[mightymouse]

C Could anyone please help me with a problem with earth leakage, I have fitted a falcon alternator, an electric fan and since then have a problem with the battery consistently going flat whilst the suzi sits. I may mention that it has a new battery 490 cca so much bigger than would normally be required. I thought that maybe the fan was causing it but what did show up the other night was that as I was coming home I turned my headlights on and the voltage guage showed a power drain that dragged the reading down to about 8 volts.

[SuziBlu]

Sounds like the alternator is cactus, voltage regulator most probably.

[mightymouse]

I thought it may be but had it checked and it appears to be OK, but I will have it done again, by the way thanks for the answer.

[SuziBlu]

Itas a very easy check, if you have a multimeter, even a cheap one is a must have item in ya tool box.

Set it to volts, check battery voltage, start motor, and see what happens, if its a good system, at around fast idle you should have 14 or so volts, mine maxs out at 14.7v by my meter, the battery is new, holds 13.1v.

[mightymouse]

I have tested the unit with a multimeter that shows 13+volts that is why I thought all was ok, but still the jigger flattens batteries.

[89_tintop]

You want to test current draw from the battery. Using muktimeter set to amps. Disconnect earth lead on the battery and connect one lead,from the multimetre to the terminal on the battery and the other to the disconnected lead.

Let me know on the reading

An alternator can still charge and also drain the battery when not running..

[Damo]

Sounds to me like you have an accessory that is not turning off when your ignition is off.

Have you got a butt-load of extra wires cabled to your +ve battery terminal?

[mightymouse]

89-tintop the current draw a t negative terminal is very slight approx 2 amps but I do have an stand by radio fitted so the current draw I would think is not too radical. I do have a few fittings to the +ve eg: driving lights radio relay for radiator fan and the radiator fan.

[matty87]

mightymouse wrote:

89-tintop the current draw a t negative terminal is very slight approx 2 amps but I do have an stand by radio fitted so the current draw I would think is not too radical. I do have a few fittings to the +ve eg: driving lights radio relay for radiator fan and the radiator fan.

2 amps is huge if there is nothing on the strand by radio should not be drawing anything above milliamps.

[89_tintop]

2 amps is huge mate.. Would discharge a battery overnight.

Disconnect some I'd accessories you have added lately while the multimetre is connected like I said before. eventually something that disconnect will drop the readout on ther multimetre to 0 or 0.02 it something like that is acceptable.

One you get it to drop let me know what it drops to.

[mightymouse]

Have removed falcon alternator refitted original. No problem so far must have been a problem with the falcon alternator, will replace it in the near future and see what happens from there.. Thank you all for your suggestions and help. May the auszookers site rule forever.

[89_tintop]

Once removed what did the multimetre readout drop to?

Just curious..