Have a 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse and the battery wont seem to hold a charge. I have a red top altima battery installed which is only a year old. Took the car to Kraigen and had the battery checked, they said it was good which now leads me to the alternator. Can anyone tell me if there is a differnce between a alternator from a non turbo car oposed to a turbo model.

Thanks :rockon:

Does the battery lose it's charge after being parked for a while or does it give you problems when the car is running? I really don't think it is the alternator, sounds more like you have something on the constant power that is draining your battery.

That was another thing that I was cosidering but the thing with that is I can charge the battery and within lets say 30 min to an hour the car wil barely crank over. I have had lets say a dome light stay on for hours and still be able to start. What type of unseen (like lights) could cause that kind of rapid discharge.

That was another thing that I was cosidering but the thing with that is I can charge the battery and within lets say 30 min to an hour the car wil barely crank over. I have had lets say a dome light stay on for hours and still be able to start. What type of unseen (like lights) could cause that kind of rapid discharge.

Wow - that is a fast drain.... might have to do some extra checking on that one. Try this, pull the positive cable when you park after charging the battery, wait an hour or so, reconnect it and try again. That should let you know if there is a drain.

Thats what I like about these forums That sounds like a start to at least verify if its the battery draining or a system drain. Will give that a shot tonight when I get home thaks for the imput .

I found this on my travels through the internet, if you have a multimeter this might help:

To check for power drain on your electrical system using a multimeter, you
>must use the AMP setting on the meter. With all systems off in the car,
>disconnect the positive or negative cable from the battery (negative is
>preferred for safety sake). With the meter, you want to measure across the
>battery terminal and the cable you just took off. If you get a negative
>reading, just swap the leads around from the meter. If you get any reading
>you have some sort of drain. BTW, you will always have some sort of drain
>due to radio memory, clock or engine ignition brains. Now to find out
>which
>circuit in your car has the particular draining device, reconnect the
>battery
>cable, go to the fuse panel and remove a fuse one at a time. Measure
>across
>the contacts in the fuse panel of each fuse (if you get a negative reading,
>swap the leads). If you get any reading, that's the circuit that is
>draining. Do this for each fuse to find if you have any other power
>consuming devices. BTW, you may erase radio setting while doing this
>exercise.

It is safer to pull the negative cable - you may want to do that instead.

Good luck!

Here is a little more info :

Parasitic (or ignition key off) drain is the cumulative load produced by electrical devices, for example, emissions computers, clocks, security alarms, radio presets, etc., that operate continuously after the engine is stopped and the ignition key has been switched off. Normal parasitic loads are below 75 milliamps (.075 amps). When the parasitic load is greater than 75 milliamps (.075 amps), batteries will drain more quickly. Glove box, trunk, and under hood lights that do not automatically turn off when the door is closed or shorted diodes in alternators are the most common offenders. Cooling fans, power seat belt retractors, radios and dome lights left on, alarm systems, and electric car antennas have also caused batteries to drain overnight. Leaving your headlights on will generally discharge a fully charged Car battery, with 90 minutes of Reserve Capacity (36 amp hours), within a couple of hours.

It is highly recommended, especially if you are using a sealed wet Maintenance Free (Ca/Ca) battery, to fully recharge it, remove the surface charge, and load tested both the battery and the charging system for latent damage from the deep discharge(s). You could have a bad battery. If the alternator is warm and the engine is cold, then check for a shorted diode in the alternator.

Here are three methods that are used to test the parasitic load with the engine NOT running, under hood light disconnected, all accessories switched off, and the vehicle doors closed:

10.1. Connect a 12-volt bulb in series between the negative battery cable terminal clamp and the negative battery terminal. If the bulb continues to glow brightly, then start removing fuses or connections to the positive battery post one-at-a-time until the offending electrical component is identified by the bulb dimming.

10.2. A better approach is to use a DC ammeter, for example a Fluke 175, inserted in series with the negative battery cable terminal clamp and the negative battery terminal or a clamp-on DC ammeter, like a Fluke 336 or i410 around the negative battery cable. Starting with the highest scale, determine the current load. If the load is above 75 milliamps (.075 amps) after the initial surge, then start removing fuses or connections to the positive battery post one-at-a-time until the offending electrical component is identified by the parasitic load dropping to within 75 milliamps (.75 amps).

10.3 Additional troubleshooting techniques can be found in a guide from Exide at http://www.exide.com/products/trans/na/battery_care/electrical_parasitic_load.pdf.

Wow - Need more people like you on these forums. Thanks for providing me with at least 10 hrs of electrical troubleshooting LMAO. Seriously though thanks

Wow - Need more people like you on these forums. Thanks for providing me with at least 10 hrs of electrical troubleshooting LMAO. Seriously though thanks

You are very welcome! Hope it works.

Does anyone have a link to download a Factory repair and service manual in PDF format for a 1990 Mitsubishi Eclipse. I have found them online before for my civic before and it was free instead of having to buy one off E-bay.

Aftermarket stereo?

I tend to keep it simple when looking for a parasitic draw, such as the trunk light, dome light, glove box light, etc etc. Its usually something you can find in about 15 mins.

If its going down in 30 mins, even if you do have a parasitic draw, your battery is probably crap.