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Old 06-08-2011, 05:27 PM
redranger88 redranger88 is offline
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Question 88 Ranger Battery Is Draining

So I posted a previous thread on here and got great feedback, so I was able to eliminate certain suspicions and read some other threads, but still have not figured out what's going on.

Here is what's going on so far: Battery light is coming on and off. When fully charged batt is left in the vehicle it is being drained quickly and then the vehicle won't start unless i push start it. I used a tester lamp by disconnecting the ground wire from my batt and connecting the tester between the post and the wire. The light came on. I then went through my fuse panel pulling each fuse one-at-a-time, but the light stayed on. My old man busted out a multi-meter. It read 12.5v from the batt to solenoid(starter relay?) on both posts. Shouldn't there only show a power reading on one post of the solenoid(relay?). Does this mean my ignition or starter may be drawing power? Would the ignition draw power without the key in it? Can i test the starter and starter solenoid without having to lift my truck? HOw do i test the ignition for a short?
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88 Ranger, fuel injected V6, Manual, dual fuel tank, Red, but I found a bill of sale in the glovebox from 2007 that stated at the time of sale the truck was silver and automatic trans. It has 190k on the odometer. I used to own an 88 red ranger when I was 19. It was only a 4 banger and had just one fuel tank. I pretty much bought it because it was a great deal and for nostalgia.
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Old 06-08-2011, 05:38 PM
FireRanger FireRanger is offline
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Default Re: 88 Ranger Battery Is Draining

You should only read +12v on the big lug of the starter relay connected to the battery. The other big lug which goes to the starter should read nothing. Something is wrong.

However, this makes no sense. If the relay was stuck closed, your engine would be cranking away until it died. I suppose it could be corrosion inside the relay make just enough of a path for it to read on the meter and drain the battery slowly.

Disconnect the battery cable from the relay and see if the battery stops dying.
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alternator, battery light, drained battery, solenoid, starter

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