Battery / electrical problems.

[FrankSG]

Hi everyone,

I'm having it an issue with a battery draining and not recharging while driving.
Initially I thought I had a bad battery or it had drained over the winter, so I purchased a new battery and ran it periodically over three weeks. As I was driving it today I had the exact same problem as I did with the older battery.

It seems obvious that the battery is not getting charged while driving. Can anyone direct me as to where I might start looking for the problem or know what it may be. I would appreciate any help or advice.

Thanks in advance.
Frank

 

[gr8scott]

Test voltage across the battery terminals while its running. Should see ~13-14 volts. If it's lower your alternator is suspect.
You can take it to an auto parts store and get it tested.

 

[bronconut73]

Voltage regulator was slowly killing a battery on me once. Took forever to figure it out.

 

[Steve83]

It seems obvious that the battery is not getting charged while driving.

No, that's not obvious. It might be that there's a larger drain while driving than the alternator can supply. Or it might be that the alternator isn't working at all. Or it might be that the battery isn't taking a charge; either because of poor connection, or it's ruined internally.

Don't guess - diagnose. Begin with voltage measurements: key off, key on, engine idling, engine @2KRPM, & headlights/winch/heavy electrical loads on; across the battery posts, across the battery terminals, from the alternator output to its case, & from the ignition switch to the wiper motor (or some other known ground).

Make sure you charge the battery with a 110V charger - not a vehicle. Charge it below 3A for several hours (below 1A could take a day or more).

 

[FrankSG]

Thanks everyone I appreciate the help

Thanks everyone I appreciate the help