Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Flaky battery?

After three years, it seems my battery is getting flaky. Before replacing it, I would like to verify that i don`t have a short somewhere causing battery drain.

What is a normal parasitic load for a V6 tour with viper alarm with engine key off? I`ll measure it tonight, and I was wondering if anybody else had measured it on their cars.

I am looking at a Wal-mart replacement battery (#41-4, which is supposedly a little long, but very well priced...)If anyone has other suggestions, please feel free.

This article suggests a 50mA typical:
Inside Look at Charging System

Quote:"There is no one acceptable specification for parasitic draw because it varies from manufacturer to manufacturer and from model year to model year; but they all agree that the lower the draw the better. Some newer vehicles can draw up to 75mA with the ignition off and still be within acceptable limits. While some manufacturers, such as Dodge, claim that no more than 20mA is acceptable on some models­the Dodge Dakota, for example. A general guideline to follow is to allow no more than 50mA draw with the ignition off. A battery with 50mA draw will usually last in a vehicle for approximately 20-30 days without the vehicle being driven" (End of Quote)

Enjoy
Dave

Thanks. Set you up with a few celestial bodies...(too bad they are only stars in a bulletin board hey ;))