Pipsqueak

Tried to start my car (80 280zx n/a) after it set for 2 weeks.
Battery was dead. Interior lights would come on, but very dim.
Jump started the car, let it run for 15 minutes.
Battery gauge showed it was fine.
Turned the car off. Let it set about a minute.
Tried to start it again, and the lights would not even come on.
Tried to jump start it again, no luck.
Took the battery to O’Reillys, and it had NO charge. I had to leave it there to get charged and tested.

Battery was purchased in January.
Per the Hayes- no problem with the alternator.

Based on my luck with this car, the battery will be fine.

So where do I start to look for what is draining the battery?



p.s. If you find a link to this issues, tell me how you found the link, so I can learn to search better. I could not find anything.

NismoPick

Could be anything from a crappy battery, to a door sensor, a radio wired wrong, a short, cold weather, etc...

If you are going to park a car for more than a week, I suggest disconnecting the battery. If it's going to be parked in the cold, take the battery to a warmer location.

rogerz

hook an ammeter in series with the battery. start pulling fuses until the drain goes away. if it doesn't then you have some real detective work to find the short somewhere. use an ammeter that won't blow up. I start with a cheapy that goes to 50 amps to be sure it won't blow my vom. then hook the vom at highest setting. touch a lead quicly to see if the ammeter pegs if it doesn't then you can hook it up and start pulling fuses. if you don't understand parallel and series circuits I suggest you get an electricity for dummies book and read it. Take the battery to a real battery shop and have them load test it. Oreilly minimum wage clerks often don't know what they are doing.

Pipsqueak

My luck with this car might be changing.


My problem was a bad battery!!!!!

FricFrac

Battery was dead. Interior lights would come on, but very dim.
+
Jump started the car, let it run for 15 minutes.
+
Battery gauge showed it was fine.
+
Turned the car off. Let it set about a minute.
+
Tried to start it again, and the lights would not even come on.
+
Tried to jump start it again, no luck.
+
Took the battery to O’Reillys, and it had NO charge.
=
Bad battery.


If your battery is dead and you jump and start the car and it runs then you shut it off and it's dead that means your alternator is working and your battery is bad.

Pipsqueak

Since the battery was replaced all is fine, for now.

I decided to have the charging system checked to see if anything else was going on.

Turns out that the alternator is only putting out 47 amps not 60.

Is this a issues that needs to be addressed, or something that can wait.

This is my DD. I dont use the radio, but do charge my phone, and I drive at night.

NismoPick

Your n/a alternator is rated for 50 or 55 amps... not 60. 47 amps means your alternator is working fine.

If you need more juice from the alternator, upgrade to the GM 1-wire. We've discussed that swap in detail (70-150 amps).

Pipsqueak

OK. when i was looking for a replacement (worst case attitude) all I was finding were 60 amps.
Good to know I don't have to replace it.


Thanks.