Quote Originally Posted by vt_maverick View Post
Eric - I have one of those DieHard 6V/12V Battery Charger & Engine Starter units (part #28.71225) that Sears sells. Is there any difference between that unit and the battery / alternator testers you suggested? And I agree about not getting the full amp level at idle, but if a HO alternator generates 75A at idle, how much less would the OEM alternator generate? (I'm asking because I don't know.) Dude that sucks about burning up your electronics, we came close to having that happen in the wife's Axiom just before Christmas but thankfully it was intermittent so we were able to limp it to our garage without incurring any damage (at least that we know of yet).

The way it's wired is there's a power cable coming directly off the positive terminal of the battery that runs through the firewall and to a 12A noise filter under the center console (it's grounded to the screw on the e-brake handle base). From there the power is (I believe) split directly between the screen and the computer. The aforementioned safety power supply is hooked up to the computer only so that you still have power to the rear camera and touch screen even if the computer is off. The lack of a safety power supply between the battery and touch screen means there's a constant draw on the battery to illuminate the on/off/sleep status light on the dash. Whether it's actually draining the battery or the battery just has a dead cell is anyone's guess.
That is good for charging and will test cca but im not sure about voltage. To be honest i have never messed with the testing functions on one. It is fully auto so while youre in the 2a auto mode it is working like a trickle charger. Make sure that you have it set in the agm mode too.

If you do have a shorted cell you could be overcharging too and burning off electrolyte while its hooked up, that would make the problem worse. If you run by an autozone or advance auto they will put a load tester on the battery while its installed and can tell you if there is a shorted cell. Sears can do this too but it would probably take longer though if there is an issue you can fet it replaced right there.

If you can I would throw a clamp on type ammeter over the power cable going to your computer to see exactly how much it is drawing while its off. Usually alternator issues show up with other symptoms so I am not convinced but cant rule it out yet either.