the sage continues....I thought my battery was dead / alternator not working but they both work fine (get high voltage at 3,000rpm) and i exchanged my battery for a new one (3year free replacement)....



I go home, park.....come back 3-4 hours later...car starts fine but had some problems cracking......the day after..turn the ignition key and clink clink, nothing happens, battery voltage is low





Welcome electrical short!!!!



any tips on finding it / common places where they occur ?



last thing i installed was a 30-amp relay for my taurus fan, wiring seems ok cuz it worked for 2-3 weeks b4

 

Either you have a voltage drop, or a bad alternator.



To find the voltage drop, if there is one, disconnect the - side on the battery. Attach a voltage tester, for this situation one with a light would be easiest to work with. If the car is off and you see voltage, then you have a voltage drop, then start pulling fuses until it goes away, then you can start to zero in on where its coming from.

 

where should i attach it to? negative and positive poles?

 

you also could have a drain. you measure the amps between the battery and the car. anything over .5amps is too much



mike

 

you disconnect the negative, put on end on the battery, and one end on the

negative cable

 

Correction: .05A is too much drain.

 

Correction: .05A is too much drain. [/quote]

ok, its been a while