Installed Optima Yellow Top
10-12-01, 02:39 PM
#1
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
Installed Optima Yellow Top
hey guys i got the Yellow Top today, looks great now my engine bay is really starting to look nice, but thats not the point... no no its not. As you know i ahve been having massive battery problems, this winter will be the optimas test, but so far its good, i know its not the starter because with the optima on it started no problem, onlythig it could be now is an electrical drain somewhere.
i bought a multi-meter... but the damndest thing happened, i cant find where to put the battery! haha i can install one in a car but not a multi meter!!
call me stupid but i cant see it!! hahaha, just wondering, richie what things could i try to check for electrical drainage? what else can a multimeter be used for? i got a good one
thaks guys
i bought a multi-meter... but the damndest thing happened, i cant find where to put the battery! haha i can install one in a car but not a multi meter!!
call me stupid but i cant see it!! hahaha, just wondering, richie what things could i try to check for electrical drainage? what else can a multimeter be used for? i got a good one
thaks guys
10-12-01, 02:52 PM
#2
Lexus Fanatic
Well, I told you in the other post how to check for drainage. Take the negative clamp off the negative pole and set your multimeter on the amperage setting.
Now put the mulimeter in between the pole and the clamp. You are now measuring the drainage from the battery. If the drainage is high (which it probably will be in your case) you are going to have to ask someone to open the fuswe box and pull the fuse's out one by one and put them back in.
You aer going to wach the meter when the other person is pulling. If you see the amperage drop all of a sudden you know that the drainage is controlled by that fuse. Now take your car manual and check what's behind the fuse (for example the light in the trunk) Now you know what is causing your battery to get drained.
You can also check the alternator by setting the multimeter in Volt and when the car is running, put the positive wire from the multimeter on the positive pole and the negative wire on the negative pole. You are now measuring the voltage of the alternator. It should be at least 13.7. Optimum is between 13.7 and 14 volts. A bit higher is no problem but when it is way higher (like 16 V) it will cause damage to the battery.
These are the two mean things I check with my multimeter.
Hope this helps.
Now put the mulimeter in between the pole and the clamp. You are now measuring the drainage from the battery. If the drainage is high (which it probably will be in your case) you are going to have to ask someone to open the fuswe box and pull the fuse's out one by one and put them back in.
You aer going to wach the meter when the other person is pulling. If you see the amperage drop all of a sudden you know that the drainage is controlled by that fuse. Now take your car manual and check what's behind the fuse (for example the light in the trunk) Now you know what is causing your battery to get drained.
You can also check the alternator by setting the multimeter in Volt and when the car is running, put the positive wire from the multimeter on the positive pole and the negative wire on the negative pole. You are now measuring the voltage of the alternator. It should be at least 13.7. Optimum is between 13.7 and 14 volts. A bit higher is no problem but when it is way higher (like 16 V) it will cause damage to the battery.
These are the two mean things I check with my multimeter.
Hope this helps.
Installed Optima Yellow Top
10-12-01, 08:13 PM
#7
Lexus Test Driver
Website
Diamond - Try here: http://www.optimabatteries.com/produ...ycle/index.asp
Any Optima battery will work in your 430 as they're all sized basically the same as the factory battery. Get the Yellow Top if ya need deep cycling for a stereo or the Red Top for just a basic upgraded mod.
Any Optima battery will work in your 430 as they're all sized basically the same as the factory battery. Get the Yellow Top if ya need deep cycling for a stereo or the Red Top for just a basic upgraded mod.
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10-13-01, 06:20 AM
#8
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
the one thing i hate about the yellow top is the red pole is supposed to go on the left adn the negitive on the right, but since our cars are setup for the neg on the left and pos on the right i had to mount the battey backwards 
10-13-01, 07:54 AM
#10
Lexus Champion
Thread Starter
yea i checked the voltage was around 14
but when i tried the drainage thing nothing changed, maybe i had it on the wrong setting or there is no drainage, not sure
but when i tried the drainage thing nothing changed, maybe i had it on the wrong setting or there is no drainage, not sure
10-13-01, 08:06 AM
#11
Lexus Fanatic
So the alternator is perfect (what else could we expect from Lexus??).
When you checked the drainage you did put the mulimeter on the amperage setting, right???
If you did this you will always measure a little bit of drainage (for the memory of the radio for example.) this should be one tenth or two tenth of a ampere.
Hope this helps.
When you checked the drainage you did put the mulimeter on the amperage setting, right???
If you did this you will always measure a little bit of drainage (for the memory of the radio for example.) this should be one tenth or two tenth of a ampere.
Hope this helps.
10-14-01, 01:42 AM
#15
Lexus Fanatic
To measure the drainage in the car you will have to set the meter on DC scale (direct current), and set the meter on the 10A (that is three clicks to the right from the piont where the **** is now).
You will have to change the wires for this too. Put the red qire in the 10A hole and the black one in the COM hole on the underside of the meter.
Now the meter is set and you can put the meter between the negative clamp and the negative pole like I told you before.
Be sure the ignition key is not in the ignition!!
Keep the doors and trunk closed!!
When there is a light under the hood, take the lamp out!
Now you are set!!
Good luck.
You will have to change the wires for this too. Put the red qire in the 10A hole and the black one in the COM hole on the underside of the meter.
Now the meter is set and you can put the meter between the negative clamp and the negative pole like I told you before.
Be sure the ignition key is not in the ignition!!
Keep the doors and trunk closed!!
When there is a light under the hood, take the lamp out!
Now you are set!!
Good luck.