Dead battery

[Fred911]

Hi guys, I cam across this issue while diagnosing a dying battery.

I seem to have continuity between the starter cable wire (which comes off the solenoid) and ground. I don't think this is right and could be the cause of my dead and dying battery.

Any thoughts?

[dynodon64]

Sounds like the cable has chaffed through to the frame or exhaust manifold. Pull the cable out, or unbolt it at the starter and check continuity again.

[gr79]

Malfunctioning starter solenoid or ignition switch?
Make sure fender solenoid is grounded well thru its bracket
If screws no longer tighten solenoid to apron, add a wire from bracket screw to ground.

Somewhere the circuit is being completed when it should be open.
Measure for voltage in various related wires for correct state, powered or not.
Check ground wires, say at the rad support. Disconnect one at a time and retest cable.
Something may be back feeding/leaking power or as stated grounding out.
Dunno. Am no electrical expert by far so i poke around until something changes.

[dagenham]

Unhook the ground cable from the battery and hook a test light between the cable end and the battery post. If the test light lights up, you have a dead short. Easiest way to find the problem then is to start unplugging things until the light goes off. You didnt say what year your working on. If it has an external v/r I would start there. If it has a built in v/r then unplug the alternator. If that doesnt work keep trying different things.

[JACook]

The starter is a very high draw device, meaning it also has a very low resistance. If the starter cable is really
grounded, you'll have a very big problem the moment the starter relay energizes. But when the starter relay
is not energized, there's no connection between the starter cable and the battery. Therefore, it's not likely that
it's draining your battery.

Still, if there's any doubt, you should visually inspect the entire length of the cable to make sure the insulation
is sound. Car fires are not fun.

+1 we need to know what you're working on. How you go about troubleshooting a battery drain can vary a
bit, especially if the car has EFI. With EFI, a test light in series with the battery can give you false positive
indications.

[stangPlus2Birds]

The resistance of the starter motor is a fraction of an ohm. You'd need a specialized meter (low ohmage meter) to properly measure the resistance.


A quick search, revealed a resistance of ~~0.1 ohms.
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/i...7001731AACvbzD


So, you can't use a regular DVM/ohm-meter to measure a starter-motor.

[Ray Dog]

How long does it take for the battery to discharge?
A clock or radio memory will drain a battery over time as well as any engine management electrics.
It's a reality we face when a vehicle sits idle when they are not our daily driver.

[Fred911]

Thanks for the help guys. Here's where I am...I disconnected the starter cable at the starter and checked the cable and found no issue there.

I did find where I connect the cable to the starter, that it is grounded.

I pulled a new starter I have sitting on a shelf for my Silverado and checked it and it to grounds to the starter casing.

so, I surmise, that when the relay sends voltage to the starter to start the vehicle, that the entire starter is energized?

I have a capable meter to do the ohm test and will share my results.

The battery will drain in just a few days.