750mV from battery to ground, Tracing the short: any usual suspects? Options

[Prospectfarms]

Key off. Red terminal to body gives somewhere between 1V and 750mV. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif) To me that seems like a bare wire short to ground but I'm not an expert.

Likely spots? Anyplace I could test first before tracing the whole electrical system?

How about a short (N.P.I.) list of always-hot wires in the car. Doesn't have to be comprehensive -- just looking for a starting point.

Thanks.

[stugray]

What?

Does the car run?
You should have ~12-13 Volts between the Positive terminal and the car chassis regardless of the switch position.
Same as between the + and - of the battery itself.

To find a short, you need to have the meter in series with the battery and measuring current not voltage.

Stu

[Prospectfarms]

What?

Does the car run?
You should have ~12-13 Volts between the Positive terminal and the car chassis regardless of the switch position.
Same as between the + and - of the battery itself.

To find a short, you need to have the meter in series with the battery and measuring current not voltage.

Stu

Thanks, Car runs. With the key off and the + terminal removed from the battery. I get a little less than 1V. between the positive clamp and positive battery post.

[Valy]

What?

Does the car run?
You should have ~12-13 Volts between the Positive terminal and the car chassis regardless of the switch position.
Same as between the + and - of the battery itself.

To find a short, you need to have the meter in series with the battery and measuring current not voltage.

Stu

Thanks, Car runs. With the key off and the + terminal removed from the battery. I get a little less than 1V. between the positive clamp and positive battery post.

Ok, cool down.
You're not measuring correctly.
Measure between battery terminals and will get 12v or a bit more.
what you did is measured the voltage drop in your voltmeter. Switch it to mA and repeat your initial test - should get few mA with the key off. Dont measure when crancking the engine or you will fry your multimeter.