That's .014 amps, or 14 mA. It is not a concern.
Any electrical diagnosis - especially troubleshooting starting issues - starts with making sure your battery connections are clean and tight.
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Battery draws down after 24 hours
- Thread starter The_Family_Tahoe
- Start date
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Any electrical diagnosis - especially troubleshooting starting issues - starts with making sure your battery connections are clean and tight.
The_Family_Tahoe
I'm Awesome
Thank you everyone for your help.
I think it was the battery:
The battery would charge up to 12.9 volts, but after 24 hours unhooked from the truck and charger it would decrease to 12.0 or less and would not crank the truck. I charged the battery one more time and had it tested at O'Reilly with a handheld tester that said it "passed". The battery was 3 years old and out of warranty so I made the decision to replace it and remove the battery as a variable in the troubleshooting process. I hooked up the new battery and let the truck sit for 48 hours after which it fired right up. So, hopefully the new battery has solved the problem.
Really weird though the handheld tester said the old battery was good. Especially since it wouldn't hold a charge for 24 hours when it wasn't hooked up to anything.
Thanks again everyone for your comments, they were helpful. I'm hopeful this issue is resolved.
I think it was the battery:
The battery would charge up to 12.9 volts, but after 24 hours unhooked from the truck and charger it would decrease to 12.0 or less and would not crank the truck. I charged the battery one more time and had it tested at O'Reilly with a handheld tester that said it "passed". The battery was 3 years old and out of warranty so I made the decision to replace it and remove the battery as a variable in the troubleshooting process. I hooked up the new battery and let the truck sit for 48 hours after which it fired right up. So, hopefully the new battery has solved the problem.
Really weird though the handheld tester said the old battery was good. Especially since it wouldn't hold a charge for 24 hours when it wasn't hooked up to anything.
Thanks again everyone for your comments, they were helpful. I'm hopeful this issue is resolved.
Was the tester a handheld electronic box with a screen on it? If so, I don't trust those. You'll get much more accurate results from a mechanical carbon pile tester like this:
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To run a proper load test you really need something that can draw at least half the rated cranking amps of the battery you're testing. None of the little electronic testers have anything inside of them that's capable of handling that. They run a much lower power test and then try to make an educated guess at battery health by doing some math.
Even this little 100A carbon pile load tester would probably give you a more accurate result than one of the electronic units IMO.
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The_Family_Tahoe
I'm Awesome
Yes. That is what they used. It didn't look like anything that could put a proper load on the battery and I suppose I'm fortunate my intuition on it was correct.
Are there any retailers around that can properly test a battery anymore?
Around here it seems like most places are switching to the electronic testers unfortunately. I bought a carbon pile tester from Harbor Freight a few years back so I could test batteries myself. They were much cheaper then, I think I got mine for a little over $100. To be fair their current offering does look like it may be built better than mine though.
https://www.harborfreight.com/1000-...ile-battery-and-system-load-tester-58933.html
https://www.harborfreight.com/1000-...ile-battery-and-system-load-tester-58933.html
SentandBent4x4
I'm Awesome
Thanks y’all. I’ve had the same problem, so now I know what to check!
I have this one, its a 100-amp version but its enough to drain a weak battery in under the 10-15 sec test. It has heavy coils that are around 3/16" diameter. And I like the steps that show the different CCA ratings, its nice to see improvement when your rejuvenating a battery.
Even this one can separate the good from the bad pretty quickly. It would be nice if it were able to put a 500 amp load, but I've found that it catches almost all the weak batteries - it just takes a few seconds longer.
www.harborfreight.com
100 Amp, 6/12V Battery Load Tester
Amazing deals on this 100 Amp 6/12V Battery Load Tester at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.
SentandBent4x4
I'm Awesome
It’s till draining. I’m not sure what else to check. Im horrible with electric. I don’t have those mirror lights. I’ve checked everything I can without a multimeter, so I guess I’ll have to bite the bullet and buy one.
someotherguy
Truly Awesome
I'm a little reluctant to mention this one only because I haven't had to use it yet. I've battled a few weak batteries in the past several years and figured it was time to buy a load tester. Not a fan of the "digital" style myself, I wanted an old-school one but not going to go lay out thousands for a classic Sun VAT 40 or something like that, ya know? So I got the OTC 3181, it's a 130A carbon pile tester that appears to be really well-made. Currently only $65; got mine off amazon. It's got great reviews.
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Richard
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