It just keeps getting better....
After rebuilding my rear window motors and putting it all back together now I have some parasitic draw on the battery.
While I had the car apart I forgot and left my keys in the ignition. Ignition was not on, just the key was in the slot. That is what I assumed killed my original battery. Since my original would not take enough of a charge to come back to life I just got a new battery. Now I'm finding that the new battery is discharging faster than it is charging.
So what could it be? If all I did was remove the rear window motors and reinstall I don't see how that can be related. I tried putting my multimeter inline between the negative post and the negative cable and it's not showing any drain but If I put a test light inline between the post and the negative cable it does blink like something is running.
Any ideas?
While I had the car apart I forgot and left my keys in the ignition. Ignition was not on, just the key was in the slot. That is what I assumed killed my original battery. Since my original would not take enough of a charge to come back to life I just got a new battery. Now I'm finding that the new battery is discharging faster than it is charging.
So what could it be? If all I did was remove the rear window motors and reinstall I don't see how that can be related. I tried putting my multimeter inline between the negative post and the negative cable and it's not showing any drain but If I put a test light inline between the post and the negative cable it does blink like something is running.
Any ideas?
Comments
Reading online others have reported a bad diode in the alternator makes it leak power back through the alternator and into the bracket causing the discharge. So until I get a chance to get a new alternator I can just disconnect it when not in use.
Now I am left to wonder what caused the alternator to go bad while I was working on the rear windows?
Good to hear you are making progress.
Now, finding a parts store that carries the regulator and brushes may be difficult. I used to get mine at Napa. The brushes are probably very worn and replacing a regulator without doing the brushes is a waste of time.
If you like the easier route you can just replace the alternator if you like because you'll get a new regulator and brushes with it. BE SURE you compare the alternator with the replacement when you are at the parts counter. SOME rebuilds have the plugs on the alternator turned in the direction OTHER vehicles need them in which will make plugging your alternator harness into the alternator impossible without pulling the wiring across the alternator.
Lets add it all up:
6 1/4-20 nuts to replace window motor bushings 2.00
Crappy Radio Shack multimeter 20.00
Window regulator that I didn't need 85.00
Window guide rod mounts that I did need 100.00
New battery that I probably did not need 145.00
Rebuilt alternator that I did need 220.00
Crusin' in my 5.0 with the top pulled back so my hair can blow...priceless
Working on cars can get expensive. A WARNING about 1/4-20 nuts in the window motors, I have been told in years and years past that the little $7.00 package of "HELP" Products 3 nylon grommets is worth the investment when fixing Ford power windows.
(see picture)
The 1/4-20 nuts DO NOT GIVE when a window is rolled up or down to its limits and when rolled to its extents can cause glass breakage. I think that may be more common in vehicles with window frames though, but be careful anyway. I have always used the nylon parts when repairing my malfunctioning window motors, cleaned all of the old trash and grease out of the motor gear assemblies and repacked the areas with new grease.
I'm not sure if cycling the windows like you asked would cause the voltage regulator to fail. Years back a friend "ratcheting" (unlock,lock,unlock,lock and on and on) the power door locks in my brother's Grand Marquis fried a voltage regulator. I have had regulators drain batteries in the past, probably from age, and just replaced the regulators and brushes and fixed charging problems. The brushes were hard to locate last time (my first choice for parts being Napa). The last alternator draining the battery problem that I had was different, I had a parts car here so I did a 10 minute alternator swap and cured my problem.