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Old 11-19-2014, 09:34 AM
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blue by you
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Default Battery drain

I have a battery drain and found it in the courtesy light circuit, does anyone have a wiring diagram of that. The lights light when the door is opened, it a 71 coupe.
thanks for your help
Old 11-19-2014, 11:34 AM
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any body with ideas atleast what could be wrong
Old 11-19-2014, 11:36 AM
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JimLentz
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If it has the timer they can cause a drain on the battery.
Old 11-19-2014, 12:17 PM
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I have a small battery drain in that area too. What I did was just install a battery cut-off switch. Turn the **** in to start the car and when it's back home, turn the **** out to shut the current off. It's also a good way to prevent car fires and your car getting stolen if you remove the **** entirely. It's kind of a band-aid I know, but just didn't want to rip the whole dash apart.
Old 11-19-2014, 12:50 PM
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mikep3
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On my 78 there was a time delay circuit located behind the glove box. You can disconnect the two wire plugs from the circuit board and plug them together. The plugs where designed on the 78 to jump the delay circuit. Solved that battery drain.
I am looking for a picture.
Old 11-19-2014, 12:58 PM
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this is on a 71 it has no timmer od delay, i doo have a battery cut off, but i would like the lights to come on when i open the door, for now i just pulled the fuse, hopefully someone will chime in.
thanks guys
Old 11-19-2014, 01:32 PM
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I can send you a '71 wiring diagram in pdf format, but the file size is too big to attach here. Send me an email and I'll send it to you.
Old 11-19-2014, 02:28 PM
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hipocars1 sent you a pm
thanks
Old 11-19-2014, 10:15 PM
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If you pull the bulbs does it still show a drain? Could be the buzzer for if the key is left in the ignition, possibly something to do with an alarm system, or some after market adder. The buzzer is mounted on the drivers fender well on my 69. Hopefully the wiring diagram will be helpful.
Old 11-19-2014, 10:40 PM
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Glove box light behind the seats ? Clock ?
Old 11-20-2014, 08:00 AM
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Well the clock doesn't work and I'll check the glove light, it drains with the key out. The buzzer never worked either so i will wait for the wiring diagram so I can trace the wires
Old 11-20-2014, 02:03 PM
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Clock doesn't have to work to draw battery down, also cig. lighter is on that fuse. Key buzzer is not on that circuit. Just about every orange wire is connected to that fuse.
Old 11-20-2014, 02:07 PM
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i will have to check none of those worked before and now after 6 years i have the drain.
thanks for all of things that could be bad
Old 11-21-2014, 10:59 PM
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Originally Posted by blue by you
i will have to check none of those worked before and now after 6 years i have the drain.
thanks for all of things that could be bad
So exactly how much drain are you seeing in milliamp.
Old 11-22-2014, 02:27 AM
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Pull the bulb on the center storage compartment behind the seats and see if it stops the draw.
Had this problem on my '71.
The latch wasn't securing the door in the closed position.
The door appeared to be closed, but popped up just enough to trigger the lamp to come on.
Old 11-25-2014, 08:07 AM
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ok i finally got to look at my problem and this is what i found, in the glove box behinf the seats there is no bulb or socket just a orange and black wire hanging there, i disconected the cig lighter, the switch on the passenger door has 1 white wire and the switch on the drivers door has 1 white wire. when i tested this with my test light it was very dim almost could'nt see it lit. this gives you guys alittle more to go by
Old 11-25-2014, 02:38 PM
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Old 11-25-2014, 02:59 PM
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It still could be the clock. Once in a rare while my clock will start running a bit and then stop again.
Old 11-25-2014, 03:29 PM
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thanks, I gues I'll have to pull the clock and check that
Old 11-25-2014, 03:44 PM
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It's probably going to be something hard to disconnect , something really screwy. Maybe the clock......I have the same issue .....since I bought the car.

When I bought the car ...one of the courtesy floor lamps wasn't working. I checked it ....no bulb.......ok......so I put a bulb in. Open and close door ....hum it's working . Next day battery was drained dead.

So took the bulb back out. Not a problem . ....I just don't know...

another vette C3 vette I once owned with pretty much same issue you got ......was one of the door switch ....door ajar ....that screws into the body down near the seal plate was loose. So I tightened it and put the leads back on from the rear wheel well..... Ok ...all I got for that effort was a dead battery .

So ....there are reasons people pull wires off switches and remove bulbs ...the cars are just fraught with screwy stuff like that. I had a 79 too , had courtesy lamp delay box ...was drainng battery ....and then a bad clutch switch or backup also drained that cars battery. I d look at all the mechanical switches for everything .

Because something somewhere is always screwed up ......with a freak n fiberglass car you d think they wouldn't have all these screwy electrical issues. My old Camaro has none.

I'll bet the floorboard courtesy lamp circuit or the door ajar is screwed up , also ....those damn theft horns under the rear wheel area ...short out too...just a turrible place to put something electrical. And the screwy clocks are always messed up.

I d investigate one circuit ....door ajar etc at a time dis able it, then see if the drain disappears . Eventually you find it.

Let us know

Last edited by LS4 PILOT; 11-25-2014 at 03:51 PM.


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