ghost in the machine ?

[ab59]

I have posted part of this in my starcraft post but believe I should have done it here instead . I have a battery drain . While investigating the reason why some other things came up that make no sense to me. When I set the engine in ( 5.7 ) I tested the switch panel and most of it worked no problem but I noticed that if I left the battery hooked up it would drain it in a day or two. If I unhooked the battery from the system it holds a charge for months with no problem.
Now , the power to the blower and interior lights is dead. The other three switches work just fine My boat uses circuit breakers not fuses. There is power to all the circuit breakers , both in and out.
When I began testing for battery drain I unhooked the negative cable and set up the terster and when tested the battery does not show drain at the battery ! However the battery will drain if left hooked up !!
Back under the console I hooked up my test lite and found that when testing current to switches and turning on the ignition that the lite falls to red from green and all I can think is it is showing a dead short but I have no idea of where to look.
Oddly enough I have ran the engine several times a few months ago with no problem other that the battery would go dead if I left it hooked up. The blower worked , and I had no problem with any acc. switches except for the one I busted when I took the side panel out of the boat . It has been removed and I am waiting on the replacement.
Anyone have any ideas of what may be happening .

 

[Scott Danforth]

did you switch to a one-wire alternator? because that will cause a drain.

 

[alldodge]

unhooked the negative cable and set up the terster and when tested the battery does not show drain at the battery

What are you using to test for a drain and how is it connected?

 

[ab59]

Thanks for your response , I used the method put out by wikihow " how to find a parasitic power drain " . I used a multimeter set at 200 MA . at the disconnected negative cable of the battery. Under the dash I just used a basic three lite battery tester.
I have not changed alternators or anything else and that's what is so odd. Had all acc switches working and power to everything no problem then a few months later No power to 2 switches but power to the other three with power in and out tf the circuit breakers.
My battery tester has 3 lites and I can watch the lites go from green to red testing at one of the working switches when I turn the ignition to on position . Is this normal without engaging the starter ?

 

[ab59]

here is my multimeter






One last thing i just remembered is that when I checked the draw at the battery with the key on it read 45 ma draw. key off no draw.

 

[alldodge]

OK, you connected the multimeter on amps sale between the negative battery post and cable

After reading your meter manual, think there is an issue with the setup. You have the red lead in the 20amp DC section but the dial is in the mA section. Do the test again in the 20 section, and if it doesn't show then connect to the mA section and put dial at 200mA

Right now I think your seeing close to .45A or 4500mA

 

[ab59]

I'll give that a try. I am clueless on the electrical except for the most basic things . Guess it's past time that I learned .
This evening when it starts to cool down a little I will give it another go .
thanks

 

[sam am I]

 

[sam am I]

...

 

[ab59]

God dang it Sam I am , I been staring at your post for 15 minutes and still can't figure it out ! :lol: What in the %$#@# does that mean ? I even looked at it in a mirror to see if it was backwards or not.:frusty:

 

[ab59]

guess I'll get to the retest tomorrow as I am headed to the gravel bar for some end of day steelhead fishing .

 

[sam am I]

Ooops, sry ab59 I'm not sure either............it just popped up, weird.

 

[ab59]

Ok , fished till dark and then came home and tested at the battery again with the new control setting and once again I got 0000 between the ground and the ground wire after taking the ground off. Key on showed 3.55 at the current setting of-----

 

[ab59]

I found the 2 new circuit breakers in the mail box as well late this afternoon so will install them into the system that feed the two dead switches on the panel, maybe they will help, I dunno , kinda quirky stuff goin on worked great a few months ago and without moving or changing anything electrical now the blower and the interior lights don't get any juice . just turning the ignition on should not cause that drain should it ?

 

[ab59]

I will try the mA and the 200 mA tomorrow----

 

[alldodge]

I will try the mA and the 200 mA tomorrow----

Yes

now the blower and the interior lights don't get any juice . just turning the ignition on should not cause that drain should it ?

Check the feed lines for these items to see if the hot is making a connection somehow. Maybe corroded switch which is making connection inside

 

[Scott Danforth]

With ignition on, you have gauges powered, ignition powered, choke powered, etc

 

[ab59]

OK , I tested at the battery ground , cable disconnected at 200m with fused mA and get nothing i.e. 0000 readings for key off and key on both.

Am going back out and install the two new circuit breakers that I got in the mail yesterday in hopes of solving my no power to the switches problems. Taking you guys advice and clean up the contacts, then see where I'm at.

 

[alldodge]

I think you blew the fuse in the meter.
Connect the meter across the bat terminals and see if you read 12V

 

[ab59]

I will check the meter in a bit.
I installed the two new circuit breakers , used electrical cleaning spray , emery cloth and a small bladed screwdriver and cleaned the contacts and when I hit the switch I have everything is working as it should now , hallelujah . In addition the last switch to the dashboard is not just an off and on switch like the others and has a 3 blade connection that I had not noticed so in what I thought was the off position like all the rest of the switches it was actually on , I don't know what it runs yet but I think that was the phantom draw . I will leave the battery hooked up and the proof will be in the pudding tomorrow one way or the other.
With that done now I can dig out the glass sight window from the float bowl , that broke while just sitting , of my Holley carburetor. Never seems to end . Was just trying to adjust the float levels but then again I digress.
I hope this cures my electrical woes and I thank you all for your help , I would be lost without it.