Howard :
I think you meant to send this to the list, so I've taken the liberty ...
I do not recommend the 'spark' test, as some devices (like high power stereos)
can draw a significant spark while charging their capacitors, yet draw little
or no idle current. And, 50ma is plenty to cause dead battery problems, but
may not produce a "real spark".
While the alternator is certainly a possible suspect, I wouldn't consider it
most likely. Electrical leaks can form in many places. One of the toughest I
ever had (not a LBC) was in a relay, whose phenolic base had become saturated
with road salt. It would be fine during the day, but overnight dew would cause
it to start conducting enough to activate the relay.
IMO even 15ma is too high. That will produce a significant battery drain in
just a month or two. My TR3A (with alternator) is under 0.5ma, except for the
stereo's clock and memory, which draws about 1.5ma.
Randall
59 TR3A daily driver
-----Original Message-----
From: Howard Winkler [SMTP:Howard.Winkler@wcom.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2000 5:34 AM
To: Randall Young
Subject: Re: distributors & batteries
One "down & dirty" test you might do to see if there is some drain on your
battery
(one that shouldn't be there). With the ignition off, remove the hot lead from
the
battery, then slowly replace it. Just as the cable touches the battery post you
probably will get a tiny spark and hear a tiny TICK. Anything greater, such as
a
real spark and loud TICK indicates something is probably amiss in your
electrical
system. If you have a volt/ammeter you could measure the current between the
battery post and the hot cable ... my car (74TR6) reads 2ma. with a brand new
alternator. The reading slowly creeps up over the years to 10-15 ma. anything
above
that is a sign that something is breaking down within the alternator. As you
can
see, I'm not an electrician but I have found these little tests to be good
indicators of the condition of my electrical system.
Howard/ original owner 1974 TR-6
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