Battery drain issue..

[groumoutis]

This is the first time I have had this issue with the car. Over the past winters when I go out to start the car during the winter it fired right up. This year it has been dead twice. The battery was bad last summer and I replaced it. The only thing that has changed is last summer I put the under the hood light back on without putting the bulb in it. Didn't like seeing the empty screw holes. Would that drain the battery without a bulb in it?

 

[BRAD_PADGETT]

This is the first time I have had this issue with the car. Over the past winters when I go out to start the car during the winter it fired right up. This year it has been dead twice. The battery was bad last summer and I replaced it. The only thing that has changed is last summer I put the under the hood light back on without putting the bulb in it. Didn't like seeing the empty screw holes. Would that drain the battery without a bulb in it?

I do not think so. I simply unplug my mine until needed. One way to find out is to recharge the battery and unplug the light. If the battery holds a charge then you know the mercury light switch in the light is bad. I am sure there are better answers out here.

 

[groumoutis]

That's the plan. I just don't think it could drain the battery without the light in it. I do have the hood up so the light should be on if the bulb was in it.

I did install led tail lights but this started happening before I put them in.

 

[mikestertwo]

This is the first time I have had this issue with the car. Over the past winters when I go out to start the car during the winter it fired right up. This year it has been dead twice. The battery was bad last summer and I replaced it. The only thing that has changed is last summer I put the under the hood light back on without putting the bulb in it. Didn't like seeing the empty screw holes. Would that drain the battery without a bulb in it?

There are a multitude of things that can drain the battery. Radio, fan delay relay, alternator, light turned on somewhere (trunk?). I just disconnect the battery when I put my cars in storage.

 

[earlbrown]

It shouldn't drain with not bulb in it..... but I guess a small internal short with the mercury switch could cause a slight current drain. It wouldn't take but a few seconds to check it with a multimeter.

 

[regan j]

Connect a test light in between pos battery terminal and pos battery cable. Light glows when there is a drain. Unplug what you think is draining and look at test light. If it is dimmer, you found a drain. If you have items with memory - radio- it will always have a small glow. Hope this helps.

 

[groumoutis]

I keep it on one of Kirbans battery tenders while it is stored. When I went to start it today the voltage on the scanmaster said 7 volts so the battery was at 8 volts. I won't have time to mess with it much over the next 5 days. I have my battery charger on it right now. Later tonight I will try to start it and let it run for a while. I will disconnect the light after I put it back in the garage.

 

[earlbrown]

That means the ECM sees 7 volts. Did you measure it at the battery?

 

[groumoutis]

I know the battery alway shows one volts higher on my multimeter compared to what the scanmaster shows.

 

[dynoman]

Will your meter read current (amps) ? If so put it in series from the positive bat terminal to the positive cable and see how much current you draw. If it's been on a trickle charger and still reads 7 or 8 volts check the output of the charger first, it should be 13 to 14 vdc. Did the battery freeze after it was discharged ? Once a battery is frozen it usually won't take a charge and hold. I lost 2 batteries in my trailer because they were drained by an inverter that drew current even when turned off and they froze, no bringing them back to life !! good luck, Sam

 

[jim0207]

I had a battery drawn down in one night. Killed the battery. Thought the battery needed replacing any way. Got another battery hooked it up next morning car would not start. The battery took a charge and I was able to drove the car that day. That night I went out to the garage did not turn on the lights walked around the car looking for something out of the norm. I found the passenger vanity light on. Next day made the repair to the light and all is well.

 

[groumoutis]

I did go out and start it after it sat on a 2 amp charge and it fired right up BUT I believe I have a lifter making some loud clicking. So I shut it down and I am going to wait until next week to check out in warmer weather. It is in the low 20's right now. I didn't give it a chance to warm up to see if it would go away.

 

[earlbrown]

For some reason if my engine turns over very slow (or fails to crank from a dead battery) the lifters like to rattle like hell for a few seconds. That was back when I had flat tappets. My Morels don't seem to have that affliction.

 

[groumoutis]

Earl... Well while I got you subscribed I'll ask you some questions.

I haven't started the car in about a month and it is 23 degrees outside. I didn't know if the car would start so I didn't unplug the ECM. After I started the car it start making the loud clunking/clicking behind the alternator. The last time I started the car it ran smooth as silk. After I started the car I disconnected the charger and heard the noise so I backed it out of the garage thinking it would clear out. I let it run for about two to three minutes and it never went away. I pulled it back into the garage and unplugged the ECM and cranked it for about 15 seconds a few times. Then started it back up hoping the oil would clear it out but it didn't. Any ideas what I should do? I always change the oil in the spring and mid summer. I usually put about 3-4000 miles on the car a year. Do you think the oil change will clean up the lifter? I run Mobile 1 full synthetic and zddp. Never have had any engine trouble with this car.

 

[earlbrown]

Those things can be screwy. About 10 years ago I drove home from a 3 hour road trip, turned my car off and went to bed. Overnight one of my rocker shafts broke and curled up on the end. I ordered some new rockers and shafts and the car sat with no spring pressure on the lifters for a little over two weeks.

Put it back together and the lifters wouldn't shut up. It was like a few were forced down and stuck there (even though they sat unloaded). Finally after about a week I was in the McDonalds drive thru with the window down and had enough of listening to the valvetrain rattling reflecting off the brick wall....

So I got my two double cheeseburgers with no onions (that's the trick to make them cook you a new one) and a small fry, then pulled out into the road and floored it. Stayed in it for almost a mile.


They never rattled again.



Now I can't tell you to flog your car hoping for any result just to get a result ( like I do)....

....but sometimes machines need to be reminded who's boss. And sometimes it works out in my favor.

 

[groumoutis]

I am going to pull the valve cover tomorrow and take a peek. I'm going to see if I have a push rod that isn't squirting oil. It sounds like a lifter but it also seems pretty loud. I've never heard a lifter that loud but it sounds the same just louder. Keeping my fingers crossed. It sounds like it is coming from #1 or #3 but I am leaning towards #1. Almost like it is coming from the alternator. I may just pull the belt tomorrow just to rule out any auxiliaries.

 

[earlbrown]

You might just have a broken rocker shaft. If so, that's not really that big of a deal. Do you have rocker shaft supports?

 

[groumoutis]

Nope. It has the factory setup with the exception of springs. I changed out the springs to the 980's this past summer. After the spring swap and before I put the car away for the winter it was running the best it ever has.

The more I think about it the more the broken rocker shaft fits. The heavier springs and the noise coming from the end of the rocker shaft on cylinder #1. If that is it where do I get a new rocker shaft? Couldn't find one on a quick search of Kirbans, RJC and Cottons. Nevermind that. Found a used rocker assembly on Cottons!

I hope you're right Earl. If so I owe you a beer!

Gonna order the supports from RJC as well even if it isn't the problem.

 

[earlbrown]

I'm really amazed that rocker shafts don't break more often than they do. It's a round hollow pipe with a hole in it that's held down with a flat bolt head. The 'springiness' of the tube is what had to counteract the torque of fastener. so basically you end up squishing (stretching) the pipe and distorting it. Since a crack has to have a place to start, that's a recipe for a cracked shaft.

 

[groumoutis]

Pulled the driver side valve cover and rockers and shaft and didn't see anything. Was hoping for a broken shaft to be honest. It is a lot easier than pulling and cleaning lifters. Earl do you think the cam could have been wiped out just from starting it when it was running great before I put the car away for the winter?