Thread: Suggestions on how to find leaking voltage

Got a buddy that is leaking voltage "somewhere". No other electrical problems except a couple of lights don't seem to be connected to a switch at all. Just want to stay on all the time.

Anyway, was thinking about how to locate the particular wire that is bleeding the voltage an all I have to work with is a voltage meter. Ignoring the light issue...what about measuring voltage at the terminals then disconnecting each wire individually and re-measuring the voltage. Supposedly a fairly large amp draw since he's had to jump the boat twice in two weeks. Think that would isolate the wire or can you think of a better way to track it down?

Wannabe...

Originally Posted by Wannabe...

At rest with fuse pulled to bad lights, the crank battery is getting drained. I'm assuming he's got a worn wire that is finding a ground somewhere and pulling current. Real problem with that would be whatever metal is giving ground would be getting eaten away due to arcing. Dunno really, just guessing at the moment and planning for the bet way to go about finding and fixing it.

Wannabe...

My first guess would be the battery itself. Step one would be to disconnect all wires from the battery and see if it holds.

Next, check the bilge pump. Often debris gets in the float switch and the bilge pump runs until the battery goes down.

Next step would be to connect one cable back to the battery and put an ammeter between the other cable and the battery post. If you get more than a couple of hundred milliamps there might be a problem. Some outboards draw a little current all the time, so a battery won't last forever witout a charger on it.

If there is excess draw, leave the meter connected and pull the fuses one by one. If pulling a fuse causes a drop in current, you've found a possible problem source.