Dead battery caused by voltage regulator?

[birddog]

Can a bad voltage regulator (stuck contacts) kill an otherwise good battery? The battery (MT-62) in my ERA has been fine until Sunday. Completely Dead. I confirmed nothing was left on. While charging the battery I decided to remove it and when I unplugged the charger I heard a clicking under the hood. After repeatably plugging/unplugging the charger I determine the source of the clicking was the voltage regulator which was a little warm to the touch. Pretty suspicious since I never had the car running. I plan to replace both the battery (unknown age) and the voltage regulator but wonder if I should be checking something else.

[strictlypersonl]

The field terminal of the VR normally gets its power only when the ignition is on. You may be getting feedback from a defective alternator or wiring problems between the regulator and the alternator.

With the ignition off and a live battery connected, disconnect the voltage regulator plug. If you hear the clicking, then the problem is as described above. You will probably have to replace the regulator with the alternator.

[Rickd]

Birddog. I believe you most likely need to replace your battery. It is the original one and that car was built in 2000. I test drove the car in June of 2006 (I was in the neighborhood visiting my mom), and the dealer in New York said the battery was dead the week before I got there and they had to come up with a way of charging the battery without removing the rear wheel to gain access to the FIA battery compartment. They figured it out. Real nice car, get a new Optima dry cell. Have fun. Rick

[birddog]

Thx Bob / Rickd. I replaced the battery and the VR and everything is fixed. The VR had a cooked relay. I replaced w/ a solid state and swapped the Ford black cover from original by drilling the rivets on the replacement VR. Car starts on first try now ..after learning proper method from other thread. I also pulled all of the wheels and applied anti-seize, adjusted the Spax and raised the rear by an inch. I also installed the tonneau studs in preparation for a cover. Just waiting on wind wings and sun visors. I probably will install a carpet as well. Coming together. Thanks for the help. Jeff

[birddog]

Bob, I replaced the VR before I read your reply but I did test the new one as described and passed the test. Hopefully this means the alternator is OK. I tested the charging voltage and everything looked fine. thx jeff