2001 Dodge B3500 van mystery battery drain
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Reads zero drain with dome light in ON position. ??? Service tech installed the new battery and checked charging system/alternator...all checks OK they said.
Van starts and runs OK and does charge battery when running. Battery drains when van OFF. Voltage down to about 8 volts over about 2-3 days. How to check if new battery is bad? What are chances its bad multimeter (brand new)....it works when checking DC voltage and AC systems.
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The circuit in your meter for amps is not working, it must be fixed first before you can troubleshoot the van . The only other thing you can do is start swapping parts , say try another battery. I doubt it is the battery but I have been wrong before. All it takes to blow the meter is to hook it up to the positive and negative battery terminals once and it will cook the amp setting on the meter. The meter can still function on the AC and DC settings for volts while the amp circuit is fried. If you have a battery charger, charge itup and have an auto parts store load test it. You may be able to remove the battery and check each side of each fuse terminal with an OHM Meter and find the circuit that has contunity to ground. I also mentioned earlier to disconnect the alternator wire and see if the battery does not drain.
See here
See here
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If all else fails, a battery disconnect switch can be installed from your negative terminal right next to your battery under the hood. I actually bored out a hole on one of my friends bumpers and installed one so they could quickly put it on and off cuz they're battery was dying all the time and they refused to get it properly worked on. 🤷♂️
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Did you move the red meter lead over to the 10A port and turn the dial to the 10A position while the meter leads were hooked up in series between one of the battery terminals and it's battery cable?
Last edited by alloro; 08-25-2022 at 09:02 AM.
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