i have a 1989 gta, everytime i go out to start my car something is draining the battery i tohught it was the starter so i rplaced it but now its still doing it the altanator is good so something is drawing from the battery is their anyway to check it to find out? i have spent enough on mechanics i would like to try and see if i can check it my self i just dont know much about eletric. please help if you can thanks.

 

yeah something must be draining it...

what else did you check?

https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...t=battery+dead

 

Hehe I think I have went through 4 new batteries that have not cost me any thing but I think it's time to find the problem. Really an alt can drain a battery dead? I come to think of it I started having these problems after I had the alt replaced. Im currently having one hell of a problem with my car, it misses pretty bad and will not rev over 3,500. It's currently being worked on, and every thing has been looked over and checked, and nothing is changing the problem, were talking injectors, cap rotor, mass,ecm,compression, the whole nine yards and Im blue in the face.

 

I had the same problem on my 90 Formula. The battery would be dead as a doornob after 1.5 weeks or so of sitting in the garage. I pulled the acc fuse and the problem was solved... Okay, it's not a very good solution... When I get some time, I'll hunt the short down, but I can't find any good electrical diagrams. I just have the generic ones from Haynes.

I did notice that when I plug the fuse back in, it sounds like a relay is kicking in under the dash on the passenger side... Anybody have any ideas on what that is?

I found three cut wires (white, gray, green) on the passenger side that I believe go to the non-functioning power antenna, but I don't see how that could be my problem.

 

well i put a new battery in and i checked the volts with a volt meter when running it moves from 13.1-13.4 sometimes 13.5-13.9 it goes up and down with everything on it goes right down to 12.2 12.1 real low is my alternator bad? i took the neg cable off and took one fuse out at a time then i touched the cable against the battery to see if theirs a spark i was told if theres a good spark that means their is a draw from somewhare well anyway it kept sparkin and im back to today last night i put the new 700cca autocraft titanium battery in lets see if it dies?

 

I've never heard of that spark check before, but it does make sense I guess... The voltage drop when everything is turned on is normal, tho. Turning on the rear defrost on just about any car will dim the lights unless you've added a second battery.

It could be the alternator I suppose. There's a diode in it that goes bad sometimes. The diode's job is to keep current moving in the right direction to charge the battery. If it shorts, the current seeps back when the alternator isn't turning. That's why sometimes an alternator will charge a battery, but then discharge it overnight.

 

well i let the car sit overnight and went out today and it started right up but im still not convinced yet its sitting right now let see if it starts tommorow. i hope its all fixed im getting ready for a new motor soon anyway i will get back and tell everyone how i made out i appreciate all the help i got here sometimes i post things and dont get any reply.

 

yeah i hope you got it fixed!!

about the post and no replies, thats how it goes sometimes..
mostly because its been talked about before and all you need to do is run a search to find the info..

but i know some people like to post their question and be
re-assured that this is the way to fix something..

good luck.

 

All my problems I had mentioned are fixed, the car is running on all 8 cylinders now and there is no more battery drain, There was a short that caused all this, I will get the details tommrow, my car is at our SC3G club mechanic. and to ad to the note I learned about my reply about the alt, how they can drain a battery and why.

 

The alt output is LOW first off. It should never go as low as what you say if it is charging correctly. Normal current draw assuming there is no alarm or aftermarket equipment hooked up should be no more than 150-300ma typically with the key turned off. It's rare for the diode pack to cause the sort of problem you describe unless it was damaged, commonly by jump starting. I still rebuild quite a few and I can't say the last time I have had to replace a diode package. Even if the alt output is low it does not explain a new battery dying that quickly unless it's being driven a lot. A better battery is not the answer, you'll have to do some troubleshooting. Don't forget about the underhood light when checking for standby current draw, it will add an additional half amp or more to your reading.

 

If you just want a temporary solution that doesnt cost much, just put a battery cutoff switch on the negative terminal, they run around $20. Battery drain is usually caused by shorts and bad grounds while the car is off, so check the wiring between the battery and whatever its going to. Or as an even cheaper, more temporary solution, just disconnect the negative terminal when you park the car.

 

well i do have under drive pulleys so maybe that is why its a low output but it reads 12.9 amps when the car is off. the cut off switch maybe next if the battery dies again. i never had any problems and i drove the car all sping and summer? gms seem to have this problem alot. thanks for all the help guys im gonna go try to start it today it has been sitting since yesterday dont know whats gonna happen i will get back to you guys and tell you what happens.

 

What I'd do is use an amp meter. With everything off, disconnect pos. battery cable and hook amp meter between battery post and cable. You should see a reading of a few amps on the amp meter depending on how bad the short is. Just pull fuses untill the amp reading drops. Then you'll know what circuit the short is in. I'll explane more if anyone is intrested.

 

thanks guys i appreciate the replys.i guess my problem is fixed ever since i put the new battery in it starts everyday so im happy now i can get ready to bring my car to my friends take the engine out and have it hooked up with alot more power wish me luck fellow third geners have a good day.