charging system problems

[tbird165]

Something is causing my battery not to get a charge. I have tested the wires coming from the stator before they plug into
the rectifier with a multimeter and it shows that the stator is putting out a charge. I have also replaced the
rectifier thinking that was the problem and I also tested the output from the rectifier with the multimeter. I have
checked all the wires i could to see if any of them is sorting out and there is nothing sorting out. Is there anything
else i could check that may be the problem that keeps killing the battery? What else does the charge go through before
reaching the battery because I see no wires running from the stator or rectifier to the battery but I do see two wires that
run to the solenoid that i dont know where they come from, could those two wires carry the charge from the stator to the
battery?
Any help would be nice before I pull the whole wiring harness and running all new wires

[spencer2004]

You could try a parasitic draw test; this is to see if anything is drawing current when it shouldn't be (i.e. with the ignition off). To do so set your multimeter to current mode, dissconnect the positive battery terminal, connect one lead of the multimeter to the positive terminal on the battery and the other to the positive lead. You will need to connect the positive test lead on your multimeter to the current test port (which is usually the left one) and set the current range to the highest value, also do not turn on the ignition with the multimeter connected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0

[Krasi]

How old is the battery? Does it have enough electrolyte?

What voltage reading do you get on the battery poles when the engine is running? If it's more than ~13V, everything with the charging should be OK, so I would try with a new battery.

[spencer2004]

The charging voltage should be just over 14v, if it's any less then the carging system is probably at fault. Ideally the battery should be at 12.6 while the engine is off, if the charging system is outputting the correct voltage and the battery voltage dosen't get close to 12.6 and/or the voltage quickly drops off the battery is probably dead.