I have a 95 vette auto w/50,000. I have a problem with the battery draining quickly, and apparently this a problem with C4's. When the car was drove a lot this was not a problem. Since I have decided to store it away more, I have had to go through a few batteries. I installed battery disconnect switches on both terminals and this seem to keep the battery good. It might sit here for 2 or 3 weeks without being cranked. Does anyone have any suggestions, someone told me to check my battery ground. Also my SYS light flashes often too.

 

Have you thought about getting a battery tender? Flashing "sys" could be from a low battery.

 

Do you leave the keys in the ignition? That killed my battery.

Also check all the door switches and stuff. I had a bad hatch switch and the lights would come on whenever they felt like it and then stay on all night draining the battery.

 

I usually take the keys out whenever I turn it off. The SYS light will come on and flash about 3 times and then go back to my temp readings (does this on and off) and this is when the car is running. The battery might last 2 or 3 days with out being cranked before it goes dead. Before I installed the cutoff switches I would have to get a new battery about every 3 months. What does a battery tender do and where can I get one? Thanks

 

Even disconnected, lead acid batteries self discharge up to 1% each day. When they discharge, lead sulphate collects on the plates. Lead sulphate is a good insulator and a fully sulphated battery is a door stop. NEVER let a car battery sit doing nothing. Buy a battery tender or if you have a charger, buy an interval timer (turns your home lights on each night when you aren't home) and have it charge your battery each day for its minimum interval (usually 15 mins, but an hour won't hurt your battery).
At night, check your underhood lights, vanity mirror lights, console compartment light. Do you have a radar detector, aftermarket alarm, radio, or audio amplifier? Check em. Remove the negative cable and connect an ammeter from the battery terminal to the cable and after the courtesy lights time out, switch your ammeter to lower full scale current so you can measure the leakage current. GM says it should be less than 50 milliamps. My 87 measures 27 ma. If much higher, pull the courtesy light fuse because you have to keep the passenger door open to start pulling fuses and observing the ammeter to find the circuit that is drawing excess current. Also, there are about 8 circuits that have a fusible link and these need to be disconnected from the battery one at a time if your fuses don't show any bad circuits. I don't know where these are on a 95, because I own an 87. Good luck.

 

[QUOTE=RRT vette]I usually take the keys out whenever I turn it off. The SYS light will come on and flash about 3 times and then go back to my temp readings (does this on and off) and this is when the car is running. The battery might last 2 or 3 days with out being cranked before it goes dead. Before I installed the cutoff switches I would have to get a new battery about every 3 months. What does a battery tender do and where can I get one? Thanks[/QUOTGo to this site......http://www.derbycycles.com/?gclid=CP...FRVFSAodTSq2gw

I have had one for several years & does away with having to disconnect the battery.

 

Thanks guys, this is some very useful information. I will check into getting a battery tender or a battery charger if needed.

 

I let my car sit in the garage for weeks if not over a month at a time and have never had a dead battery. There is something drainning your battery if it goes dead after 3 or 4 days. If you have an ammeter you can place it in series with the battery cable, pull all fuses and look at the current draw then 1 at a time replace fuses until you find the draw. then you will have to troubleshoot that curcuit.

 

As Kalister1 suggests you should check to see if there is a problem.

 

Go to Harbor Freight tools. You can get a good battery tender for under $15.

 

Battery tenders continuously measure the battery voltage and when it indicates the battery has discharged about 25% (depending on who made the tender), it charges the battery up and then shuts off. You can tell the state of charge in lead acid batteries by measuring the battery terminal voltage. 12.0 volts and below, discharged. 12.9 volts and above, fully charged and linear in between. Example, 12.5 volts, 50% charged.

 

SON OF A BIT@H !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My battery was going dead in my 94 while sitting, I couldnt figure out why.

I pulled the radio out to send to Dr. Don a couple weeks ago,,,, just got it back yesterday,,, climbed in to reinstall today and the battery was fine.

Now I know why,,,,,, I always left the keys in the ign,,, but took them out for some reason when I puuled the radio !!!!! ARGH !!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks for the info Mojo........!!!!!!!!!

 

Why would anyone leave their keys in the ignition? That just makes it easier to steal the car, even parked in your locked garage! A thinking person would never do that.

 

 

Maybe slightly askew from the actual topic but I find it hard to relate to having a nice car that sits unused in the garage for weeks or months. I guess I can understand if this is a weather issue where months of snow would be miserable for driving in in any car, let alone a Corvette. I also can understand (somewhat) for cars that are really rare or collectible. But I would not think that any of the run-of-the-mill C4s would be in such a category.

 

If anyone thinks they can steal my car, go right ahead.

 

When you have two, you can only drive one.

In my situation, it's kind of hard to drive in inclement weather with skinnies on the front and drag radials on the rear, so in the garage it goes, and with three other cars(two being in the driveway) makes it kind of hard to steal my car. You'd have to move the other two out of the way and my neighbors are always watching, and I mean always.

 

I don't know if it is presents itself on the later models but I had the same situation for years until I found (accidently )that the headlight motor was not returning to the park (off ) position because of worn bushes.Unplugged motor ,battery stays charged for a month instead of flat after 3 days

 

...Since I have hooked up the battery Tender no sys . Mind you I have a new battery myself but from not driving the car enough the battery drains pretty quickly . So invest in a Battery Tender and no more SYS woes . All the best !

 

Umm,,, lets see,,,,, Its in my boat shop in the corner covered behind a 44' Baja, a 35' Fountain, and a 27' Checkmate,,,,,, I think its safe.

Not to mention the building alarm and cameras.

If there willing to go that far,,,,,,, Take it,,,,,,, not having keys wouldnt slow them down much.

But thanks for your concern.

Signed,

A non thinking person