Charging System/Battery Draining

[APedue]

Having an issue with car battery draining. Something is staying on while the van is off and trying to figure out what it is.
In the past three months;
-new starter
-new alternator/generator
-new voltage regulator
-new battery

When the van sits for a few days, the battery is dead and has to be jumped. Some people have suggested I may have an issue with the ignition, that the key may be stuck in Accessories, even it the key is turned to the Off position. How common is this? and any other suggestions/advice is welcome!

Thanks!!!!!

[Vanner68]

Get a multimeter with a 10 amp scale (like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commerci...301S/305089516 )

Disconnect the positive cable from the battery and connect the meter between the cable and the battery.

See if there is a current draw reading on the meter.

If there is, pull fuses out of the fuse panel one at a time and check the meter.

When the reading drops to zero, that is the circuit that is causing the draw.

[tinlizard]

Get a multimeter with a 10 amp scale (like this https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commerci...301S/305089516 )Disconnect the positive cable from the battery and connect the meter between the cable and the battery.

I suggest disconnecting the negative cable instead. Same troubleshooting procedure and results, but less chance of accidentally creating a nasty short if your wrench touches ground. In fact it's standard battery protocol: always disconnect the negative cable first, reconnect it last.

[Vanner68]

I suggest disconnecting the negative cable instead. Same troubleshooting procedure and results, but less chance of accidentally creating a nasty short if your wrench touches ground. In fact it's standard battery protocol: always disconnect the negative cable first, reconnect it last.

That's a good habit to have, but in this case we're just pulling fuses. There is still a complete circuit even with the meter on the negative cable. In either case, shorting anything out is going to pop the meter. So, keep the wrenches in the toolbox when diagnosing electrical draw.

[van-itti]

Is it possible the battery is just old and wont hold a charge?

[tinlizard]

That's a good habit to have, but in this case we're just pulling fuses. There is still a complete circuit even with the meter on the negative cable. In either case, shorting anything out is going to pop the meter. So, keep the wrenches in the toolbox when diagnosing electrical draw.

Correct. But the hazard lies in the initial wrenching on the battery posts. Especially dangerous on the 108" vans with the battery down in that hole surrounded by all that steel. Crossing a wrench between the B+ cable and the body work is an experience you won't soon forget. My advice remains: disconnect the negative cable, not the positive cable; insert the meter between the negative cable and the negative post; proceed with the diagnosis.

[summerluvvan]

Having an issue with car battery draining. Something is staying on while the van is off and trying to figure out what it is.
In the past three months;
-new starter
-new alternator/generator
-new voltage regulator
-new battery

When the van sits for a few days, the battery is dead and has to be jumped. Some people have suggested I may have an issue with the ignition, that the key may be stuck in Accessories, even it the key is turned to the Off position. How common is this? and any other suggestions/advice is welcome!

Thanks!!!!!

I had a problem with a newly installed, rebuilt alternator where the three rectifier diodes were all good but the backflow diode was shorted, so the battery discharged through the alternator when the car was off. The telltale symptom was that the charging light stayed on very dimly when the key was out, and I found the problem by tracing through the circuit diagram. This wasn't on a Chevy Van, and I can't find my Chilton manual now to check for you if it's the same kind of circuit on the vans.

I took the alternator back to the parts shop, where of course it "tested" fine, but they only test the rectifier diodes. It took some convincing and showing them the circuit diagram before they took that one back and gave me another one. The second one worked fine, of course.

Pulling fuses wouldn't have helped in this case, as the alternator is unfused, except maybe for the fusible link.

Summerluvvan