PLEASE HELP!!!!! here's the story. My 88 convertible got wet (3 inches of water in the floor) after leaving the top down. I removed the seats to pull the carpet because it wasnt worth saving. I havent put seats back in yet. Now battery dies within a day. Any ideas? Am I over looking something?


thanks in advance



lewis

 

check the battery condition: weak, bad, good. with a battery tester.

check the electrical system for small electrical circuit.

If you have a voltmeter tester you can check it:

Disconect the negative cable of the battery.
Then put one terminal of the voltmeter to the negative battery post and the other one to the chassis. Leave the possitive battery post connected. Is you get voltage with the battery negative cable disconected you have a short circuit.

To find the short circuit you need to remove one fuse at time.
If you remove determinated fuse and the voltmeter stop reading voltage, in that cable you have the problem of the short circuit.
Remember there is fuses at the engine compartment and inside the cabin in the driverside left kick panel.

For my personal experience, I located one time that the problem was the remote output for the electrical antenna of the cd receiver. I change the cd receiver and the problem was resolved.

Another time was the positive cable that goes to the starter. The plastic cover was chipped.

 

An auto store will test your battery and alternator for free (but you have to remove them first). I wouldn't buy their alternators if you have a bad one though, unless they carry a good brand like Denso.

Nitrometano had one thing wrong in his procedure to find a short. You need to measure current not voltage. Other than that it's right. EDIT: I sketched a electrical diagram and I think measuring voltage would work. Seems weird, though.

I'm betting the cause is a short circuit.

 

I should have said, there were NO issues with battey, alternator, charging system prior to the rain getting in the car. I was hoping for a magic bullet as I'm shorton time right now. i'm trying to finish my new house and time is at a premium.

I hoped that maybe one of the seat wires or something in that area had to be plugged in.

I guess I'll have to wait until the new crib is finished until thevert is driving again


thanks

lewis

 

 

huh?

 

Checking for a short while pulling all the fuses takes about half an hour. If that's not a magic bullet, I don't know what is.

While you're waiting for a replacement for the shorted component, you can just pull its fuse and live without it.