Battery Drain (Long)

[Jon Davis]

Josh,

>From your description, it sounds like your alternator may be dead. The
easiest way to check that is to start the car and check the voltage on the
battery. You are looking for 14-15V while racing the engine at 3k rpm. If it
is less, check for bad connections. It may sag a little at idle, especially
with lights and everything running. Normally when you shut off the engine,
you should get 12-13V.

If something doesn't pass your test, most auto parts stores will test
batteries and alternators for free. They usually have a better load test and
can test for leaky diodes. The voltage test won't always find bad/leaky
diodes.

Jon Davis