[T3] Voltage

[Jim Adney]

On 30 Nov 2010 at 9:57, Adriel Rowley wrote:

> > Modern batteries are much better at keeping their charge. I had not started
> > or charged my Type 3 for several months, maybe as many as 6 (shame on me!),
> > but there was still enough in the 5 year old battery to turn the engine over
> > and over to fill the carbs and still start it.
> >
> Well then, why was this not the case on my Squareback?  How do I test if there is a phantom drain?

Remove the ground strap from the battery and see if there is some tiny spark 
when you touch it back to the battery terminal. For a better test, use your 
meter, set to read current, connected between the removed ground strap and the 
ground post of the battery. Any phantom discharge current should be read there.

OTOH, all batteries have some internal self discharge rate, and some are worse 
than others. Keep in mind that if your battery isn't being kept fully charged 
by the charging system, it won't take as long for phantom or self discharge to 
completely discharge it.

-- 
Jim Adney
jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, WI USA