batteries wont stay charged

[Kevin Adams]

1973 dodge 440 it will start but wont stay charged, repaired all wiring, new alternator, and everything un between has been replaced with new, can't figure out why it doesn't stay charged

[Russell E Johnson]

Obviously you have a drain on the battery even though the key is turned off. Using an amp meter try disconnecting one wire at a time to find where the drain is coming from, when the particular wire is located, you can begin the tedious job of tracing where it goes and thus finding what is causing the battery drain.  Not easy by any means.  Try and get a good wiring diagram before you start, it may simplify your life.

Good Luck.

[John "T" Nordhoff]

 Have the battery charged and remove a cable and let it sit all night and see if its discharged??? If so the battery itself must be bad, a shop will test it for free. If it stays charged if disconnected but runs down when connected, there must be a parasitic current draw but where??? Maybe try removing fuses one at a time to see which circuit is drawing the current??? If a circuit is drawing very much current you will get small sparks when the fuses are removed or plugged back in. An in line ammeter can measure the current draw.

 John T

[Keith Scott]

Lifelong Dodge lover here, lots of experience with the older electrical systems.

I like to run a 10 ga wire straight from the back of the + terminal on the alt and run it around the front of the radiator to the battery + terminal. This bypasses the dash ammeter, with can be a problem over time. Install a voltmeter to get actual voltage readings.

Battery should have roughly 12.5V sitting, nominal voltage. Start the engine, volts should jump up to 13 + volts, up to around 14 volts.

The way I was taught to check for a draw is to disconnect one of the battery cables and put a test light inline from the removed cable to the battery post. There should be no light. If it lights up, you have a draw, start pulling fuses until you figure out which circuit is drawing, typically radio memory.