Date:         Mon, 8 Jun 1998 10:43:30 -0700
Reply-To:     Tom Young <young@SHERLOCK.SIMS.BERKELEY.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Tom Young <young@SHERLOCK.SIMS.BERKELEY.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Battery draw
Comments: To: Bob Calkins <"loganc@innercite.com"@INNERCITE.COM>
Comments: cc: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
In-Reply-To:  <199806081654.JAA19037@spider.innercite.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

The two logical ideas: short somewhere that's draining battery, and no
output from alternator.

Check the first by disconnecting the ground strap from the battery and,
with everything off, see if a lamp will light when you put the lamp in
between the battery negative post and the ground.  If you have a
voltmeter you can directly measure the current drain, but I've been told
that current below the amount that will make the test lamp glow is not
worth worrying about.

Check the second by going back to whoever sold you the battery (I'm
assuing a large "chain" FLAPS here) and they can check the output of the
alternator in the car.


On Mon, 8 Jun 1998, Bob Calkins wrote:

> I have an 80 Westy, the battery keeps goin dead....bought the battery
> last Oct. charged it drove 2 days....dead again...bump start home.
> charge same thing...bought new battery, guess what, you got it...dead
> again..any ideas

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Tom Young               young@sherlock.SIMS.Berkeley.EDU
Lafayette, CA  94549    '81 Vanagon
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