I’m having battery problems. The shop says there is nothing wrong with my charging system and the battery appears ok but sometimes when I hop in, it is too weak to start. Fortunately it is standard shift and not too heavy to push. Does anyone know what the amperage draw should be on a 98’ Ranger? It is a standard with air and radio. If I shut it off, disconnect the negative battery lead and hook an ammeter in the circuit, it reads .33 amps for about 45 minutes and then drops to .11 amps. Our Mercury Grand Prix reads .03 amps, and I got a reading of .01amps on a loaded suburban. Why would my no frills Ranger require so much more draw on the battery when turned off? I am using a Wal-Mart battery, and have had the same problem with 3 different batteries.

 

well your problem would definatly be the Wal-mart battery...


welcome to Ranger Forums

 

Alternator?

 

oh man, several times ive had similar episodes and ended up pulling my hair out in frustration after checking every possible problem... and then found that one of my alternator plugs was not in all the way and therefore the alternator wasnt charging while the engine was running.

 

oh yeah, and welcome to the board! im sure you'll find that any questions you have or advice youre looking for will be pleasingly taken care of

 

Thanks for the input. This is my third Wally World battery and the problem seems to occur after about 3 months. My alternator has been tested and it is putting out 40+ amps and the voltage is good according to Ford's version of Mr. Goodwrench. Guess I'll try a more expensive battery.