pulled fuses, got some voltages, next step?

[SJ]

> From: pasquale pilato <pasqualep99 at yahoo.com>

> I've been chasing a battery drain problem I've been
> having on my 1990 100q.
**** Best way I know to check current drain is with a 10 watt, 1 ohm
resistor in series with the negative battery cable.
You measure voltage across the resistor and calculate the current using I =
V/R.
Anything under 100 ma (0.10 amps) would be considered normal. My cars draw
60 ma.


> I measured some voltages and a resistance,
>
> Across the battery w/ car running          about 14v
**** Thats correct. After the car warms up, with no accessories running, the
reading should be 13.6 volts.
Is your meter accurate? Can you read decimal places?

> Across the battery w/ car off                    12v
**** A fully charged battery will read 12.7 volts. A dead battery will read
12.0 volts. Now you see why the decimal places are important.

> For fun, portable battery used to start the car  13v
**** Thats about what it should read . . 12.7 volts.
> Resistance from alternator to + battery post     1 ohm
**** This sounds high. Resistance should be just a fraction of an ohm. Is
your ohmeter accurate?
Measure the voltage drop across the cable with engine running. Decimal
places are important.

> This is the part I do not understand, my HVAC control
> turned voltmeter says 12.0 no matter what.  Radio (660
> watts) on, seat heater on, lights on, car on, or all
> of the above off.
**** You read 12.0 volts on the HVAC with engine running? And the alternator
is putting out 13.6 volts? And you read 13.6 V at the battery?
This is very odd.

> It looks like the battery is shot, even though it is 3
> months old, Sears "international" special.  Since it
> is under warranty I think I'm going to return it and
> use that towards the Optima batteries Sears now sells.
>  But before I do that I would like to understand the
> 12.0v reading on the HVAC control, which does not
> match the volt gage.
***** Perform the engine running test as described above. Make sure your
voltage meter is calibrated. A DMM would be a good investment if you dont
have one. DMM = digital multi meter.
Measure the cigarette lighter voltage when you are checking the HVAC voltage
reading.

SJ
85 Dodge PU, D-250, 318, auto
85 Audi 4k - - sold but still on the road
88 Audi 5kq
90 Audi 100q