Battery is being drained.

[John F. Russo]

On 3 to 4 day weekends, I only get a click click when starting my engine in the AM. No accessories or doors were left open. I jump started my car easily.
This has happened twice in the last couple of months. It does not always happen. I don't use my car during weekends.

I went to the dealer and from their two hour diagnostic testing, they found my original three old battery to be just fine. They found no parasitic power drainage from the battery. They said that my condition was not unusual because of the "standard" power draining just standing in my garage.

How true is my dealer's statement?

P.S. Come winter time I'm sure it will happen nearly every weekend at this rate.

If I take a plane trip and come back to the parking garage, I will have to call Triple A.

[Zack]

Get a new battery

[fastblackmerc]

When I'm on a business trip my MM can sit for 7 - 10 days, starts up fine everytime. I'll most likely go with a red top spiral battery before MM IV to be on the safe side

[Breadfan]

I concur with Zack, the battery is on it's way out. Mine only lasted 2-3 years and was toast, same with the one in my mom's '02 Continental.

[grampaws]

Battery should last at least a month or two..replace the Battery
it probably has an internal/drain or short..

[Dragcity]

Funny thing is my T-Bird had been sitting for 9 months. Went over and turned the key, and it turned right over. Had to pump the gas pedal 30 times, but it started right up......

Battery is my guess too....

[John F. Russo]

Thank you all for the quick responses.

Zack
You've sold your hotcar? Mac is selling his. What's going on in the Midwest? Are you guys coming out with the next edition of monster cars?

fastblackmerc
"I'll most likely go with a red top spiral battery before MM IV to be on the safe side" What is a 'red top spiral' battery? Brand? Expected life?

[Breadfan]

Thank you all for the quick responses.

Zack
You've sold your hotcar? Mac is selling his. What's going on in the Midwest? Are you guys coming out with the next edition of monster cars?

fastblackmerc
"I'll most likely go with a red top spiral battery before MM IV to be on the safe side" What is a 'red top spiral' battery? Brand? Expected life?
The red top sprial battery is an Optima red-top. It will require a special hold down as well as the battery, I think Summit sells the hold down. I don't recall the P/N lemme find the thread. That same thread also has a sprial cell vs regular cell battery debate...but all in all Optima's are good batteries.

Edit: Here you go: http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=27018

I ended up with a regular battery (highest CCA they sold that fit) from Advance Auto. I didn't want to do that but my battery died on me the night before a CAM meet so I needed a quick fix. Oddly enough that thread was sort of indicating I wanted a new one as preventive maintenance, never got there, a month later my battery let me know it was time to go!

[SergntMac]

Zack...You've sold your hotcar? Mac is selling his. What's going on in the Midwest? Are you guys coming out with the next edition of monster cars? Ummm...Zack sold only his Reinhart/Vortech T-Trim kit, he still has this Marauder. Yep, watch for some interesting things from the Midwest...Again.

About your battery...On my way home from the 4th Eastern Regional meet in Barry's back yard, I noticed that for no apparent reason, my voltage output would drop from 13.2 to 12.0. No changes in driving, just cruzing at a steady 3000 RPM, and it kept jumping around like I was in stop and go traffic. It should have been reading a steady 13.7-13.9 the whole trip.

Since I replaced the battery earlier this year for reasons such as you describe, but still had the factory altenator on the car with 39K miles, I figured that voltage regulator (internal to the altenator) was announcing it's early retirement. Zack and I replace the altenator with a L/M certified remanfactured 130 amp unit, and everything is fine again.

IMHO, this may be your problem, John, a transient loss of voltage back to the battery will eventually drain it down to a no-start level. The OEM volt gauge in the center console is not sensitive enough to show this ocassional flux, you need to monitor voltage output with a ScanGuage, or, likewise plug-in device. Check these sites?

www.scanguage.com (http://www.scanguage.com)

http://www.nordskogperformance.net/products/auto/streetdigital/detail/m9025.htm

[jgc61sr2002]

Get a new battery and a battery tender to keep 1t fully charged.

[RF Overlord]

They said that my condition was not unusual because of the "standard" power draining just standing in my garage.

How true is my dealer's statement?That's "dealer-speak" for: we don't have a clue, but we have to tell you something or you'll squawk at our ridiculous diagnostic charge. The Blackbird sat, outside, without being driven for 3 weeks during the worst part of last winter, and it started right up with nary a blip. Get a new battery.

[DEFYANT]

My Marauder had a dead battery when it was new! Lot rot I guess. They replaced it and has been fine since. The car sits for up too two weeks and starts w/o a problem.

[John F. Russo]

[QUOTE=SergntMac]


Mac
I saw sold next to Zack's quarter mile stat. I presumed it was his car. I smell a challenge to the East Coast---specifically Martyo.

Thank you for the source for those two gauge suppliers. How many gauge's and type do you have on your dash and "A" pillar.

"On my way home from the 4th Eastern Regional meet in Barry's back yard, I noticed that for no apparent reason, my voltage output would drop from 13.2 to 12.0. No changes in driving, just cruzing at a steady 3000 RPM, and it kept jumping around like I was in stop and go traffic. It should have been reading a steady 13.7-13.9 the whole trip."

Is it possible that my dealer could determine if I have a defective alternator?

I don't have a voltage meter yet. Obviously it would be very helpful now. I intend to get one after I decide soon how many gauges and where to put them. I don't like gauges on the "A" pillar because it gives the "stealth" look away. I use to have a twin gauge panel just under my dash in my 390 CID Ford I use to own. I wonder who has done it and on which side of the steering column is best for a twin or triple mounting panel. (I'll start a new thread about this)
.
I hate to buy a new battery and find out later that it wasn't the cause. But it is three year old already. I just may have two problems--battery and alternator!


Breadfan, jgc61sr2002, DEFYANT and RF Overlord
Thank you for your input.

[RF Overlord]

I don't have a voltage meter yet. John, what happened to the voltmeter your MM came with?

[SergntMac]

John, what happened to the voltmeter your MM came with?I told him it was a POS and he roundhouse kicked it...

John, I have the standard KB setup, an Autometer boost gauge on the A pilar.

[ckadiddle]

Yep, after three years it's time for a new battery. It may pass the test at the dealer at this time, but it'll fail ya in the near future.

[ahess77]

By the way, everytime you drain a lead-acid battery it doesn't fully recover. So, if you've drained it and jump started a few times, your battery is even worse off than if it hadn't been drained.

Pulse chargers, etc. can do a good job of getting the sulfer off the lead plates, but some residual always remains and reduces the battery capacity every time it's significantly discharged. And, the longer it sits discharged the less capacity it will recover.

[John F. Russo]

John, what happened to the voltmeter your MM came with?


THe boost gauge is on the left side and the non-functional oil pressure gauge is on the right. I haven't removed the cigarette lighter yet.

I should remove it. How do I do it? (Any threads on this subject.)

The next step is to decide on the type of gauges to use for all my gauges.

I'll start a thread on this to see what others have done. What have you done?

[John F. Russo]

By the way, everytime you drain a lead-acid battery it doesn't fully recover. So, if you've drained it and jump started a few times, your battery is even worse off than if it hadn't been drained.

Pulse chargers, etc. can do a good job of getting the sulfer off the lead plates, but some residual always remains and reduces the battery capacity every time it's significantly discharged. And, the longer it sits discharged the less capacity it will recover.

Thank you for the chemistry lesson. It's a good review for me.

[RF Overlord]

John, I didn't know KB removed the voltmeter to install the boost gauge. Mac's car has it in an A-pillar pod.

I have the "real" version of the stock gauges...oil pressure, voltmeter and trans temp in the dash/console pod and matching boost gauge in an A-pillar pod, like Mac's. I'm thinking fuel pressure will be the next one added.

Removing the cigarette lighter is actually pretty simple. I forget the exact details, but it's pretty obvious once you remove the gauge panel. Make the hole bigger with a hole-saw or stepped drill bit.

[John F. Russo]

John, I didn't know KB removed the voltmeter to install the boost gauge. Mac's car has it in an A-pillar pod.

I have the "real" version of the stock gauges...oil pressure, voltmeter and trans temp in the dash/console pod and matching boost gauge in an A-pillar pod, like Mac's. I'm thinking fuel pressure will be the next one added.

Removing the cigarette lighter is actually pretty simple. I forget the exact details, but it's pretty obvious once you remove the gauge panel. Make the hole bigger with a hole-saw or stepped drill bit.


My Kenny Brown was #6. He may have decided to remove the cigarette lighter after this. Did he give you a real oil pressure gauge too?

Thank you for the tip for removing the lighter.

I met you at the Worcester Mass. mini 'Marauderville" with your wife MMO3MOK. Am I correct?

[CRUZTAKER]

When I'm on a business trip my MM can sit for 7 - 10 days, starts up fine everytime.....

Mine as well...all the time. Sometimes 2-3 weeks at a time. And this has been the situation for nearly 3 years.

Original battery as well.:cool4:

[MM03MOK]

I met you at the Worcester Mass. mini 'Marauderville" with your wife MMOK3. Am I correct?Yep!!!


Did he give you a real oil pressure gauge too?
We don't have a KB MM. RF installed the real gauge we bought.

[John F. Russo]

Mine as well...all the time. Sometimes 2-3 weeks at a time. And this has been the situation for nearly 3 years.

Original battery as well.:cool4:

Thanks for telling me that I'm still the exception about my battery (or maybe a suspect alternator).

I never complain from having too much data.

[John F. Russo]

Yep!!!

We don't have a KB MM. RF installed the real gauge we bought.

Now I am sure that I met both of you in Worcester.

[mtnh]

John, was there any damp residue on top of the battery during these drain down events? If so, the dampness on the battery top conducts electricity and a post to post circuit sets up across the top of a battery using the electrolyte that forms up there. This leads to the greenish colored chalky buildup on the negative post (or the + post, not both). If I let ours go uncleaned for any length of time, it gets moist on the battery. You can tell it's acid because if you accidentally dip a knuckle into it, it will begin to burn within a minute or so. Well that stuff will drain a battery fast, especially if it has been there since winter, when salty mist coats the underhood of most cars. The salt will also conduct with simple water on top of a battery and do the same as the acidic formation (I'm guessing it's vented gasses and mist from the maintenance-free battery's cap area from inside the battery). If the boys at ThinkW*lls cleaned the battery before they tested, then it would not drain down until it got damp on the battery again. Their equipment also cannot measure leakage across the battery top, so watching what was flowing to the car's circuits would never show the action between the posts.

[John F. Russo]

[QUOTE=mtnh]

Are you the guy I met at the Worcester, MA Maruader meet that we had a couple of years ago?

I checked the battery top and found about two inches of some moisture around the (-) post only. There was no green deposit at that post. I wiped it all off.

We'll see what happens. Regardless, I'll get a new battery before the winter starts unless the alternator is found to be the culprit. Maybe both need to be done.

Thank you for your observation. No one else mentioned it so far.