battery drain

baby hulk

baby hulk

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 8, 2008
Location
concord nc
first of its a dodge 1500 with a brand new optima battery. well i went out side and tried to crank up my dodge and it wouldnt start. so i charged up the battery and same thing happened, dead so un hooked all the lights my amp everything but the factory fuse box and it still drains the battery. so i took it out and back to autozone to let thim do a load test and it was fine so i brought it home put it in the truck and started trying to find out whats going on. i unhooked the negative side and put the test light inbetween the neg wire unhooked, to the pos side hooked up and the light didnt come on but i put it between the neg post to the neg wire and the light came on and i know thats not right i also have a volt meter but im not sure how to test load if any one has any idea whats going on cause i sure as hell dont
 
sounds like my dodge, only mines a CTD 2500.

When you have the test line inline and its on, start pulling fuses one by one. If the light goes out for one particular fuse, you've narrowed the drain to that circuit. Do all the fuses, I guess it could haapen on mofre than one. Mine happens to be the fuse for radio memory etc, I pull it every time I'll park the truck for more than a few hours. Sucks, but I don't have the patience or skills to track it down furhter than that.
 
drained

well that the thing i dont have a light between neg and the positive i have one from the neg post on the battery to the neg cable or is that how im suppost to check it i understand the part about pulling fuses
 
the radio memory SHOULD have drain at park....thats what keeps the memory. But it should take 30 days or so to drain the battery.

If you have a MM use the amp setting and connect it in series, then pull fuses. Do a common sense check in the middle there.
 
Yes you are right
What you are seeing is that current is flowing from the neg cable to the negatve post to complete the circuit
 
SkyHiK5 said:
the radio memory SHOULD have drain at park....thats what keeps the memory. But it should take 30 days or so to drain the battery.
If you have a MM use the amp setting and connect it in series, then pull fuses. Do a common sense check in the middle there.
Click to expand...
I'm pulling way more current thru that radio memory fuse than I should be...
http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47925
 
drained

so i can test it like that i mean the light was bright i have a really nice volt/amp meter i got from my dad but he hats anything thats modded and wont help me but what im trying to get at is if im getting a ligh between the neg post and the neg wire i have a drain can i check this with my volt meter its been a long day
 
That's what optimas do when they sit. Every single one I've ever used won't hold a charge for shit. Take it back and buy a normal hd batt, or go with an AGM type.


:edit: And a test light won't tell you a damn thing. In your typical vehicle there will always be some current flowing when it's parked, use a multimeter/ampmeter to tell you how much.
 
braxton357 said:
That's what optimas do when they sit. Every single one I've ever used won't hold a charge for shit. Take it back and buy a normal hd batt, or go with an AGM type.


:edit: And a test light won't tell you a damn thing. In your typical vehicle there will always be some current flowing when it's parked, use a multimeter/ampmeter to tell you how much.
Click to expand...
i have been through 7 maybe 8 of them...they suck...the only way i can keep the one alive in my blazer is too hook it up to a battery tender when ever i dont drive the truck..

but you could have a large drain...do you see a large spark when you hook the battery back up?
 
orangesonoma said:
i have been through 7 maybe 8 of them...they suck...the only way i can keep the one alive in my blazer is too hook it up to a battery tender when ever i dont drive the truck..
but you could have a large drain...do you see a large spark when you hook the battery back up?
Click to expand...
no not really, never had a problem out of a optima and i run thim in everything but maybe i got a bad one my next test is to leave it out of the truck and see if it looses power while its not hooked up but like i said i had it tested and it was good
 
Ok,
When you are testing from the negative cable to the negative post are they connected?

Really if you have access to a multimeter use it.
It will tell you so much more.
 
baby hulk said:
no not really, never had a problem out of a optima and i run thim in everything but maybe i got a bad one my next test is to leave it out of the truck and see if it looses power while its not hooked up but like i said i had it tested and it was good
Click to expand...
i have nothing but problems with them...only reason i kept using them is because i was a dealer for them and got them swapped for free
 
drained

Well i guess it is the battery. I got a friend to come over and we put the voltmeter to amps and all i have is 0.01 even with everything else hooked up i have 0.03. i guess its the battery, the battery is a red top is a yellow top any better i really need a good battery with everything i run on my truck whats the best battery to run with a dual setup.
 
Ok I agree that some optimas are junk. Its only the newer ones made in mexico though. If your optima over 5 years old its good. I have 4 them in the 9 to 10 old range still kicking.

As far as which optima to choose...... I would say none. The new ones suck. Find an exide dealer and buy a orbital if you want a dry cell battery. You can pick one up at Tire kingdom right there by lowes. Other option is to just a regular old liquid battery. I have used the duralast gold batterys from autozone without any problems. Just get the stongest one you can fit in your battery tray.
 
battery

well i finally got around to checking everything and it was the battery so they gave me a new one and i raised hell so they gave me half of on another red top. ill keep taking thim back untill i get one thats good.
 
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