Dead Battery

[MStudt]

That doesn't make sense to me. If both posts aren't connected there is no current flowing (except through the amp meter if it is in series with the battery). Are you saying that if you hook the positive lead to the battery but not the negative lead the voltage drops?

The current (amps) will be the same whether measured on the positive or negative side. 3 milliamps (.003 amps) parasitic draw is not enough to drain a battery in months (perhaps years).

Correct, that's what I was trying to to say. With the positive post connected and the negative disconnected the amp draw was .03. With the negative post connected and the postive post disconnected the amp draw was .03. I also disconnected the power wire going to the alternator and the amp draw was .00.

I can see how the battery might have gone down sitting for two months but it seems you are saying that it won't stay up now. If that's the case, the battery has probably gone bad, perhaps from being discharged for those two months, though I doubt a battery would go bad in that length of time (unless it wasn't filled or a defective battery). As I noted earlier, my 98 4Runner sat for that long and started right up and charged fine. I had an 01 Firebird my dad gave me a couple of years ago and it would sit for that long regularly and didn't hurt the battery.

Correct, the battery is going down, and not coming back up. At 6:55 the volts with both terminal connected was 12.48, and at 7:01 the volts were 12.46. After disconnecting the positive side of the battery at 7:10 the volts were 12.44 and at 7:18 they were 12.45.

I'm really starting to think that I'm the cause of my own problem. I'm going to take it into town on my to my brothers shop. Getting an alignment, battery, and we're going to check everything over again. I'm really lucking out since everything is going to be free. They're allowed to work on their own cars on Monday nights in the shop at no charge. I just have to help him frame out his basement in return. Seems like a good trade off to me.