ok heres the deal...i charge up my battery. the car starts, i drive it around for a while, everything is fine, lights blower, everything using battery power. then i go home, i turn it off. i go outside to start it again...like 20 minutes later and it starts fine. the next day i go out in the morning to try and start it and the battery has next to no power in it. this happens everytime. i have gone through or i guess i should say i tried 4 batteries in this dumb thing. i called a mechanic shop and they said i have a short somewhere. but the thing is its not like there is NO power in it...there is just almost none. my friend said it could be that the battery is using to much power or too little power...im stumped..someone please help me, im at the point where selling this thing is a real option.

 

if you have a problem finding the battery you can always make a batt kill switch.. a good theft deturing device too

 

ok i may consider that after i find out what is wrong first...if there is a short a kill switch won't do anything

 

You have a current drain somewhere.
To find it - connect an ammeter or a 12v light bulb between the battery ground clamp and the battery ground post - that will show the load.
Pull fuses, breakers, and relays, one at a time to find the circuit drawing power.

 

Have you done a current draw test with a digital multi-meter yet???

Just to see what the car's draw is... in case you have a stuck relay or dome light or something???

 

no i havn't...there is a problem...there is no power in the battery right now...i have to wait until someone comes home to jump it and then it will start all over again...when the thing is running it works fine, everything does but if it sits for more than a few hours there is not enough power to start it

 

have you actually tested the batteries? in the morning, mine hasn't wanted to start in this freezing weather, but i finally get it started and then volt test it at school. it checks out at above 12.6v, just doesn't seem to like to start in the morning.
i'm not an electrical genius, but "short" is a term people use for any electrical problem, when in fact i don't think a short id even a common problem. when my car was doing this, i was thinking i might have a parasitic load.
*can't remember how to check for parasitic load*

 

well i kinda can't chack it because it cranks like 6 times and i realize there isn't enough power so i stop as to not drain the battery totally so its easier to jump and like i said when the car is running the volts are up 12 or 13 so its fine when its actually on

 

that doesn't explain why you can't check it. wait til the morning, and go out there an ammeter/multi-meter/voltmeter and do some testing.
and the volts should be a little over or about 14v with the car running.
when my car doesn't start, even after sitting and cranking, i still try a few more times. i've even pushed a slight bit down on my throttle and tried. for some reason, i've had to do that a few times and its worked.

 

ok i'll check in the morning before i try to start it at all...but there isn't enough time to push the pedal down it cranks a few times and its slugish when it does crank and then it dies...i wish i had a flat driveway and then i could push-start it

 

hell naw, an incline does all the pushing for you. just roll down the hill! weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 

no its an up hill though hahaha and i backed it down my driveway so im outta luck with that...i need 2 or 3 people to push it up and/or a another car with a tow-strap

 

Have you tested the alternator? No matter how strong your battery is, if the alternator is providing recharging or accessory power while the engine is running, your battery isn't going to keep you running for long.

 

my alternator is brand new or it has like 2000 miles on it...thats what i thought it was a long time ago so i replaced that...

 

In order to "fully" troubleshoot your problem, fully recharge the battery and then tested. And then take it from there as sureshot and iemark mention.

 

Once a battery is highly discarged, even once, it will never be the same again. Do it some more and it gets worse, and cold weather adds to the problem. IF the battery holds charge in teh short term but not overnight, you might just have a bad cell. There isnt a good way to test this other than to put another one on.

I agree that you should find the drain beforehand though. Any aftermarket wiring needs to be disconnected, if not removed altogether. The stock wiring usually does not just short out; unless somebody shorts it out. CHeck the areas such as lighting, e-fans, and stereos.

ANd yes, a kill switch (battery) WILL save you *** if you have a drain that you cant find, because you're effectively disconnecting the battery from the car.

 

hmm good point about the kill switch, but..well i guess i can't argue with that one, haha...i will take a look at it thanks a lot everyone

 

also,
having the alt recharge a fully drained battery is not a very good idea.

it's better to charge it with a battery charger (at low amperage)

so recharge your batt or get 1 new one (if it has been drained), and find what the problem is, and in the mean time use a batt kill switch or disconnect the negative when you don't use car.

Hugues -

 

ok cool thanks

 

I have the same issue. I just bought an 88 GXL for $500 with the knowledge of the short and a bit of body damage.

It does exactly what you describe. We put a quick disconnect on the battery as a temporary measure to keep it from discharging overnight. I use a new battery to jump start the car if needed (also temporary).

You should find a place with access to Alldata and look up the procedure to test current draw when the car is off and start searching for the short by disconnecting fuses and moving wiring around. My public library has Alldata available so that's where I went. Apparently, the wiring harness near the passenger side strut tower at the firewall is a common short point. I also have body damage on the passenger side door, which has power windows and locks, so that may also be a possible short there too.

Hope this gives you some ideas. I know I have a bit of work ahead of me too.

 

how would a short hurt if the car is off? there's no amps being drawn unless something that's a parasitic load is drawing power. ie: clock, security system.., but those are normal and are easily handled by any typical car battery. i'd be looking for something that is drawing power from a bad ignition wire or something of the like. like having an amp that doesn't have it's "remote" wire connected. i had trouble with the wiring someone did on the stereo that owned the car before me.
searching for electrical bugs is no simple task, unfortunately.

 

yea i know ...i think im going to bring it to this foreign car repair place and see what they make of it..and if they are stumped i have no other choice then to blow it up

 

Exactly. The fuse test should detect that type of drain. (You do have a fuse on your amp and stereo, dont you???)

The idea behind doing the current test when the car is off is that you can watch the load on the battery change when you disconnect stuff. If the drain is significantly out of spec and you unplug / move something, bringing the measured drain close to specifications, then you may have located your culprit.

ie: If I were to remove and disconnect all electronics in my damaged passenger door and the drain comes close to spec, then the short was likely in the door.

If you do this in a systematic fashion, then you can single out or at least narrow down the possibilities. This should not be that difficult.

Or am I not making any sense?

 

My 87 tII takes alittle over a week to discharge.
It also periodicly decides not to start (turns over won't fire).
I usually drive a 90 N/A so I pull the neg lead.
I like the ignition switch for my problem.

 

well this is my ONLY car, im 19 and i need to get places i.e. school work etc. and this car is huge pain in the *** and it keeps breaking...i could make a list thats like 3 pages long of all the damn things i had to replace on this dumb car...i love it and all but it really might need to go...and i may have to go with a supra