Possible Battery Drain?
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Joined: Apr 2023
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Possible Battery Drain?
Hello everyone. I'm currently having an issue with my 1996 Corvette. The battery is an ACDelco replaced in 2022. Been driving the car for 4 solid months. Recently I was driving and heard a noise coming from the passenger side. I thought this buzzing was coming from the speaker and it would get louder with increased throttle. Didn't think anything of it but now my battery is dead. With the battery being dead I also hear a clicking noise on the passenger side. Any ideas where to start? I'm thinking the BOSE system is a culprit.
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The clicking seems to only happen when the car itself is off and the battery is dead. What do you recommend I check? Sorry I'm new to corvettes. Appreciate the input.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 2,874
Likes: 764
From: Sligo PA
Check for parasitic loss. You need a multimeter that can read 10 amps or so DCV with the leads and not a amp clamp. They have a few at Harbor Freight that will get the job done. You need to disconnect the positive lead on your battery and use jumpers and alligator clips to connect the meter in series with the positive battery terminal and the red battery lead. Then look at the meter. Do you see amp draw? Make sure to not open the door or your interior lights will turn on (or just have someone hold the door switch plunger in). If you see amp draw then you need to remove one fuse at a time from the fuse box until the draw goes away. When it does then you know what circuit the parasitic draw is on. This will at least give you a starting point and let you know if you only have one issue or if there are multiple.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,952
Likes: 338
From: Shell Point (Crawfordville) Florida
You need to have EVERYTHING off when testing for an amp draw, like underhood lights, interior lights, etc, and let the car sit for 15 min.or longer to allow all computers to shut down.
Another way to do this is to probe the little metal dots on top of each fuse (leaving them in place) to see if there is current flowing, easier then pulling each fuse one at a time and checking the meter each time.
There are numerous threads on here or Google/Youtube etc. on how to check for parasitic current draw and how to fix it.
I thought most people recommend removing the neg. cable from the battery and testing that way rather than through the pos. circuit, but it really doesn't matter, just safer that way.
Just make sure you have the pos. lead on the VOM connected into the 10A socket so you don't blow the fuse in the meter.
Just for interest, trying to see how big a parasitic draw you have, how long was it since you shut off the car and the battery was dead? By "dead" do you mean you can't start it now? That clicking noise could be the starter/relay because of low battery voltage.
Other than the speaker in the PS footwell, there is nothing BOSE in there. You have the headunit in the center dash and the CDM behind the PS seat.
Also to check for current leak, you should have a charged battery, so fix that first.
Another way to do this is to probe the little metal dots on top of each fuse (leaving them in place) to see if there is current flowing, easier then pulling each fuse one at a time and checking the meter each time.
There are numerous threads on here or Google/Youtube etc. on how to check for parasitic current draw and how to fix it.
I thought most people recommend removing the neg. cable from the battery and testing that way rather than through the pos. circuit, but it really doesn't matter, just safer that way.
Just make sure you have the pos. lead on the VOM connected into the 10A socket so you don't blow the fuse in the meter.
Just for interest, trying to see how big a parasitic draw you have, how long was it since you shut off the car and the battery was dead? By "dead" do you mean you can't start it now? That clicking noise could be the starter/relay because of low battery voltage.
Other than the speaker in the PS footwell, there is nothing BOSE in there. You have the headunit in the center dash and the CDM behind the PS seat.
Also to check for current leak, you should have a charged battery, so fix that first.
Last edited by mrlmd; Apr 9, 2023 at 11:44 AM.
Thread Starter
Navigator
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
You need to have EVERYTHING off when testing for an amp draw, like underhood lights, interior lights, etc, and let the car sit for 15 min.or longer to allow all computers to shut down.
Another way to do this is to probe the little metal dots on top of each fuse (leaving them in place) to see if there is current flowing, easier then pulling each fuse one at a time and checking the meter each time.
There are numerous threads on here or Google/Youtube etc. on how to check for parasitic current draw and how to fix it.
I thought most people recommend removing the neg. cable from the battery and testing that way rather than through the pos. circuit, but it really doesn't matter, just safer that way.
Just make sure you have the pos. lead on the VOM connected into the 10A socket so you don't blow the fuse in the meter.
Just for interest, trying to see how big a parasitic draw you have, how long was it since you shut off the car and the battery was dead? By "dead" do you mean you can't start it now? That clicking noise could be the starter/relay because of low battery voltage.
Other than the speaker in the PS footwell, there is nothing BOSE in there. You have the headunit in the center dash and the CDM behind the PS seat.
Also to check for current leak, you should have a charged battery, so fix that first.
Another way to do this is to probe the little metal dots on top of each fuse (leaving them in place) to see if there is current flowing, easier then pulling each fuse one at a time and checking the meter each time.
There are numerous threads on here or Google/Youtube etc. on how to check for parasitic current draw and how to fix it.
I thought most people recommend removing the neg. cable from the battery and testing that way rather than through the pos. circuit, but it really doesn't matter, just safer that way.
Just make sure you have the pos. lead on the VOM connected into the 10A socket so you don't blow the fuse in the meter.
Just for interest, trying to see how big a parasitic draw you have, how long was it since you shut off the car and the battery was dead? By "dead" do you mean you can't start it now? That clicking noise could be the starter/relay because of low battery voltage.
Other than the speaker in the PS footwell, there is nothing BOSE in there. You have the headunit in the center dash and the CDM behind the PS seat.
Also to check for current leak, you should have a charged battery, so fix that first.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 1,952
Likes: 338
From: Shell Point (Crawfordville) Florida
FYI, 12.4V is a battery 75% charged. A fully charged good battery should read 12.6V at least (2.1V per cell). The voltage could measure differently from inside the car vs. directly connected to a VOM, so how did you measure yours?
The SYS flash could be from disconnecting the battery or starting the car a few times without moving it, so drive it for a while and see if it goes away.
The SYS flash could be from disconnecting the battery or starting the car a few times without moving it, so drive it for a while and see if it goes away.
