Power Draw

[davery]

I have my dash board partially apart and am having issues with the battery maintaining a charge. Does anyone know if there would be a power draw if something is not connected in the dash? Currently I do not have the speedo, tach, courtesy light or clock installed. Could one of these create a power draw if they were not connected? Thanks.

[RRoller123]

It could be the battery itself. Have you had it tested at the local parts store?

[divace73]

I have my dash board partially apart and am having issues with the battery maintaining a charge. Does anyone know if there would be a power draw if something is not connected in the dash? Currently I do not have the speedo, tach, courtesy light or clock installed. Could one of these create a power draw if they were not connected? Thanks.

If the battery is not maintaining charge it could be the alternator or the battery as RRoller123 has suggested. With the engine running the voltage on the battery should be around 13.8 volts

To measure current leak, Use a multi-meter set on current and put it inline to the battery to measure the current draw, take note what the draw is. Then go to each circuit and do the same thing, it will limit to where to start looking.

[davery]

I have my dash board partially apart and am having issues with the battery maintaining a charge. Does anyone know if there would be a power draw if something is not connected in the dash? Currently I do not have the speedo, tach, courtesy light or clock installed. Could one of these create a power draw if they were not connected? Thanks.

If the battery is not maintaining charge it could be the alternator or the battery as RRoller123 has suggested. With the engine running the voltage on the battery should be around 13.8 volts

To measure current leak, Use a multi-meter set on current and put it inline to the battery to measure the current draw, take note what the draw is. Then go to each circuit and do the same thing, it will limit to where to start looking.

There battery tested bad and I replaced it. I have installed a voltmeter and this past weekend the voltmeter read 13-14 volts. I took the gauges out to replace the lights with LED's and when I re-installed the voltmeter it wasn't working, but the car still started. Before I had a chance to figure out the voltmeter, the car would not start even with a jump. I do not have a multi-meter to test the car, so I guess it's time to go buy one. Any suggestions of what I should look for in a multi-meter? Thanks for all the help.

[RRoller123]

I wonder if one of the disconnected wires in the dash is hot and is running to ground, draining the battery quickly? Check all of the loose ones and tape up any exposed ends with electrical tape until ready to reconnect everything?

[davery]

I wonder if one of the disconnected wires in the dash is hot and is running to ground, draining the battery quickly? Check all of the loose ones and tape up any exposed ends with electrical tape until ready to reconnect everything?

I taped up the clock connection, but think I forgot the courtesy light connection. The speedo and tach shouldn't be an issue since they have plugs. I will track the courtesy light connection down this morning. One thing I did leave alone was the radio connections. I do not plan on having a radio, but did not want to remove the plugs and such. I suspect the connections are not OEM, as the car had a cheap aftermarket unit when I bought it. I was hoping to just leave these connections under the dash in case I wanted to use later. Thanks!

[divace73]

Multimeters are cheap these days, and will do mostly what you want.
You want one that has DC voltage and Current as a minimum, if you get an automotive type then you may be able to measure RPM as well.

On a side note with the LED replacement, keep the Alternator light as is, most alternators use the resistance of that globe as part of their circuit.

[davery]

Multimeters are cheap these days, and will do mostly what you want.
You want one that has DC voltage and Current as a minimum, if you get an automotive type then you may be able to measure RPM as well.

On a side note with the LED replacement, keep the Alternator light as is, most alternators use the resistance of that globe as part of their circuit.

I had read that on this site about the alternator light. I'm actually only replacing the illumination of the gauges. The warning lights and turn signals I'm keeping OEM. At least for now. Thanks for all your help. It's amazing how rebuilding the transmission leads to freshening up the interior. Project creep at it's finest.

[divace73]

good old project creep, all I had to do is repair a broken shock tower (Shock absorber punched a hole) and now my car has been off the road for 2 years.. It was always, while I am there I wanted to get this fixed, then that fixed and so on....