1st Gen. Ram - All Topics Discussion for all Dodge Rams prior to 1994. This includes engine, drivetrain and non-drivetrain discussions. Anything prior to 1994 should go in here.

Battery Still Draining Overnight

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Old Dec 21, 2007 | 06:37 PM
  #16  
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From: Tijeras, New Mexico, 7,000ft up
Originally Posted by Bill Tomlinson
I have three test meters but have found that a little dash light bulb with a couple of wires soldered is really handy. My truck was killing it's battery every couple of days and I found out where the problem was using one of these bulbs. I have not fixed it yet, I just left the fuse out for that circuit. Just about any small current leak will make the bulb glow. I started with the battery and worked in.
What was the problem?
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Old Dec 21, 2007 | 08:30 PM
  #17  
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I had wired up the lights inside my pyro and my boost guages kinda funny and they drew a little current when the truck was not running. I wired my stereo with an always on circuit (as you are supposed to do) but got the light connection mixed up with the always on circuit. Darned hard to isolate that one because I used a different fuse for the always on line. (Different from the one I was supposed to use) and I forgot that I had done it. Two small mistakes made a very hard one to track down.
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Old Dec 21, 2007 | 08:40 PM
  #18  
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From: Tijeras, New Mexico, 7,000ft up
My radio is "always on" also, but has been for years with no problems. I thought maybe the power to amp trigger was malfunctioning, but I unplugged the amp and it still drained. My computer has been doing some weird things the last few years, like not sending the speedo signal once in a great while, intermittent stuff like that. I'm hoping the computer isn't going to ground on me!
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Old Dec 22, 2007 | 12:41 PM
  #19  
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this is just a wild guess and someone else earlier in this thread may have already suggested this but it may be useful to try an external voltage regulator from any older dodge. At the very least this would eliminate that as a possiblility. You might also just disconnect the alternator and see if you are still losing power. That would eliminate the alternator as a possible source. Disconnect every connection to the fuse box one at a time. There are many, many ways to lose a little juice. Keep exploring and you will find it. One day I am completely blank on what to do and the next day I think of a new bunch of possibilities. In the mean time keep a trickle charger on your bat. Once my glove box light stayed on. Once I thought my dome light had burned out while a weak ground let some current leak away without lighting up the bulb. I was someplace where it was dead dark and I noticed a very faint glow coming from the dome light. I could hardly see it in the darkest conditions and never in town or in daylight. I have had wires get hot, melt together and allow a slight loss in a n unfused line.

On board computer problems may be a symptom of some other condition which is causing the computer to twitch. Anything is possible. Dodge connectors tend to get funny after a decade or two and must be checked out.
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