drained battery
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
drained battery
i have a 1982 corvette. if i let it set for a day or so the battery is completely dead. i have left nothing turned on and the battery is less than 6 months old. any ideas what could be draining the juice out of it before i start the process of elimination.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,100
Likes: 12
From: Frederick Maryland
Assuming the battery isn't defective, you definitely have an open circuit. As already said, the courtesy light timer is a prime suspect...that happened to the '78 I used to own.
Make sure the battery is charged and open and close a door...see how long it takes for the interior lights to go out...shouldn't be more than 15-30 seconds. If the lights stay on, that's your problem. In my case, the light timer would occasionally work normal and sometimes turn on at random. The way I discovered the problem was that I noticed the interior lights were on in the middle of the night...and I parked the car during daylight.
In an '82, the timer (if indeed is the problem), should be located behind the glove box...it's bright orange so it's easily identified.
Make sure the battery is charged and open and close a door...see how long it takes for the interior lights to go out...shouldn't be more than 15-30 seconds. If the lights stay on, that's your problem. In my case, the light timer would occasionally work normal and sometimes turn on at random. The way I discovered the problem was that I noticed the interior lights were on in the middle of the night...and I parked the car during daylight.
In an '82, the timer (if indeed is the problem), should be located behind the glove box...it's bright orange so it's easily identified.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,076
Likes: 281
From: Dyersburg TN
test light and fuses
disconnect the battery and put a test light between the battery and battery cable. pull fuses one at a time. when the test light goes out that circut is drawing current. Once you know this, follow the wiring digram to locate problem.
you can also install one of those ****/switchs at the battery and just disconnect when not driving.
you can also install one of those ****/switchs at the battery and just disconnect when not driving.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 7,417
Likes: 1,554
From: mount holly NC
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods)
All the above is good advise and if after pulling all the fuses if you still have a draw then disconnect the red/orange wire from the alternator if the draw stops then you have a bad diode.
Pro
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 680
Likes: 3
From: charlotte N.C
I hate electrical so it always takes me a while to diagnose problems; so if you are like me you can get one of these quick disconnect switch from auto zone. This way you don't have to pull the battery every night so it isn't dead in the morning. I did this for two weeks until I figured out where it was draining from. Kind of a bubba way to postpone a problem but it works. 
http://www.zip-corvette.com/GroupDetails/SubGroupResults.aspx?gid={d8ba3a57-f33d-4abf-b0a4-ed78024615d3}&SearchType=_GROUP_SEARCH&G roupName=Battery+Disconnect+Switch+%26+B attery+Butler&
http://www.zip-corvette.com/GroupDetails/SubGroupResults.aspx?gid={d8ba3a57-f33d-4abf-b0a4-ed78024615d3}&SearchType=_GROUP_SEARCH&G roupName=Battery+Disconnect+Switch+%26+B attery+Butler&
Last edited by 1976 corvette; Aug 14, 2010 at 01:41 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Just for th record, its not an Open circuit, that stops current. Its either something staying on or a Shorted circuit. An open circuit allows no current to flow, a short is an undesired current path.
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