Battery problem or power drain?
Thread Starter
1st Gear
Joined: Jul 2005
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Battery problem or power drain?
I'm having a very hard time in starting my C5 (04). The car starts eventually, but after very long and weak crank. Whenever the problem occurs, the radio clock resets to 1:00 and sometimes "service column lock" message appears - mine is automatic. I had the same problem 5 months ago. At that time, I though it was the battery (optima red), so I replaced it with a new optima red - COSTCO honored 3-year replacement warranty. But, I'm having the same problem again. If I leave the vehicle for more than a couple of minutes, the problem occurs. I tried to check if there's any drain suspecting I might have left something turned on, but couldn't find any. I believe the chances of having two defective batteries in a row are very low. Can anyone help me?
Michael
Los Angeles
Michael
Los Angeles
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 9,298
Likes: 4
From: American Canyon Lethal Injection
Originally Posted by taeil2005
I'm having a very hard time in starting my C5 (04). The car starts eventually, but after very long and weak crank. Whenever the problem occurs, the radio clock resets to 1:00 and sometimes "service column lock" message appears - mine is automatic. I had the same problem 5 months ago. At that time, I though it was the battery (optima red), so I replaced it with a new optima red - COSTCO honored 3-year replacement warranty. But, I'm having the same problem again. If I leave the vehicle for more than a couple of minutes, the problem occurs. I tried to check if there's any drain suspecting I might have left something turned on, but couldn't find any. I believe the chances of having two defective batteries in a row are very low. Can anyone help me?
Michael
Los Angeles
Michael
Los Angeles
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,346
Likes: 5
From: Mustang OK
First, welcome to the forum! 
You say that the problem occurs if you leave the vehicle for more than a couple of minutes. I assume you are talking about shutting the engine down with the ignition switch in the off position and then trying to restart the engine in a couple of minutes. There's nothing that should drain a properly charged battery in this short length of time. From the information you've given us, I would say that the problem is in one of several places:
Hope this helps and good luck with the fix.
You say that the problem occurs if you leave the vehicle for more than a couple of minutes. I assume you are talking about shutting the engine down with the ignition switch in the off position and then trying to restart the engine in a couple of minutes. There's nothing that should drain a properly charged battery in this short length of time. From the information you've given us, I would say that the problem is in one of several places:
- Corroded or loose battery terminal connections. Check them for corrosion and that they are properly secured but not over tightened.
- Bad battery. Although it would be fairly uncommon to have 2 batteries fail in such a short length of time, it can happen. There have been several posts here recently of people experiencing problems with the Red Tops failing not long after they were purchased. Take the battery back to where you bought it to have it tested.
- Charging system fault or problem. Once you've checked the battery terminal connections and if the battery tests OK, then this leaves the charging system. Your car being an '04 model, I would think it would still be under warranty. I would recommend you take it back to the dealer to have the charging system tested and fixed under warranty if this is the problem.
Hope this helps and good luck with the fix.
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 4,978
Likes: 497
From: Hilton NY
Check the total drain when everything is off. Hook an ammeter in series to either battery post and see what the rest current is, after a minute you should see about 20 ma rest current. Make sure to disable the hood light so it doesn't add to the reading.
