LUVTruck.com

im really tired of buying stuff for my luv to keep it running.
for some reason...i keep draining batteries.
so far i have a new voltage regulator,new alternator,new battery,and a new fuse box.
no matter what i cant figure out whats draining it. when i skim the cable on the battery theres no spark so nothings draining it while not running. so it has to be something when its running.and whenever i take the battery cable off when its running it doesnt die either.whenever its running, i test the voltage from the battery and it reads anywhere from 14.6-15.3v any ideas could help a lot. please help, ive put over 300 dollars just in figuring out whats wrong

Could you describe further what you mean? Is the battery flat when you go to start the truck after driving it? Does it go flat after sitting overnight? More info please...

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"If we did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves" - Thomas Edison

is yours a Mikado? if so you may have a grounded out dome light switch so its on whether the door is open or closed, most don’t have bulbs that don’t work half the time but anyway its just thinking out side the box idea… this was the case with an old Vega I had

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My old but now gone Luv...

Also if you have a voltmeter connect one lead to disconnected battery ground cable and other end to battery post with everything shut off & key off. If it shows any voltage at all you have an 'IOD' or 'Ignition Off Draw' draining the battery with key off while parked.

Check battery cables by peeling back some insulation next to lugs and look for corrosion, usually a green buildup. Bad cables can't carry enough current to keep system charged but may carry enough to keep engine running.

Check all grounds to be sure they're clean bare metal, at engine ground and at engine to firewall ground if it has one.

Many radios have a memory feature to recall station presets etc. This causes a constant draw on a battery even if ignition is switched off. If you show an IOD make sure it is't just your stereo by pulling that fuse or disconnecting the radio hot leads.

thanks for the help guys. for more info on the battery, my ground cables are brand new and not corroded and also the battery terminals are brand new too. those arent corroded either. its been just draining my battery whenever i drive it and last saturday i was at the race track and was warming my truck up cause i was next in line and smelled electrical. my alternator was glowing red on the inside so i got a new alternator the next morning and that night bought a new battery and disconnected the alternator wires

At the race track? A stock LUV? What were you racing against, Mr. Potato Head on a skate board? Close race....

How about explaining what kind of electrical system you're running and some more details. If it had the alternator glowing red from excessive output then I'd say you have a grounded short causing the regulation wiring to sense full field and cause full amperage output, right into the ground, the one that you smell burning.

If it's an engine swap/electrical swap then you may have gotten the field wiring confused. Somewhere you have voltage going where it shouldn't be going or you tied a ground into your field wiring.

I could woop MR. Potato head.