GOT IT!! The battery drain solved!
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 148
Likes: 0
GOT IT!! The battery drain solved!
Hi,
After 5 yrs of owning my '75 Roadster I FINALLY found the battery drain source of the last 4 yrs. It was my alarm system. I knew it didn't work so I never played with it....come to find out that when I removed the neg battery cable and placed my circuit tester allegator clamp on the cable and the pointed end on the neg battery side, I got a very weak light pulse...the alarm system was engaged. Here's the kicker....the fender key switch was rotated 90 degrees to the left (ccw) and it always looked like it was "off"....it was in fact on! The fuse for it is the courtesy light circuit. The switch is very sloppy and the system engaged itself here and there as it pleased....it drove me nuts! I have seen lots of you 'Vette owners have a battery drain issue....check out your alarm system. I'm goin' cruzin and will leave my jumper cables with my tow chain and use them next winter.
WHAT A RELIEF!!!! Check out your alarm system for battery drain!
Larry
After 5 yrs of owning my '75 Roadster I FINALLY found the battery drain source of the last 4 yrs. It was my alarm system. I knew it didn't work so I never played with it....come to find out that when I removed the neg battery cable and placed my circuit tester allegator clamp on the cable and the pointed end on the neg battery side, I got a very weak light pulse...the alarm system was engaged. Here's the kicker....the fender key switch was rotated 90 degrees to the left (ccw) and it always looked like it was "off"....it was in fact on! The fuse for it is the courtesy light circuit. The switch is very sloppy and the system engaged itself here and there as it pleased....it drove me nuts! I have seen lots of you 'Vette owners have a battery drain issue....check out your alarm system. I'm goin' cruzin and will leave my jumper cables with my tow chain and use them next winter.
WHAT A RELIEF!!!! Check out your alarm system for battery drain!Larry
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 7,186
Likes: 45
From: detroit area
a simple battery disconnect would have solved it too...
i hate electrical issues.... i replaced about 600bucks worth of stuff on my 77 only to find out that my ground was bad...wtf........
did you take out the alarm?
i hate electrical issues.... i replaced about 600bucks worth of stuff on my 77 only to find out that my ground was bad...wtf........
did you take out the alarm?
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 148
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the key is vertical when is it off. Your owner's manual says to turn the key clockwise to engage the alarm system...so in either case turn the key counter-clockwise. My tumbler was turned to the left 90 degrees which indicated to me that it was off. Just to be on the safe side, turn the key ccw and look inside the left fender well at the back of the switch, one wire should be hot and the other should be dead...that means your alarm is disabled.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,108
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From: Sebastian Florida
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 148
Likes: 0
Another thought....if your alarm has been on and you didn't know it, a series of things might occur. Your flashers might not work, this is behind the passenger seat under the tray by the jack. Your horn might not work, this is a small relay under the dash with a plug-in near the fuse box. The turn signals might not work, the flasher unit is behind the passenger lower dash. These all happened to me and after replacing the flashers and relay all is well. The root cause was the alarm system.
