ok so on the 99 i seem to have come to a bit of a stumped issue. my battery drains and after 2 days won't start i tried another battery and mind u i'm not using small batteries i use 1000Amp hot 875Amp cold
now my issue as i started is it dies after 2-3 days of not running it. i get old voltages ranging from 12.5 not started and when started 12.9 then turn on HID's and heater and defroser and now u got 10.3 i asumed alternator but i tested that by pulling the terminals off. and it stays running i was even able to drive it without a battery. My guess is something that happened to a caviler i had a relay in the alternator thats not turning off hence draining the battery when off. and the low voltage when running due to the battery being dead and being charged with the relay in the cav. the coils that charge the battery had a relay that turned on when started to push the charge to the battery and shut off with the car what happened was it got stuck on. and when on it worked in reverse order. hence charge of the battery going into the coil and poofing. i'm looking for others who may have input. i've been unable to figure this one out and i'd rather avoid putting another alternator in unless i know its the problem i will most likely build an alternator like i did for the cav. 80amp isn't big enough. i rebuilt the cav for 300Amp and i've found the parts to rebuild this one so any input would be useful
As Always...
Thanks in advance

 

Pop the alternator out and get it tested at Autozone, or maybe just get it jumped and go over there.

Then you'll know for sure.

Sorry no one answered here before, spread out your question using the enter button a bit more, and more folks will read and reply.

Just the way the folks here are my man.

 

i was going to answer, but given what you already know about power i don't see how i could help.

 

i read your post kinda quick but i just want to share what happened to me on time. This is on topic i swear. i had a buick with alot of asscessories in it ie: speakers, radar, gps, stuff like that. so i wanted a better battery. i got an orbital battery( knock off of optima pretty much) this battery had top and side posts. i was using both. 2 days after install it died. i got another one since it was under warrenty same thing. when load testing the top post had different volts than the side. i fixed it by grounging both the top and side posts and spliting the alt wire to them both. it was like two batteries in one weird.

 

To me, it sounds like you've got some leakage current somewhere. Do you have a amplifier or stereo system, or something else like a light or other electronic device which may be active all the time?

If there's nothing you can think of, here's what I'd do to find a defective circuit...


1. Take a SMALL light bulb like from a mini mag light, or something small from an autoparts store and bend the tabs so that they are the same size as a fuse. A 194 light bulb may be too large to get any light, try getting a small 12V minilamp.
2. remove fuse 1
3. replace fuse 1 with light bulb
4. repeat steps 2 and 3 for each fuse.

Once you find out which fuse replacement lights up or blows the light bulb out, then you've found the defective circuit. Post back here when you figure it out. Your battery should hold a charge for a month.

 

thanks i will check in a few weeks i'm currently moving and will be towing it on my flatbed hopefully its nothing too bad thanks for all the help and i will reply soon.

 

I don't trust the tester at autozone, it's just there to sell alternators. If it's like the one here it doesn't tell you squat besides pass/fail. My junkyard alternator failed at autozone, then I went down the street and tested it at advanced on an older one with tons of gauges and stuff and it was running a perfect 14.7 and is on the car working perfectly now.

 

I agree, you probably have something drawing power when it's off.

Temporary Fix, disconnect battery when letting it sit for 2-3 days.

Another problem: If you're running UNDER 13.0 volts, your battery probably isn't charging at all. The battery should show 12.5-12.9V when the car is off, should be 13.8-14.5 when the car is on. It sounds like you have an alternator problem.

Follow all wires that come off of your negative battery terminal as far as you can. If they lead to a bolt (possibly one on the block) MAKE SURE that bolt is tight.

I had a similar problem, but my Optima held pretty long as it slowly died. The engine block grounds itself to the battery. The bolt on the engine block where it grounds to was loose, causing the block to not be properly grounded. The alternator grounds itself to the engine block... but if the engine block is not grounded itself, the alternator is not grounded. Thus, my alternator was fine, but not charging the battery because it was grounded.

Alternator --grounds to--> Engine Block --grounds to--> battery

The bolt on the engine block was not visible... I had to feel for it as I traced the cable from the negative battery terminal back towards the engine. I was barely able to feel my way around to get a small ratchet to fit so I could tighten it. That fixed all of my problems. Alternator was fine, battery was fine, bolt was loose.

You might have a grounding problem somewhere else, but I hope my explanation helps in some way.

It took me about 5 hours with a VERY good, highly trained electrical guy. He installs the stereos, lights, accessories, etc. for ambulances, firetrucks, police, and VICE vehicles for Metro-Nashville and it took him hours to find the problems.

To support Supercow's statement, in my case, since the alternator wasn't properly grounded, AutoZone was showing the alternator as dead. I bought the new alternator and had the same problems.

 

ya i been thinking about all the posibilites i i have a computer for this car never tried hooking it up to see if it registers anything so i dunno whats odd is threw all of this stuff the voltage light never comes on. ever. u'd think after i jump it and pull the wires off it'd stall but it don't been quite confusing seems like i may need to check every last thing there is wires and all going threw it i been meaning to replace the grounding block anyways so i can check that while i replace it with a nicer one i know my amp wire is fine. i often go overboard. i have 2gage soild copper wire i got at lowes for my amp wire doubtful it got cut i had to use lock cutters just to cut the dang wire LOL anyways i'll check all this stuff once i get it moved thanks tongue.gif

 

Pretty much the voltage light will only come on when the alternator belt snaps. You have to make 13V or more (yes 1V higher then the battery or more) to charge a 12V lead-acid battery. If you're making 12.9, the car will run just fine, but it won't charge the battery. If you are making that voltage and the current is all being used by an accessory, then the battery won't charge much. Starting the car takes power from the battery and under normal driving, that power is recharged in a few minutes, but over time with a dying alternator, the recharging never happens.

My nitrous bottle heater will kill my battery overnight. Luckily I live on an incline and can push-start my car with just myself. It takes about 1-2 hours for my blue-top to fully recharge and I have a new alternator. Get a voltage tester and see if you're making 14V or more when you first start your car. If you're not, then you probly have a bad alternator.

If you're making 14V, then let the car run for two hours and check it. It should be around 13V. If not, then it's not charging.

I still think it's being drained by an accessory, and the increased load on the alternator will shorten the lifespan.