Something is DRAINING my Battery.. help please

[fastsho92]

Well title bassiclly says it all. There is something draining my battery and i can't figure out what it is. I don't really know where to start and how to go about finding what is draing it. I check the obivous with lights inside and things like that. But I don't know how to check for other things. I don't think it is my battery because it is only about a year old! If i don't start my car for 2 days it will be dead??? Can't figure out what it is. Usally when the car will start if i leave it over night, but It didn't start today. I last started the car at around 2:30pm yestorday, and tried to start it at about 12:00 today. I had to bump it. So can anyone tell me how to go about checking things??
Thanks,
Mike

 

[naval-avi8or]

Do you have a pullout style radio.

 

[ScotSHO]

Mike,

Try removing any aftermarket wiring for amps, etc. first. What you really need is an ampmeter, and it would need to be connected in series with each circuit. I *think* you could pull each fuse and attach the ampmeter leads at the fuse terminals. Then you could go one by one at each fuse and see if anything is pulling amperage. That would narrow it down to a specific circuit. Let us know which fuse it is and using an EVTM we could tell you what may be doing it.



Good Luck.

 

[SHOZ123]

With a digital amp meter in series between the negative cable and negative post measure the amp draw. Then start pulling fuses and note the drop in the amp draw if any. You should be able to isolate the circuit that is draining things.

 

[F-22 Raptor SHO]

I think you will find that your battery just took a **** on you after only 1 year. Mine pooped after 3 years and the replacement was dead in 2 weeks with the same symptoms. Thinking there was no hope I began to worry, till I put the old battery from the other sho into the problematic sho. Turns out my other working SHO did the same thing to the new battery. Turns out they have a 50% return rate on batteries. That blew me away.

 

[fastsho92]

Yeah I knew that they do have that High percentage rate for returning batteries. But im almost possitive that its not the battery. When I did my trans, I had the battery out and just sitting on the floor for about a month, and when i put it back into the car to fire it up, and it fired right up. I couldn't belive it. I could test this by taking off the negitive termanal and let it sit for like a weekend. But I would bet that that is not it.

The car use to have a system in it but It was taken out, and so were all the wires. It does have a pullout style head unit, but I can't figure out how to get it out. I haven't really tried to hard either. So I guess that ill try that thing with a amp meter. Im horrible with electronic's so I probably going to have to get someone to help.. LOL

 

[yamahaSHO]

Another thing you can check is the battery cables itself. I had corroded cables that acted like this, then one day it would not even take a jump.

 

[naval-avi8or]

It does have a pullout style head unit, but I can't figure out how to get it out.

Years ago (one of the first CD units ever made) I had a sony pull out put in my car (no the SHO). Within just a week I started having battary issues. Turned out the memory battary in my new head unit had went bad and was drawing a large amount of current at all times. It pulled enough juice that it could disscharge my bat over night if I hadn't driven that much through out the day. I would figure out how to remove the head unit and see if it solves your problem.

 

[fastsho92]

Hold on what excatly do you mean by "pull out style head unit"? Because I don't think we are talking about the same things. Because right now I have a Pioneer head unit that is only a few years old.

And to what YamahaSHO said The cables themselfs are not corroded either. I already had a problem with that. When my headlights were on and i hit the brakes or let off the gas the headlights would dim. So I stripped the wires, and put on new terminal's and that fixed her all up. I guess ill try using the ampmeter tomorrow... I just don't fell up to it tonight.

 

[rangerj]

As others have suggested do the amp draw tests. Before you do check the obvious such as the glove box light, any other interior lights, under the hood light, in the trunk light, and the cigar lighter. Any of these could have failed switches.

After you do the above check for current draw as described above and pull fuses one at a time to isolate the circuit the the draw is comming from. then find out what is on the circuit and start testing for a short.