Causes for draining battery??

[PaulRV6]

I have a new Delco battery installed and after letting the car sit for more than 1 week there is not enough juice to turn it over. I know the battery is good so what else could be causing this.
I know of cars that sit for weeks/months on end and still will start the car.
Where do I start to look for a problem, assuming there is one?

Thanks guys for the help.

paul

 

[BOOSTEDGNs]

check for grounding wires under hood all your lights relays etc...just an idea this is the hardest things to diagnose because the possibilities are endless and mind numbing, mine ended up being the relays....


Alan

 

[Boston GN]

Fan relay is a popular cause for this

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

Do a search here on how to do a AMP draw test, i posted it somewhere.
Check to see if your trunk light doesnt stay on all the time, if it rains and the car goes dead, most likely the fan relays.

Make sure the alternator is charging all of the time
BW

 

[Snake Killer]

I had the same problem as you did, i bought a brand new battery when i bought the car, and it kept dying..

Well come to find out that the brake pedal would stick down a little bit too much, and this would cause the brake lights to come on every once in a while, it was a real PITA to figure out, because of course the lights wouldnt come on while I was standing next to the car.


If you havent touched your brakes in a while, I doubt this would be the cause..

But just something to ponder.

 

[Lunkan]

The easiest way to diagnose, is to use an AMP-meter that You just connect over the positive lead and then take a fuse out until You see the AMP´s drop.

 

[rose1mr]

I am having the same problem! I bought a brand new battery, car sat for a week and is dead! I have done the fan relay thing...not the problem. I tested the Alternator and it gives a reading of 14.84 while the car is running and 12.4 while its off! So that is fine! There are no lights on in the car when its turned off. The brake pedal doesnt stick, and all the connections are tight and no sign of anything loose. The AMP reader that someone is speaking of is great if you want to know that there is a draw on the car....my issue is WHERE THE F*** is it!!! Is there some of a diagnostic tool you can buy that will "sniff" out the issue? I am sorry, but there has to be an easier way then unplugging crap til you find the short? Its 2005, there has to be something.....any suggestions?

 

[turbo2nr]

Me too.....come to find out that the radio had a blown relay and the display (clock) would not go out. That drained batt in about three days. $50 for fixing the POS stock radio.

 

[PaulRV6]

This is a good list going of possible problem areas but mine is none of them.... so far.
What other components could be taking a draw when the key is shutoff?
Thanks

paul

 

[salvageV6]

The ammeter test previously posted serves more than to tell you what you already know, you have a drain, it also tells you how much of a drain which can narrow down the possibilities, it will also show you where the drain(s) is/are if you do the fuse pulling test while it is hooked up.

If you don't want to use your head and think about the problem(s) use the meter, in many cases it's smarter than the internet guessing game.

$5 on a trunk, hood, or glove box light.

 

[jjkv]

A few years back I installed a Kenwood alarm system....Car was parked for 4 days....Battery was dead....replaced alarm .....dead battery issue was gone.


John

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=149088&highlight=amp+draw

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

Put a digital multimeter inline like i described, start pulling fuses out one at a time till the meter drops off, then its in that circuit-

On my dads WE4 i pulled all the fuses out and it never dropped down in amperage. It took me forever to find out the trunk light was staying on. I had to sit down and drink a beer, looked up at the trunk up about 3 inches and the light was on!

Pissed me off
BW

 

[salvageV6]

If you pull the CIG/CLK fuse that would killed the trunk light and the draw.

That's always a good fuse to start with first, always powered cicuits run off it, lots of them, and people like to add and modify it which sometimes is a problem.

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

I guess at that point in time it wasnt on, i forget what the typical AMP draw on our cars is when the key is off and nothing is on.

BW

 

[jjkv]

It's good to check all the fused circuits in the fuse box for current draw, but have you added additional stereo equipment or other wiring?

 

[83ttypecooled]

Hi,
Yeah, I agree that a small lighting load will draw the battery down in a week or so. Try pulling the interior light fuse, see what happens. My radio ran the battery down over time just because it had an internal problem that kept the digital display on always, instead of shutting off in a couple of seconds. Good luck!
Dale

 

[Anthony K]

had SAME problem, and all these suggestions didnt work, so i pulled the wire from the back of the ALTERNATOR and let it sit for a few days......................car fired right up after putting the wire back on.. the alt has a bad dioed ( spelled wrong ) lets voltage back into the system. the dioed is like a one way valve. only mine was not working

 

[PaulRV6]

I thought I had it figured out when I pushed on the "truck alarm switch" with the trunk open and the light stayed on. I said ahha that's it. Pulled the bulb and drove home. After opening the trunk again it hit me that the switch I pushed was only my alarm switch and not the trunk lite switch. Duh
Now my question is where is the trunk lite switch located?
Back to the garage.
paul

 

[Quick6'n'-K.C.]

The light should only come on once the trunk is lifted, doesnt matter if you use the KEY or the Yellow pushbutton.

Slowly start lowering the trunk, if you get the trunk to the point where it is almost closed and the light stays on, the trunk light socket needs to be replaced.

Have the car in the garage with the lights out, much easier to see if the light ever shuts off
BW