I have an '84 300D that I recently(2 weeks ago) put a new battery in. It sat for about a week and a half, went to crank it and got the "won't turn over whine". Obviously I have some type of a drain on the system while it sits. Is there a list of "usual suspects" to look for?

It is a Euro import and has hang-on air and aftermarket installed electric windows. I'd like to put the old cranks back in, if I can find them somewhere.

Thanks,
Mark

Ok starting out with a list of shotgun suspects is not the way to go with those kind of problems. get a good meter and do a parasitic drain test while removing fuses to isolate the circuit and diagnose from there.

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1996 s10 zr2 with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1996 c2500 suburban with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1981 300sd with a turbo 617
Monte carlo figure 8 car

Put an ammeter inline with the battery cable and start pulling fuses. That will narrow it down to a few possible sources.

Make sure you Battery is charged before you test.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

If the voltage regulator and alternator control components go bad, it can discharge the battery, by not disconnecting the field of the alternator from the battery when the engine is off.
To check (in general) start out with a charged battery and a cold engine. Connect the battery. If the alternator field is draining the battery, the alternator will warm.
Other than this, the usuall suspects: under-hood and trunk lamps, et al.

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Providing a home for these cars:
1951 Buick Special De Luxe
1977 Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith II
1970 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow
1986 Mercedes-Benz 420 SEL
2005 Mercedes-Benz E 320 CDI
2012 GMC Sierra 1500 4X4
1927 Pierce-Arrow Series 80
1931 Pierce-Arrow Series 43
1926 Ford Model T coupe

but if the reg fails on, no ignition switch will disconect that large red wire that goes to the battery...

__________________
1996 s10 zr2 with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1996 c2500 suburban with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1981 300sd with a turbo 617
Monte carlo figure 8 car

unplug your power antenna.

__________________

77' 300D, "Cartman" SOLD @ 150K (didn't know what I had)
83' 300SD, "The Superdon" 325k+ @ 28mpg
95 E320 wagon, "Millennium Falcon" 231k+ @ 24 Mpg
95 E300D, "Sherley" 308k @ 33.69 Mpg, currently anticipating a head
99 Suzuki Intruder "Trudy" @ 45 mpg

All it takes is a diode to fail and power can be drained, ive seen it personally about a dozen times.

__________________
1996 s10 zr2 with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1996 c2500 suburban with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1981 300sd with a turbo 617
Monte carlo figure 8 car

Thanks everyone, looks like I have some tracking/tracing to do.

Thayer- sorry, no power antenna.

Randy - so connect the battery, but don't start the car and if the alternator is warm, it is discharging the battery. Bad alternator or voltage regulator then.

Josha37 - the diode is part of the voltage regulator?

Pls excuse my ignorance of electrical issues(hence the questions), my forte is more mechanical, engine, brakes, suspension.

Before you try to find something as specific as a fault in the alternator, I would do this:

Get a 15 dollar digital multimeter, make sure it will read amps. switch it to read amps and put it in line with the battery, either between the ground and the negative post, or the hot and the positive post, and see how many amps it is drawing with the key off and all the doors closed.

prop it up on the windshield, grab your need nose pliers, and pull fuses until you see the amperage reading go down, or to zero.

That will will rule out everything that goes through the fuse panel....which is quite alot.

after that you can just pull the alt, take it to an electrical shop, and have it tested.

__________________

77' 300D, "Cartman" SOLD @ 150K (didn't know what I had)
83' 300SD, "The Superdon" 325k+ @ 28mpg
95 E320 wagon, "Millennium Falcon" 231k+ @ 24 Mpg
95 E300D, "Sherley" 308k @ 33.69 Mpg, currently anticipating a head
99 Suzuki Intruder "Trudy" @ 45 mpg

Ok so do what i said in post number 2 and find your problem...

__________________
1996 s10 zr2 with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1996 c2500 suburban with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1981 300sd with a turbo 617
Monte carlo figure 8 car

Reason I mentioned the power antenna is that, in my case, it solved my problem.


I also just noticed that I just agreed with Forced Induction.

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77' 300D, "Cartman" SOLD @ 150K (didn't know what I had)
83' 300SD, "The Superdon" 325k+ @ 28mpg
95 E320 wagon, "Millennium Falcon" 231k+ @ 24 Mpg
95 E300D, "Sherley" 308k @ 33.69 Mpg, currently anticipating a head
99 Suzuki Intruder "Trudy" @ 45 mpg

yup.

__________________

77' 300D, "Cartman" SOLD @ 150K (didn't know what I had)
83' 300SD, "The Superdon" 325k+ @ 28mpg
95 E320 wagon, "Millennium Falcon" 231k+ @ 24 Mpg
95 E300D, "Sherley" 308k @ 33.69 Mpg, currently anticipating a head
99 Suzuki Intruder "Trudy" @ 45 mpg

Josha37 - So this is HOW to do a "parasitic drain test":

Before you try to find something as specific as a fault in the alternator, I would do this:

Get a 15 dollar digital multimeter, make sure it will read amps. switch it to read amps and put it in line with the battery, either between the ground and the negative post, or the hot and the positive post, and see how many amps it is drawing with the key off and all the doors closed.

Thayer - (Are both ends hooked up - one to the neg and one to the pos.....or is one end either neg or pos and the other end hooked up to something else????)

prop it up on the windshield, grab your need nose pliers, and pull fuses until you see the amperage reading go down, or to zero.

That will will rule out everything that goes through the fuse panel....which is quite alot.


Thanks

Why are you telling me how to do a parasitic drain test?

__________________
1996 s10 zr2 with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1996 c2500 suburban with a 6.5 turbo diesel
1981 300sd with a turbo 617
Monte carlo figure 8 car