Alright, I posted a thread a few months ago and my thanks goes out to all those who replied. However, I have since given up on finding the source of my battery drain. Here is what I have done thus far:

1987 trans am gta tpi

-Replaced battery-Had it checked & rechecked before I purchased

-replced alternator with 180 amp HO unit-Had it load tested at Autozone

-I have not replaced the starter, but have had it tested at two area shops-Starter motor is fine.

-Output with the car running at idle is 14.5 volts read with my multimeter

-I have replaced my + & - cables.

Using a test light, I pulled each fuse from the fuse panel one at a time, taping the door light switch off while doing so no lights were on. I have no underhood light, so there is no problem there.

The light never went off.

As far as symptoms go, After a week of sitting, my battery will go dead. If I start and shut off my car, and try to start it again I get a clicking noise which sounds like it comes from the starter or solenoid. After a few tries it will eventually turn over and start the car.

Sounds like a bad battery right? But I have had the damn thing checked and rechecked so many times I have given up on trying to solve the problem.

Could the starter solenoid be on the fritts? I don't belive that the solenoid is tested when a starter is load tested am I correct?

I will gladly answer any questions that you may have to help me get my car back on the road again.

 

you should test the battery while its hooked up in the car to see how many amps its drawing while the key is in the off position. if you get any number higher than .050 then you should probably start looking for a draw things like door lights and power seats will cause a draw, or if you have an aftermarket stereo hooked up they are usually the one behind the draw.

 

I will check the amperage draw but as far as stereo goes, I have it completely out of the car so I know it can't be that

 

Describe a little clearer what you were doing here. If you were doing it right (with the negative cable disconnected), the light should not have been on at all, but the circuit would show a drain, that's why you pull that fuse out before starting your search.

 

Have you checked to see if the fuel pump is running constantly? I may have asked before in your prior thread, but I don't remember. The Oil Pressure Sending Unit can go bad in such a way that it causes the fuel pump to run constantly, even with key off and out of car - this happened to me, and it drove me crazy tracking it down - made battery go dead in about 4 days. I finally found it very late one night, when all was quiet, and I walked past my parked car and barely heard a whining noise - after opening the hatch, and placing ear on hump, I could hear fuel pump running like mad, with no key in ignition! The culprit may be your OPSU. Charge battery, go to a very quiet spot in the country (with cell phone and friends with cables available), and listen for the fuel pump with key off and out of ignition.

 

Sure, I put the the test light in series with the (-) battery post and the (-) ground cable. Whatever draw I have is pretty big and is not in a circuit which runs throught my fuse panel...At least that is what I've deduced so far! The test light was on as soon as I hooked it up, and it didn't go out no matter what fuse I pulled. It never did go out until I disconnected it.

Thanks guys

 

Camaronewbie,
When I turn on the ignition, I can hear the pump pressure up the line as it should, I don't hear anything unusual, but I will trythis tomorrow night when I have time to. Thanks for the suggestion

 

battery drainage happened to me before,
it was my hatch unit constantly trying to pull down my hatch or something,
while the key is off..

turn the car off, try to listen
and u might hear some noise that shouldnt be heard.

 

If you work at it you will find the source of the drain.

However, in the short term, might I suggest you buy a battery quick disconnect. It hooks right on your battery terminal just like the stock cable end but it's got a thumbwheel quick disconnect on it. Just clip off your old cable end, attach it to this quick disconnect and hook that on the battery terminal. Then you can disconnect/reconnect your battery in about 5 seconds. You can find them at the usual places that sell speed parts.

My buddy did this on his 72 Chevelle which had the same problem as your Camaro- except it was entirely random (sometimes it would be fine for a month and sometimes it would be dead-flat in 3 days). Years later, I was fixing the horn on his car- the spring behind the horn button in the aftermarket steering wheel was missing and the button would just flop around inside it. As it turned out, that was occasionally making contact and activating the horn- it didn't actually blow the horn becuase someone had pulled the plug off the horn element under the hood long ago. BUT IT WAS STILL ACTIVATING THE HORN RELAY!!! It didn't draw much juice, but it was enough to drain the battery flat after a few days if the horn button happened to flop inside the steering wheel in the right way.

Try diagnosing THAT, my friend! 2 years and I stumbled across it doing a horn repair. At least yours is doing it consistently!

And, yes, we left the quick disconnect on the battery...... just in case. It's VERY handy to have one of these things installed, even ifyou don't have electrical problems.

 

Thanks for the suggestion Damon, I actually already have a quick disconnect for my battery, but haven't put it on. It's so frustrating! But anyway, thanks for the advice everyone and keep it comin'!

 

FWIW- I think you may have been on the right track in your original post suspecting the starter solenoid. Try to check for current draw across the starter terminals. Years ago (B.C. - before computers) the solenoid would go bad before the starter motor and stick causing a battery drain.

 

I will do this and let you know what I find. Thanks again for your help everyone!

 

I agree with 8492bird solenoids and alternators can sometimes work properly but cause battery drain with intermittent shorts. I just replaced an alternator on my truck for this reason and it charged ok.

 

Ok, What kind of draw am I looking for here when I test the solenoid? Thanks!

 

If you are not the original owner, look for a non-functional but still-connected-to-battery theft alarm. When components in these fail, they fail is a high-resistance short which will drain the battery.

 

About how long does it take to run down the battery? This can be a big clue to solve this.
If you pulled every fuse in the car (even the hidden one for the fuel pump) then it will be easy to isolate.
That leaves the circuits that run on fuse links and ones that are turned on by other circuits.
Quick check:
Unplug the headlight motor control module.
See if the light goes off. If not, unplug the ECM (both plugs, not pulling fuses) and see if it goes off.
I bet one of these is the culprit.
If it's the ECM let me know and I'll tell you how it happens.

 

supervisor42, thanks for the advice and I will try to check these things tomorrrow if I get around to it! The battery will completely flatline within 10 days. Thanks to everyone for their help.

 

We put a TPI in a pickup that did that. Turned out the alternator we used was internally excited instead of externally. You could hear a buzz at the alternator if you listened very carefully. Cut one of the small wires to the alternator, not sure which now, problem was solved. Alternator still charged correctly.

BTW, the connector was the same from the '89 pickup to the '88 TA engine used but the alternators are different.

 

Alright, I checked to make sure my fuel pump isn't running constantly last night when all was quiet. I did not hear anything. So I guess the things I need to check are 1) Starter Solenoid and 2) ECM...Right?

How do I check draw from my solenoid and what should it be?

From there I will disconnect the ecm and see if the test light lights up still

Anything else I should do? Thanks!

 

Don't forget this. Also did you unlpug the two circuit breakers in the fuseblock when you were pulling fuses. They look like aluminum rectangle fuses.
You also need to unplug the fog lamp relay.