88 Lancer Shelby battery dies

Hello All:

We have had some unseasonable cold weather here in Tucson lately. Many
days the temperature has dipped below 30 degrees, and I have let me
Lancer Shelby sit in the garage for over a month without starting it.

I went to start it last weekend, and of couse, the battery was dead-
nothing at all. I did not have my jumper cables, so I called AAA. The
AAA Battery service truck arrived, and he first checked the battery
with his handheld instrument. The "Battery BAD-REPLACE" screen blinked
within a second afetr he cliped on the connections. He offered a
replacement battery, but since this was a two year old DieHard with
warranty left on the battery, I asked for just a jump. The car started
right up, and I let it idle for 20 minutes.

I drove the car for about 12 miles, brought it back to the garage, and
it sat until yesterday. I went to start it, and not being surprised,
it was dead.

I took the battery over to Sears, and they 'deep cycle charged it',
which took almost three hours! After it was charged, I went back with
the manager and watched them test the battery, and it tested good. I
even asked them to test it again on another tester, just to be sure.

So, I put the battery back in, started the car, and checked the
voltage: 13.99V. I turned on the high beams, AC, blower fan to MAX,
radio, and hazard flashers, and checked the voltage: 13.83V. The
voltmeter onthe dash shows 3/4 scale towards 18V.

So, for now I am going to assume I have a 'parasitic draw' problem.

Does anyone know the spec for key off current in a 1988 Lancer Shelby?
I want to start looking into this tonight, beacsue I am going to a car
show with this car next month.

Thanks for any advice.

Bill

 

question? check to see if you have a hood light. if you have unplug it.
but frist disconnect your batt and put a test light on your ground wire
and conect the other to your batt. post. it should not light. if it dose
then disconect the hood light if it gose out your problem is soved. if
not check to see if you have a truck light and disconect it. if it
dose not then disconect your alt. and one of them should do it. these
are the main ones that kills batts. good hunting

 

Should be below 30 milli-amps.

 

Well, I measured 7.4mA parasitic draw tonight. The factory service
manual describes IOD (Ignition Off Draw) as 5 to 35mA, with 10mA as
'typical'.

So, do I have a marginal battery?

Thanks for any advice.

Bill

 

Get the battery re-tested with a "Midtronics" battery tester.
Even if the battery is low on charge, it will give an accurate
test.
You should also have the output amperage of the alternator tested
against spec.

 

Well you could have something that is coming on when it shouldn't...
like a glove box light that comes on when it gets really cold or
something silly like that.

You could also have a bad battery. If you don't plan to drive the car
for a while I would disconnect the battery and just leave it until the
day before you want to take it to the show. Hook it up that day and
see if it is dead or not.

If I was a betting person I would bet that the battery has an internal
short and will be dead but I've been wrong before.

Steve B.

 

I'm surprised they "deep charged" it, sounds like a dead battery to me. Of
course I dont have any fancy equipment. No surprise the voltage was good
with the car running, apparently your alternator is in great shape!

 

disconnect the ground on your batt. for a day or so. and then connect it
and see if it starts the car. if it dose then i would look for a short.
they can be found in a hood light or a trunk light or the alt.
use this methed to find out which it is.
disconnect the ground batt. cable use a test light between the cable
and the batt post, the test light should not light.
but if it dose disconnect the hood light. if this dose not do it
disconnect the truck light if its got one.
necks disconnect the alt. if it dose not go out then pull one fuse at
a time untill it dose. good huntting

 

Good idea, only I would check it every few days, by starting the car,
just to see if it is losing charge.

I had a similar problem with 3 Die Hards in a row. When I took it in
their benches were covered with similar batteries in trouble.
Sears admitted they changed suppliers and many batteries were shorting
out.
Finally got one that lasted until I sold the car 3 years later.

Have you checked the water level? A shorted cell usually is low on water.