Battery draining fast

-
Bud27

Bud27

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
156
Reaction score
10
Location
West LA
I just bought my daughter a 65 Barracuda was transported from Sacramento to Los Angeles . Off the truck it started up with some hesitation but ran . Parked it and woke daughter up she drove it . The next day it was what I thought flooding . Did research and replaced resistor ballast and she started right up . Took most of the connection apart cleaned and replaced . Now the battery is draining really quick . I tested the alternator and its hot with the keys out of ignition at the post . Any suggestions

Thanks Bud27
 
Hi,

I would disconnect the negative battery cable terminal at the battery until you find out what is going on. You could be risking a fire right now.

It sounds like something is not right at the alternator. Either some shorted diodes or perhaps something around the alternator output stud insulator that may have gone wrong as you were cleaning connections. There is a fusible link that should be between the battery and alternator to prevent fires but, many times it get replaced by a plain piece of wire. Disconnect the battery until you get the problem solved!
 
The large BATT post on the alternator is supposed to be hot at all times. There could be a short inside the alternator. This is one of the most overlooked or unsuspected locations too.
 
^^^ As above....The battery and alternator main output are always connected.

Get a voltmeter and disconnect the battery. Test the battery voltage every hour for a few hours. It should be steady after a while; if it keeps going down, then the battery is internally shorted.

If battery test OK as above, then just pull all fuses and start disconnecting things and monitor the battery voltage as it drops. When you get to the item that is on, then the battery voltage will stop dropping.

An easier to see indicator that may be worth trying is to put a headlight in series with the battery negative lead to chassis or block; it will glow with the current draw. (You can just disconnect the left headlight and jumper to one of the 2 filaments.) Then disconnect things 'til it stops glowing.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I did disconnect the battery last night . I had that horrible thought it might go up in flames . Spent Christmas Day cleaning the engine compartment .
Yesterday trying to figure it out . I may have shorted the alternator .Maybe one of you veterans could tell me the harness at the generator there was a purple wire that goes to a temperature sender I think . A green wire to the alternator and back to the regulator on the firewall . There was another green wire that looked like it was cut and was the exact length of the grn wire on the regulator I sliced them together and plugged both greens to the alternator . Can any one tell me what that 2nd green wire is supposed to be connected to.

Thanks Bud27
 
Purple is in fact temp sender. That year model alternator should be a round back casting and have only 1 field terminal connection in fact a green wire. All too often the charging system is upgraded to square back isolated field with solid state regulator which would have a second field terminal and additional blue wire.
If nothing has been altered/upgraded I cant say what a second green wire might have been for. If the horn relay is right out in front of the alternator on the radiator support a wire would jump from alternator to there but it would be a short wire and probably black instead of green.
Most importantly undo what you did before you screw up something more seriously.
 
Let us help you sort it before you hook up this and that.
Questions and especially pictures are the way. So my questions... Is your voltage regulator small rectangular, blue wire at top, green wire at bottom ?
Does your alternator have only 1 small field terminal ?
 
RedFish said:
Let us help you sort it before you hook up this and that.
Questions and especially pictures are the way. So my questions... Is your voltage regulator small rectangular, blue wire at top, green wire at bottom ?
Does your alternator have only 1 small field terminal ?
Click to expand...

Yes regulator is black located top of drivers side on the fire wall and yes black wire to the post and green to the only field .
 
Pictures of the regulator wiring and the back of the alternator may help everyone understand what is in your car. I too, don't know what that second green wire might be. One thing for sure about old cars is that things get changed and rewired often by people who don't really understand what they are working on. If you did accidently short the alternator output stud you may have blown the fusible link in the charging circuit.

You're going to need a meter to make some voltage measurements and trace around some of the wiring paths. Do you have a meter?
 
Ok the alternator regulator has a green wire on a screw type connector on the very top and the other green wire goes to a clip looking connector on the left side of the regulator. The blue wire is attached at the bottom . Could this be for a alternator with two fields ? The regulator is newer and looks like its been replaced.
 
Pete in NH said:
Pictures of the regulator wiring and the back of the alternator may help everyone understand what is in your car. I too, don't know what that second green wire might be. One thing for sure about old cars is that things get changed and rewired often by people who don't really understand what they are working on. If you did accidently short the alternator output stud you may have blown the fusible link in the charging circuit.

You're going to need a meter to make some voltage measurements and trace around some of the wiring paths. Do you have a meter?
Click to expand...

Yes when car is running we got 11 - 12volts at the alternator it was fluctuating up and down .
 
Pete in NH said:
Pictures of the regulator wiring and the back of the alternator may help everyone understand what is in your car. I too, don't know what that second green wire might be. One thing for sure about old cars is that things get changed and rewired often by people who don't really understand what they are working on. If you did accidently short the alternator output stud you may have blown the fusible link in the charging circuit.

You're going to need a meter to make some voltage measurements and trace around some of the wiring paths. Do you have a meter?
Click to expand...

Yes when car is running we got 11 - 12volts at the alternator it was fluctuating up and down .
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    40.3 KB · Views: 253
Here's the pic
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    36 KB · Views: 268
Here you go.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    46.1 KB · Views: 257
Okay, thanks for the regulator picture. It's the older type for a single field alternator and right for a 65. I think we're going to need a picture of the alternator as well to see for sure what type it is. You would not believe how often It turns out to be the wrong alternator/regulator combination or the thing is mis-wired. Since the car is new to you, you don't know if it was ever right. 11 to 12 volts out of the alternator with the engine running is way too low.

First, lets track down what the battery drain is and then move on to the battery charging voltage. The idea of putting a 12 volt light bulb in series with the negative battery cable is a good one. The bulb should not light if the ignition key is turned off as well as everything else in the car turned off. If it lights, disconnect the alternator output wire first. If the bulb goes out the problem is in the alternator. If it stays lit with the alternator disconnected pull out one fuse at a time until it goes out.

Hang in there, there is plenty of help available here but it can be a slow process doing this type of trouble shooting over the internet. If you have a small battery charger, put it on the battery when you have the negative cable off to keep the battery up.
 
Our replies got crossed in the mail so to speak. That alternator is the older "round back" type and the correct one for your 65. And yes, it does look like it was recently replaced. As I said lets first track down the battery drain issue and then we can sort out the charging issue.
 
What about that third green wire . I previously missed it last night working with a flash light . first green at the top and second green on the side with the blue wire connected to the bottom .Funny thing is that the wire that is now connected is ran outside of the harness alone like the previous owner added it later If you look closely at the regulator photo you can see all three wires going to the regulator and in the pic of alternator that 3rd wire is cutoff at the alternator . Maybe I should use the original wire and I'm guessing the clip on the side is to ground the regulator and not to the field connection.
Thanks for the replies gentleman.
 
If that's the case then there's the short to ground! Going to switch them and get back to ya !
 
RedFish said:
Let us help you sort it before you hook up this and that.
Questions and especially pictures are the way. So my questions... Is your voltage regulator small rectangular, blue wire at top, green wire at bottom ?
Does your alternator have only 1 small field terminal ?
Click to expand...

The way it sits now looking at it the the blue is at the bottom and green at top the blue has blade connector and green has ring connector on the regulators top . Does anyone know if the side clip on the regulator is to grind the regulator box ? The orange sticker is on the pass
Angers side of the regulator if that helos
 
I'm not sure about a round back alternator with a double pulley.
As for the regulator, The blue and green on it should have 2 different terminals on them so they cant be placed wrong.
 
RedFish said:
I'm not sure about a round back alternator with a double pulley.
As for the regulator, The blue and green on it should have 2 different terminals on them so they cant be placed wrong.
Click to expand...

Ok so I go out double check wires to regulator and tighten down battery connections tried putting a tester from neg terminal on battery to black battery cable not light or voltage . At this point the battery is reading 12.40 v . Started right up and drove around the block parked in drive way then immediately tried to start and just started clicking wont start . The alternator when the car started after sitting over night was reading 11.64 to 11.70 . I noticed the ampmeter bouncing up and down while driving and at idle. I wondering if the alternator is bad ?
 
Years ago cousin Jack bought a 72 Camaro from a used car lot. No warranty.
A few days later when stink and smoke began pouring from the dash he thought he could make it back to the drive way. It stopped running and coasted to a stop 3 doors from home. The neighbors garden hose wouldn't reach it. It burned to the ground. Jack claimed he pizzed on it and that didn't help. LOL
Why did I share that story ? I read the possibility of repeat in your previous post.
You're dealing with a 50 year old wiring harness that has already been buggered up.
Use the factory diagram to put the wiring back in proper condition. While testing you should be prepared to pull a battery cable in a heartbeat. You can't do that with the hood down.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top