Long story, but bottom line is we thought the stock tape deck was reversing etc , making a clicking sound after car was shutoff,, eventually took tape out of car, put radio back in,, and bought a brand new battery. the clicking is gone (no tape drive right!) but last night after sitting for 3=4 days,, battery was down again,,

Would y'all please suggest what might be doing this as it's becoming a real pain.. and or would that $80.00 battery drain thing from MidAmerica that doesn't let the battery get below 12 volts be the way to go,, OR take it a shop?? If I had a clue I'd try it myself??

Thanks!!
:confused:

 

It might be your alternator. When I got my Vette about six months ago, it would run fine for about 5 days and then the battery would go dead. I charged the battery and it was fine for another 5. I put a new alternator in it and it's been going good ever since. I new it was the alternator because the charge guage on the dash was showing low voltage it wouldn't go up when i rev'd the engine.

 

Battery drain can occur when there is any current flow with the key off and the doors shut. The only current flow on the 1980s is the clock and the radio. Defective items, such as power-door-lock relays, rear defogger relay, radio, antenna relay, dome-light timer, alternator, hood mercury switch for light, and heater-fan relays can cause a battery drain.

Do a milliamp battery draw test. With a fully charged battery, disconnect the negative battery cable. Using a digital volt ohm meter, connect one lead to the battery cable and the other to the negative battery terminal. Wait for the dome light to time-out. If more than 5 or 10 milliamp draw is noted, remove one fuse at a time, rechecking the milliamp draw after each removal, to find the root cause of the drain. If all fuses are removed and the drain is still there, remove the fuse links at the starter, one at a time. Also check the negative ground cable to the frame under the car. A loose cable will not let the system charge up correctly. Use this procedure and you will find the root cause.

As far as the devise you were talking about, its called a trickle charger. I have one on my car because I do not use it much in the winter. You can get one locally. I got mine for 20 bucks at Lowes, was a discontinued model. I think Sears has them for around 30.

 

Thanks a bunch I'll check that,, I Appreciate it !!

 

Just in case this is happening to you. I had a battery with top posts and my car takes the side connectors. The top positive post was touching the frame, even though it had a plastic cap the battery had a low amp draw.
good luck - :seeya

 

I concur with JonM. My 87 measures 28 ma. of battery current after the courtesy lights time out. You should measure something close to this too. Your battery goes dead because somewhere around 1 amp of leakage is flowing. Make sure the under hood lights are not stuck on, and also that the vanity mirror lights have not been left on or an adapter is plugged into your cigarette lighter.

 

I had the same thing with my 85. Drove me nuts. Battery checked fine, Alternator checked fine. Had to take it to a dealer - $200 later found my wiring harness going to the starter was shorted from being pinched. They had to replace 3 wires. I could not believe the car didn't burn to the ground. It was worth every penny. I would have never found it. Good luck with yours...Just Maybe??????? :rolleyes:

 

Do you leave your keys in the ignition? On C4s you can't leave you keys in the ignition or it will drain down your battery? Just a reminder.