2004 Grand Prix Charging issues

[JoeBoxer1130]

3.8 L non-supercharged
Recently my car has had issues turning ON.
I only hear the clicks it makes when battery is LOW. So I jump start it and starts fine. I?ve replaced the alternator and it still doing it, Battery is a year-ish old. I?m still getting 12 volts on the meter.
Terminals are clean. Fuses are ok.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[FordMan77]

Keep the meter on it and have someone try and start it. Note what the meter reads. Could have a bad battery.

Are the gounds clean? Check the one at the transmission bellhousing as well. Cables tight?

 

[JoeBoxer1130]

So I checked two ground wires coming from the transmission, almost right in front of the driver side radiator fan. Cleaned them both. But noticed something.
I charged the battery to about 13.84 volts and about 10 minutes later it went down to 11.83 Volts.
But after the 3rd crank the engine started normal and was getting a reading of 14.98 volts exactly while ON.
So now I have the terminals disconected and waiting to see the final reading on my multimeter.
I know I?m suppose to have 12vokts at least

 

[JoeBoxer1130]

Yeah, I?m getting a constant/steady 10.83volts on my battery with the meter.
Even after I turned it OFF after I jumped started it.

 

[FordMan77]

That's really low for a resting charge, almost dead. Would likely not start it. I would find a way to slow charge it (3amp until full) and then stick it back in and see what you get. If it starts without a jump, then keep an eye on it and see if it drops again. If it does, then you either have a bad battery or a parasitic draw in the system somewhere.

The EEC and stereo memory voltages are not enough to draw a healthy battery to 10V overnight. There are how-to videos explaining how to check for parasitic draw using a meter between the battery cables and the charging system.

 

[tomsteve]

im thinking that after a slow charge, a load test would be wise