.3 volt voltage draw
 

So my battery goes dead if I leave the ground connected on the negative terminal of the battery. I have a .3v draw with a meter. I have disconnected all terminals on the voltage regulator. This did not have an affect. I then disconnected the two wires on the starter generator with no change. I then disconnected the two coil wires on at a time with no change. Any ideas on what else to check or how to isolate?

unplug the ignition switch. how many amps does it draw?

Try the amp meter

It can't hurt to check with a test light too. Sometimes digital meters offer ironies readings. If it's drawing down it should at least dimly light the bulb in a test light.

If the bulb illuminates I would check everything with a coil winding, and the ignition switch, and any aftermarket circuits.

Mike

The wiring may have the insulation removed from it and it could be touching metal, like what happened on my 104.

Cub Cadet 123

Just make sure you use a bulb type light and not an LED. You get too many false readings with an LED, It takes almost no connection to get them to light. I have used them to check light problems and you can get a reading with them from a corroded wire just touching together.

:bigthink:

My educated guess, that you have a high resistance short somewhere in your wiring harness.

I was using a Digital Voltmater that gave me the .3v reading. When I test with a 12v probe light it does not light up. Maybe I am OK. Maybe I will test the amperage draw and see what I get.

As a suggestion.....And to use a layman's technique. If everything thing is turned off, if you remove either battery cable and do not see a spark, then retouch this same terminal to verify, then there is no amp draw. IF you see a spark, no matter how minute, then there is some sort of draw.

Every time I had a battery go dead while sitting it was caused by high resistance in the old voltage regulators. Usually rusted around one of the terminals that should have been isolated. Sometimes I could fix them with some cleaning solution and a small wire brush.