Diagnose dead battery or power leak?

[DreamZproject]

Hey guys, 

Couple of days ago I jumped in the Z in the morning and wouldn't crank due to a dead battery. I whacked the battery on the charger and all was well for the following couple of days. 

I've now tried to start it again this morning and the battery is dead again... I'm not sure of the battery is old as I've only just picked up the car, but how might I tell if it's a bad battery or a power leak somewhere???

[C.A.R.]

Is the indicator clear? If so, it's dead.

[Simestime]

And disconnect the battery when its sitting.

[GregTas]

You can disconnect one battery lead and put an and put an amp meter in between. With everything off see if there is current flow which would indicate a drain.

If it's a newer unmodified car then more likely to be a stuffed battery.To test battery charge it up and take it somewhere to get it load tested. The only real test for a battery. Battery must be fully charged when it's load tested.

 

[DreamZproject]

Good idea Greg! I'll check the indicator too. If it's clear and uncharted will that still mean it's stuffed? Or just need a charge?

[Retro Z]

Loose negative earth leave. taking a lot of current to crank over and draining the battery. Check to see if its bolted tight to the bell housing or block.

[DreamZproject]

2 hours ago, Retro Z said:

Loose negative earth leave. taking a lot of current to crank over and draining the battery. Check to see if its bolted tight to the bell housing or block.

Bolted nicely to the bellhousing. There's also a lead connecting to the chassis pretty poorly... are both connections required or is the chassis one just a failsafe?

The indicator mayyy be red... but it's not very clear...

[DreamZproject]

Hell, it's probably the battery. Indicator is red enough! 

Has anyone used Lipo car batteries before? They've come down in price a lot over the last couple of years and weigh sooo much less than a lead acid!

[DreamZproject]

Just for anyones interest, I'm thinking of this puppy;

https://www.lithiumax.com.au/product-page/lithiumax-new-450cca-black-lcd-series-battery

A tad on the low Ah side, but I'll install a power breaker for when the car's stored more than a week anyway. CCA seem more than adequate especially considering Lithium's basically dead flat power drain curve.

[KatoKid]

I use them on my dirtbike. Crazy how small and light they are but do the job well.

I've got an Optima in my Z which works well and fully sealed.

[Riceburner]

I got one of these from Ash at Moorabbin Auto. 

It’s been faultless, run it flat many times and no issues. Very competitive pricing too.

https://www.viczcar.com/forum/topic/7726-club-cartrack-car-battery-and-charger-package-deal/