Battery Draining Overnight and Stalling.

Status
Not open for further replies.

Tynan918

Royal Smart Person
Aug 2, 2021
1,136
249
63
Yesterday morning was the second morning I woke up to a dead battery and my starter not powering on.

Problem #1 The Starter:

Starter didn't start having issues until I did the valve adjustment with the engine running and I had nothing to keep the valves from spewing oil out of the valve areas and oil spewed down both sides of the engine. Noticed the battery terminal stud on the starter solenoid was loose, spinning, and wobbly so I warranty swapped it. Started the new starter maybe twice to finish up the valve adjustment and after the valve adjustment was done and the valve covers were back on, the starter never started with a key again. Every thing that is powered on is powered off when I turn the key in the start position and powers back on when I release it. Should I just warranty swap the starter because of possible oil soak while doing the valve adjustment with the engine running ? Even though it's only been 2 days since I bought it ?

Problem #2 Dead Battery

I thought maybe my battery was bad and causing the starter not to work correctly so I had it warranty swapped with a new battery. New battery and new starter, I still wake up with a drained battery. Yesterday morning it was dead and I got a jump, and immediately it started up by me jumping the starter with a screwdriver. Within 2 minutes of taking the jumper cables off, my gauge lights and radio powered off. I made it 9 miles before the engine stalled on me a couple miles away from home, half highway and half main street. A friend gave me another jump and immediately it started again by jumping the starter with the screwdriver. Drove it home, removed the battery for charging and the alternator for testing. Both checked out good... thinking maybe my subwoofer amp is staying on after I turn off the radio when I turn off the car...I'll check that when I put in the newly charged battery.

I need to get a multimeter and start checking voltages, but where do I start ?
 

Tynan918

Royal Smart Person
Aug 2, 2021
1,136
249
63
What is the voltage at the battery when it is running?
Late post, but I ended up fixing it...

It ended up being either my constant 12 volt or ignition switch wire under the hood that was selling some bare wire and touching some ground source near the AC box and the passenger side frame/motor... It had to be the ignition wire because it is keeping power from coming to the ignition port on the fuse panel under the steering column in the car. The battery port had power, and the ignition port didn't have power, which was also a power source for the voltage generator in the alternator, keeping the alternator from charging the battery.

Got the exposed parts covered up and everything works as it should now...until next time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 users
Status
Not open for further replies.

GBodyForum is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Amazon, the Amazon logo, AmazonSupply, and the AmazonSupply logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Please support GBodyForum Sponsors

Classic Truck Consoles Dixie Restoration Depot UMI Performance

Contact [email protected] for info on becoming a sponsor