I just bought a new battery, seems it goes dead very fast. With the old battery I would get a good 8 cranks and the battery would go dead. I finally got tired of charging the battery and bought a new one, it does the same thing. The engine spins but if it hasn't been started in a while it take a while to turn over. Still after about 8 to 10 cranks the battery starts to go dead, Could there be a short or maybe the engine is isn't rotating free. After the car starts it seems to run OKish, haven't really given it road time.

I had a similar problem with mine, i also bought a new battery and had the same problem. What I finally figured out : It was the starter. It was sluggish and finally burned the wiring in the steering colum, so be careful. I would check your starter.

Starter or bad grounds......

Check all of your grounds, especially the one from the back of the trans to the car.

I had the engine out about a year ago and checked the grounds all good, it must be the starter. When I first got the car it sat for a few yearsa uncovered in a friend back yard. The starter wouldn't work. I took it to a flaps and after a few bangs he got it working, I am wondering if a lot of crud is still inside. Is it worth taking a part and trying to clean it?

Is it worth having a reliable car, I hate to be with a 914 that dosent start (sometimes)

How many constant draws do you have on the battery?

with everything turned off, put a voltmeter in line and see if there's any draw on the battery ...

Andy

I know I have something somewhere that is always drawing power. I unhooked the clock, There was an article a while back someone posted from a triumph board how to check. I think you take off the neg wire to the battery, and put put a light bulb with 2 leads one to the neg battery terminal and the other to the disconnected cable, if it lights you have a draw from somewhere. you pull each fuse until the light goes off, so you narrowed it down to all connected to that fuse. Since I don't drive the car, only around the yard I haven't checked the draw. I do disconnect the neg cable when not in use.

two words:

Volt Meter

Andy

Is the battery in the original spot? Is the ground strap connected to the correct spot?

When I bought my car the battery was in the trunk and the PO connected the ground to an aluminum thread that was on the pass side of the engine compartment, turns out that it wasn't really grounded...

Yes battery is in the original place, and its ground to bare metal. Andy I do have a voltmeter somewhere in the car, Glad you got your car back, any damage?

when you use a volt -ohm meter [this is what you need] disconect one of the bat cables and then set up your volt-ohm meter [you will get one] to the ohms set up, the leads are not the same as when reading volts. you will then use the volt-ohm meter in series with the battery one lead from the meter goes to the bat the other goes to the cable that is disconnected. this will show you how much amprage is being drawn from the battery. then you can pull fuses to find the worst offending curcut. then find what works off that fuse after hooking the battery back up.

Just to be absolutely clear - your meter must be in in amp (current) mode. The lamp thing might work if you have a significant draw but may not show you the little ones. A meter will tell you how much - not just if.

If you have to disconnect the battery you have a problem that has to be found and it won't be easy - until something starts smoking.

SWL is correct. A volt meter and an ohm meter wont tell you anything. You need a DC ammeter (multimeter like Fluke) set to DC amps. Disconnect the negative lead and put it in series with the meter. Forget the light bulb.

I had the same problem until I changed out my starter to a mini starter. All my start issues went away.

Eddy

i see no mention about the charging system. is your alternator charging while the engine is running?

Troy, swl, and eddy are all on the same page... almost.

Any modern multimeter will do the job. Don't think you need an "ammeter" or a "voltmeter" or an "ohmmeter" or a "volt-ohm meter" yada yada yada. It's just a matter of adjusting any standard multimeter to the correct setting.

Ohms measure resistance. Amps measure current. Volts measure voltage. They are all different. But in your case you need to measure current draw. Which is amperage.

So.... Multimenter on AMPS setting like swl said.

HOWEVER... This is still on the "current-draw" track. You still need to make sure the starter circuit is clean. Major cables from battery... Negative to body ground and tranny ground strap - both ends. As well as clean plus cable from battery to starter. Then there's the solenoid contacts....

when i say volt meter, i mean something like the pic attached.
i guess the correct english term would be "Multimeter".

either way, no 914 owner should be without one!
Andy

Bingo Andy!!
Label reads "FLUKE 179 TRUE RMS MULTIMETER" ....
That's a nice one btw.

Agree, a must-have for the toolbox.

Get one - it makes life so much easier. But don't buy that Fluke though - damned thing is made of gold or something. 15 bucks at Radio Shack should do the job. I prefer the classic needle type over digital - easier to see at a distance. Whether you are searching for an unknown draw or checking the charging system this tool is the right one. If you suspect charging system slap it on volts and check the battery the car running - should be greater than 13.5 volts. Less than that and you need to check out the alternator/VR

Lol. Well true that.... To some degree. Also though, you get what you pay for. The Fluke is a good product, and worth it when you need it. If you don't care about extreme accuracy and want to shop on price alone, you can go all the way to HARBOR FREIGHT for the other extreme. Their $4.99 model would actually help a lot in this case.

I have an Elenco M-1740, has all the funtions I need, and at about $35.00, not at

all a deal breaker...http://www.morsex.com/elenco/index.htm#m1740

Click to view attachment

I have a 30 year old analog meter that I really like but for most things
I use an older model of this digital meter from radioshack:
Pocket Multimeter

The reason that I really like this one, is that it folds up into a self contained
case including probe wires so nothing gets lost or damaged.
It also has a continuity beep function. It's small enough to just toss in the tool box.

If those fetures are not important, I'd go with the $5 harbor freight.
For a digital meter, it will do the job just fine.


--- bill

+1
I keep one in each of my Land Rovers, since Lucas electical systems are so reliable.

Your number one method seems to be to throw parts at it... Eventually that works.

My Dad used to call that "jacking up the radiator cap and running a new car under it". I guess the radiator cap thing doesn't apply here huh???

Anyway, if I were going to use the "throw parts at it" method I would start with that ground. Tops it is about $10-12 bucks and two bolts. Both that new battery and new starter are over $100...

Sounds like the starter is not good. If cranking the starter causes the battery to quickly lose charge, the starter is at issue.

The other draws from the car would result in long term battery draining, not from cranking the engine.

The current that needs measured is the starter current but its easier said than done. A practical way to measure the high currents of the starter is with a current loop. I don't think the typical multimeter can handle 50 or 100 amps. My analog multimeter only does 10 amp.

What is the battery voltage when the car is running? If too low, there would seem like the battery is dead if it had to crank the engine while having a low voltage.

Maybe time to get a new starter?

Again - the multimeter is your friend. Put it on volts. Measure the voltage across the battery terminals while the car is being cranked. Do it again between the starter Positive post and the block. Any difference between the two is due to resistance. If the difference is minimal then you have good wiring - look elsewhere.

Not too concerned about the voltage draw issue yet, I can leave the battery connected for days with no real sign of power drain. The battery charges at 14 volts so the alt is fine, the grounds wires are like new and the grounded to nice bare metal, I agree it is probably the starter. Can I service it or just eat the cost of a new one.

I agree with the way you and Spoke are thinking. A steady low-current draw would drain the battery when it's sitting. If it stays charged normally, but drains quickly just when cranking, stay on that track.

I would clean every connection / terminal in the starter current path first. Then if it still does it, swap the starter.