Most Common Electrical Short

[turbohye]

Hey guys/gals,
I have been searching for this Damn short for the longest time. Every morning the battery is drained and its def not the alternator nor the battery. Something is pulling juice when the car is off. What is the most common drainer? is it not some type of fan relay that i heard about earlier? Steve V, and all you other GN gurus, i took the battery post off the battery and put a test light in between and left the door open and it showed brightly, BUT then closed the door to no avail no damn light on the test light. Am i doing something wrong because i feel confident i havent. trying to get my baby ready for the road this spring but dont want to jumpstart it every darn day.

thanks in advance.
Tony

 

[turbohye]

just an fyi, having spent alot of time on this already, i already ripped the stereo out (aftermarket cdplayer) and taped off all the open ends on wires to ensure i wasnt incorrect. battery still drained.

Checked under the car and followed the battery cables, definately not shorting out on metal.

im lost, need a beer.

 

[nolitlwhls]

When you say it isnt the battery or alt have they been replaced? or checked, quickest way to check the alt if it isnt new is to completely disconnect it and let it set and see if it drains, anything else like the hood light, even if there is no bulb, glove box , trunk light, where you say it wont light the test light I have seen wires melted in a socket or harness that didnt touch but would still draw current, you may have to pull all the fuses and relays you can and see what happens and if it stops then start putting them back one at a time, if that doesnt work, try disconnecting harnessess which is difficult, if it is a short the make a short finder that you run along the wire, snap-on mac or others that you can run along the wire harness and it will tell you if you have a short but you have to be able to get to the harnessess which is also hard, I think the short finder is a magnetic compass but it will only show you a short it wont do anything if a relay is sticking on, unplug your ecm, anything electrical and that will tell you how close it might be, also a noidlight testlight might be able to pin point ANYTHING drawing current cause it only takes a minute amount of current to light them, ecm draw or whatever but it should show you if you have everthing disconnected that is drawing any current at all, where you could then start reconnecting till is started to draw again,

 

[Sleeper-6]

take off a battery cable and hook test light or Amp Meter up between the battery cable and the terminal. Start pulling fuses and the light should go out when you pull the fuse forthe circut that is your issue. Good Luck

 

[nolitlwhls]

your other worst problem is if it isnt on a fused circuit, also the short finder wont help much unless it becomes a short instead of a draw.

 

[turbo nasty]

Does your car have the factory alarm?
If so they can go bad and cause a parasitic drain.

There should only be radio, ecm and alarm with ign switch off pulling any load minimal at that.
Unless there is some aftermarket item pulling load.

 

[nolitlwhls]

DITTO My GN would do that over a couple weeks from the alarm, I could never figure out if it was stock or aftermarket, when I pulled all the fuses it quit.

 

[turbohye]

wow, lots of options. I will start by pulling fuses. You guys are great. i will let you know as i go along. Yes it does have a factory alarm and the bulb in the dash use to drain the battery so i pulled it out then the battery stopped draining for a while, then a year later, Walla it starts again. I have no idea. i really wish there were some Buick guys up here in Gaithersburg. There is this one guy in bethesda who drives a pink or rose colored t-type but its now for sale on craigslist for 3000 or a bit more. I really wish i had a garage

 

[JimP]

If you have a draw the easiest way to locate it is to put a test light in between the "negative" battery terminal and the "negative" battery post, then remove the terminal from the battery post with the test light acting as a link between the two, the negative battery lead and the negative battery cable.

It is important to not just disconnect the negative lead and then put the test light in between the two, the terminal and the battery. Loosen the negative lead at the terminal, connect one end of the test light to neg battery terminal, other end of test light to neg lead, then pull the lead off of the battery with the test light between the two. "bridging" them together.

The test light will be illuminated if you have a draw. If it is a fused draw and you pull the fuses one by one you will find the culprit once the test light goes off! When I had a draw it was my horn. Go figure!

Hope this helps.

 

[WHEEZER]

How old is the battery? May want to check it also.

 

[87Jen]

Same problem

Every morning the battery is drained and its def not the alternator nor the battery. Something is pulling juice when the car is off.

Wow! This is too weird. I just logged on tonight because I am having the exact same problem. I had a battery saver on mine when I bought it 6 months ago. I was having to pop the hood every day to press the reset button. (and yes it is a brand new battery) I have had a couple of guys look at it and they all told me they couldn't find a drain. They thought the battery saver must be bad and that I should take it off and see what happens. Well, guess what. Battery was dead in 2 days.:frown:

I don't know that much about cars, and my husband HATES the car, so I kinda have to figure this stuff out myself. I'll try the suggestions you guys have. By the way, if I have a factory alarm, where do I need to check for a short in it? And another stupid question, where are the fuses?

 

[KEVINS87T]

if you have a power antenna unplug it under the hood.i had the same problemand this was the cause.

 

[nolitlwhls]

Jen the fuses are under the dash by your left foot, if the panel is still on under the dash there is a small door that will open to get to them but it is best to remove the panel, it is difficult to see much through the door, the short problem with them is an internal problem, not really a circuit, wire sorta thing, maybe someone else can tell you where the alarm is located mine was an aftermarket.

 

[NASSTY]

It could be the fan delay relay draining the battery.

 

[ChavoLC2]

Fan Delay Relay

JimP's way using test light on neg bat. terminal and post sounds like it works great. Have heard/read as well that alot of guys do disconnect FDR because it can be a source of draw.

 

[GNVenom]

The fan delay relay is probably your culprit. What happens is this: The relay is not sealed, so it picks up moisture, which eventually rusts the internals. The rust works its way between the hot side of the relay connection and a ground, causing a trickle of power to ground.

I've even seen a condition where the car starts but won't shut off due to an internal short of this relay. I've seen this happen at least three times over the years to different GN owners.

Fix: Unplug the relay connectors and forget about the problem. You really don't need that relay anyway, as it's a source of potential problems. Take it out of the equation.

 

[87Jen]

The fan delay relay is probably your culprit. What happens is this: The relay is not sealed, so it picks up moisture, which eventually rusts the internals. The rust works its way between the hot side of the relay connection and a ground, causing a trickle of power to ground.

Fix: Unplug the relay connectors and forget about the problem. You really don't need that relay anyway, as it's a source of potential problems. Take it out of the equation.

I will try that first. Where do I find the relay connectors?

 

[turbojd]

I will try that first. Where do I find the relay connectors?

The fan delay relay is found on the drivers side fender,, they're 3 relays you will see. The fan delay relay is the bigger relay of the 3, it will be the one closest to the windshield.

 

[TurboDave]

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but also pull the bulbs from your hood and trunk lights. Those mercury switches sometimes go bad and keep the light bulb lit even with the trunk (or hood) closed.

 

[EightSecV6]

I didnt read the whole thread in the event someone else already suggested it but two common causes are the trunk light staying on and a chafed power wire to the power seat.