Electronics Need help wiring something up? Thinking of adding an electrical component to your car? Need help troubleshooting that wiring glitch?

battery dies overnight? Unless unhooked.

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Old 10-24-2010, 02:50 PM
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battery dies overnight? Unless unhooked.

Since getting my car back from the body shop, my battery will not keep charge overnight unless i unhook the neg terminal.
Not sure if it is something they did, or just something else. I was thinking maybe something to do with the hatch motor? maybe they didn't hook something up right back there when they put the tail lights back in. Any suggestions ? something to look for or have checked out?

Thanks much!
Old 10-24-2010, 06:52 PM
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Re: battery dies overnight? Unless unhooked.

You can do a parasitic/current draw test. You need a volt/ohm meter thats able to read amps. Unhook the positive cable and hook the meter inline with the cable and battery with it on the amps setting. An average reading shouldnt read any more than .05 amps. If it reads more than that, start removing fuses till you you see a drop on the meter. That will tell you what circuit is causing the draw.
Old 10-24-2010, 07:00 PM
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Re: battery dies overnight? Unless unhooked.

do you have an audio system in your car?
Old 10-24-2010, 07:05 PM
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Re: battery dies overnight? Unless unhooked.

see this thread https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...eps-going.html hope it helps
Old 10-24-2010, 09:38 PM
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Re: battery dies overnight? Unless unhooked.

Originally Posted by evilemokid94
do you have an audio system in your car?
Nope! Not yet ..
Old 10-24-2010, 09:40 PM
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Re: battery dies overnight? Unless unhooked.

Originally Posted by jermdm
You can do a parasitic/current draw test. You need a volt/ohm meter thats able to read amps. Unhook the positive cable and hook the meter inline with the cable and battery with it on the amps setting. An average reading shouldnt read any more than .05 amps. If it reads more than that, start removing fuses till you you see a drop on the meter. That will tell you what circuit is causing the draw.
Thanks i'll try that. I have a friend at work that plays with an Ohm meter all day.
Old 10-24-2010, 09:41 PM
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Re: battery dies overnight? Unless unhooked.

Originally Posted by irock88
Thanks for your input guys!
Old 10-24-2010, 10:03 PM
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Re: battery dies overnight? Unless unhooked.

Even simpler than an Ohmmeter is this old school open circuit check. You'll need the following.

1. A license plate light replacement socket(or something similar you find at an automotive repair store) with a two wire pigtail.

2. A bulb to fit in the pigtail you buy.

Disconnect your negative battery cable, attach one wire to the negative battery post on the battery, and the other wire to the negative battery cable thereby completing the circuit.

If you have an underhood light take it out and make sure all your other accessories are off.

If the light illuminates with everything turned off you have a constant draw somewhere.

You then pull fuses until you see the light turn off and depending on where you pulled the fuse from you have identified the faulty circuit, ie accessories, fuel pump, etc...

Hope that helps, I know it worked for me... I ended up finding out my ECM was faulty and sending a constant signal to the IAC valve subsequently draining my battery in 4-5 days.
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