minutes until the dome lights, headlights, etc. turn off on their own- some will go to sleep like this, some won’t. Key off the whole time of course. ( you leave the doors and such open because if you open the doors and such after it goes to sleep you’ll re awaken everything and have to start all over-more on that below) You can’t do the test right away because there are modules/other circuits that stay active for a little bit until the whole thing goes to sleep. Anything over 70-80 Miliamps with everything asleep is pushing it as far as parasitic draw goes.

[redcoats1976]

update...took it out for a little ride,about 30 miles.when it started up voltage was 14.4.by the time i got to the end of the street it was 12.5 or 12.6.so i figured it was not charging and this would be the time to have everything checked out.would you believe it all passed?guy at autozone looked at the car and said"brand new car like that,id just let the dealer cover it under warranty" nice to hear since its 9 years old...so i put all the crap back in the trunk,gonna see what happens next.maybe one of the modules had trouble sleeping ? the wife said you just werent supposed to go out that day.who knows? at least if its dead again in a few days i will know how to start looking for the culprit...

[gtstorey]

Have you forgotten the discussion about your alternator from June of last year? It's normal for the voltage to fluctuate while driving.

https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showt...light=charging

Which leads to post #7 of https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245282

and to post 12 of https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76484

[redcoats1976]

i remember this,and im hoping that the incident was just a freak thing and the gauge showing 12.5-12.6 means all is good.put all my crap back in the trunk and hoping for the best...