i have a 1979 corvette, me and my dad have recently rebuilt the whole car, sorta like a resto mod, but anyways, my battery dies for some odd reason and we have to recharge it ever time we wanna go somwhere, it will stay charged but dies in a couple hours if car aint running, please help me here

 

is the battery good? it might just be going dead on its own. one way to check whats using the battery is to pull out one fuse at a time and see if the battery doesn't die, then you can narrow it down to whats using power. my battery kept going dead and i traced it down to an aftermarket alarm that was stuffed behind the dash. it wasn't being used for the alarm but it was still connected and draining the battery.

 

Battery Drain Test-easy to do with pics

There seems to have been alot of battery drain issues lately.Thought I would write down this fairly easy way to check for battery drain and share it.All you need is an inexpensive 12 volt test light and a short piece of wire. A test light like this one will be very useful for other 12 volt electrical issues.When you go to this link put in your Zip code. http://www.partsamerica.com/productd...egoryCode=3391 Use a bulb type of test light for this test procedure not an LED type.

If you have a C3 and “DO NOT” have delayed courtesy lights and your courtesy lights work this is “my” way to check for battery drain Put both windows down and make sure everything is turned off. Disconnect the negative battery cable and put your 12-volt test light between the (-) battery terminal and the (-) battery cable. Here is a picture to help. With the driver’s door open the test light should be lit. Make sure everything is turned off and close the driver’s door. Wait several minutes (clock step). If the test light stays out completely (no low glow) you have no battery drain.
If the test light is on or even a low glow you have a drain on your battery. (bright bulb is heavy drain ,dim bulb is low drain) First thing I do is push on the doors and watch test light then lean in through the window and push on things with lights like the glove box door, visor light, map lights and the rear center compartment and watch to see if test light flickers or goes out if so you have found your drain. Second thing I do is open the drivers door and remove the courtesy light fuse, if the test light goes out then the drain is in the courtesy light circuit. If the light remains lit continue to remove fuses until the light goes out and that will be the circuit with the drain. If the test light doesn’t go out then the drain is in a circuit not protected by the fuse box.

“Clock step” Info-clocks can be a pain.
Above when you closed the door if the test light went out but came back on shortly afterwards it’s the clock trying to wind and its drawing too much. Disconnect the power to the clock and retest.

If you determine your draw is in the courtesy light circuit disconnect the power to the clock and retest. If this doesn’t eliminate the draw you can now move on to other items on the courtesy light circuit.

OVERNIGHT CLOCK TEST-I use this alot on mechanical clocks on cars that have intermittent power drains.Leave test light hooked up as above and let clock continue to run through the test light all night.If you come out in the morning and the light is off then the clock is in good shape.If the light is on the clock will have stopped and you should have the clock checked or replace it.


If you have a C3 and “HAVE” delayed courtesy lights and they work and turn off after 30 seconds this is “my” way to check for battery drain. Put both windows down and make sure everything is turned off. Disconnect the negative battery cable and put your 12-volt test light between the (-) battery terminal and the (-) battery cable. Here is a picture to help. With the driver’s door open the test light should be lit Make sure everything is turned off and close the driver’s door. The test light should still be lit because the delay relay is engaged. Now (and lets call this the “jumper” step) lean in through the driver’s window with a small piece of wire to use as a jumper (white wire in the pic.) connect the jumper from the (-) battery terminal to the (-) battery cable. Your courtesy lights will come on and the test light will go out --wait for your courtesy lights to go off --remove the jumper lead. Wait several minutes (clock step). If the test light stays out you have no battery drain. If the test light comes back on you have a drain on your battery. Just to be sure do the “jumper” step again to make sure the delay relay was off. If the test light came on again open the driver’s door and remove the courtesy light fuse, if the test light goes out then the drain is in the courtesy light circuit. If the light remains on continue to remove fuses until the light goes out and that will be the circuit with the drain. If the test light doesn’t go out then the drain is in a circuit not protected by the fuse box.

“Clock step” Info-clocks can be a pain. Above after you removed the jumper the test light went out but came back on shortly afterwards it’s probably the clock trying to wind and it’s drawing too much (plus it reset the delay relay). Disconnect the power to the clock and retest as above.

Interior light delay relay –The “jumper” step turns the relay off but the relay will reset and try to turn on the interior lights at the drop of a hat causing the test light to come back on. Any draw will reset it. If you find that removing the courtesy light fuse eliminates your battery draw then the “simplest” way to continue testing is to disconnect the delay relay. In the 5 wire connector you pull off the relay are 2 white wires- connect a jumper between them. This will make your car temporarily a “non-delayed interior light system”. Now you can test using the “DO NOT” have delayed courtesy lights procedure above. If you choose not to bypass the delay relay you will have to use the “jumper” step every time you trigger the relay.


Multimeter Testing—In my opinion you don’t need the multimeter to check for battery drain down to very acceptable levels. However if you want to use one in place of the test light you need a multimeter that will take a heavy amp draw or you will smoke your meter or blow the internal fuse and you must be on the amp.setting not volt setting.

 

DW, nice write up.

 

Most people don't think of this, but check the BELT on the alternator. I had a truck once years and years ago that I was constantly having battery issues with. I would buy a brand new battery and it would die - sometimes in two days, sometimes in a week. I put in a new alternator and still had battery problems. I tried to look for a drain, there was nothing. The battery would charge up fine and hold the charge when I used a charger and kept it out of the car, but after running it sometimes it would charge up and sometimes it wouldn't.

It ended up being the belt on the alternator. It was slipping ... sometimes it would catch and the alternator would do its job and charge up that battery. Other times it would slip and wouldn't. After two batteries and an alternator, it all came down to a $20 belt...

 

i really apreciate all the help im getting here, this is my first time posting and i figured nobody would help me, when we first got the car they put another battery in it cause that one was dead, it worked for a while and now it dies, i dont know if its the battery or somthing else, but we should figure it out thanks for your input

 

Thank You.

 

Excellent Point----been there:o

 

If the alt. belt is tight and the engine will remain running with the neg. cable disconnected its probably a battery drain issue.Have you had the alt. checked-Autozone does it free.

 

When I had my engine overhauled, put the engine
back in the car we had reconnected the starter, We couldn't figure out why the battery was going dead just sitting . Wrong connection with the wiring on the
starter- it was pulling current from the battery all the
time. Wish you lot.