lets play the guessing game

[ledzeppac]

why does my battery drain after 3 hours?

No lights are left on
radio is off
scanmaster off
Factory alarm is on (I wouldnt even know how to turn it off)
Stereo amps off
etc...

I "thought" I had a bad 6 month old battery, returned it for a new one.
Still no solution....

AC Delco batteries

xoxo
Phil

 

[Gary Wells]

Checked the alternator recently?

 

[ledzeppac]

Checked the alternator recently?

What do you mean Wells?

Altinanator is giving the battery 13+ volts when car is on. The battery just doesnt hold the charge.

 

[SouthernCal GN]

Phil, did this happen before or after you put in the stereo/amps/etc?

 

[ledzeppac]

Phil, did this happen before or after you put in the stereo/amps/etc?

Well after the amps.
BUT I took the 100 amp inline fuse out last night. So its not the amps...

 

[Gary Wells]

A non-charging alternator is 1 thing that will allow the battery to drain. Tell your uncle hello for me

 

[my1stgn]

Well Im gonna guess you have an amp draw.... Im assuming you checked the obvious like your fans arent coming in for no reason after your cars has been sitting for awhile right? I would first run the car so the battery is fully charged then after that unplug your ground wire on your battery and see if it still happens. With the car off obviously. Test your battery voltage after a few hours. It should be around the same. If its not then your battery is most likely bad. If it is then you have a drwa somewhere in your car. Start pulling fuses and isolating. Would also help if you had an amp probe.

 

[cruzn57]

bad diode in alt will cause drain

have alt checked by shop, or..
remove grnd cable, and place test light in between see if it lights up,
if it does, there is a draw, if not, diode could be bad, (diode is one way check valve for electricity)
I'd say problem is in stereo system, draw from an amp, or something.

big help huh?

good luck

 

[SouthernCal GN]

Well after the amps.
BUT I took the 100 amp inline fuse out last night. So its not the amps...

I'd look for anything stray (hot or ground) in the stereo wiring (head unit/amps/etc).

 

[marred4life]

i had the same problem, took it to a electrical shop and they said it had something to do with some terminals behind my cluster, they were coroded or something, car runs good now.

 

[notacarlo]

The geniuses at GM used the laminate wiring grid on the back of the cluster panel. Over time they become misaligned - this causes havoc.

I removed the dinky screws they used to hold the panel in place, cleaned the contact aread with a pencil eraser and stuck it back in there with sheetmetal screws. This stopped my parasitic drain.

Not saying this is your issue, but another option to consider.

tagging a curb at 15 miles an hour in a 20+ year old car kinda jars stuff loose.

 

[my1stgn]

What do you have your remote wire on your amp hooked up to? Just wondering.

 

[ledzeppac]

Well the issue has nothing to do with the stereo amps because they are disconected.

The car would not start while neig jumped this morning so I tinkered around and found the hot wire wire was not "tight." Screwed it back in and the car started, while being jumped.

I'll wait until this evening to check if that was the charging/battery issue.

If not I will start pulling fuses.

thanks guys, one thing after another huh. windshield just cracked this week too

Phil

 

[graza002]

windshield just cracked this week too

Phil

Before you replace the front windshield, throw a piece of spark plug ceramic at it and see what happens, just make sure you have the glass guy on the way.....

 

[Underboost]

i had the same problem, took it to a electrical shop and they said it had something to do with some terminals behind my cluster, they were coroded or something, car runs good now.

I had the same problem. I couldn't find out what was wrong for the life of me, this was B.L. "Before Lou". lol I took it to an electrician out in the Irwindale area. It was corroded behind my fuse block.

 

[PaCemkr86]

had the same problem.. it was the fan delay relay

 

[turbo39151]

fan delay relay +1

 

[87natty]

Mine was the power antenna motor. Hey Phil, I'll be up in LA Thursday, can I come by and peep a look at it? Got you some Illustrator too. We'll talk more design too, I've been busy as sh!t man.

 

[blownchevy]

I have seen the under hood lights go bad on these cars before......Pull the bulb out and see what happens.

 

[turbolou]

Reply

have alt checked by shop, or..
remove grnd cable, and place test light in between see if it lights up,
if it does, there is a draw, if not, diode could be bad, (diode is one way check valve for electricity)
I'd say problem is in stereo system, draw from an amp, or something.

big help huh?

good luck

Cruzn has the right idea,First check all the obvious,trunk,hood,glove box light,interior lights any add on accessories,etc. Remove batt cable place a test light between the cable & battery post. if there is a draw the light will be on.The brighter the bigger the draw. A real dim light may be normal from the ECU or radio/clock memory. Pull fuses till light goes out to isolate circuit.90% of these problems are caused by sloppy do it yourself installations of aftermarket add ons or mishandling of wiring. Lastly make sure that it's not a weak or cheap battery thats run it's course. If all else fails. Park it somewhere in Long Beach leave the keys in it & let nature do the rest.