Possilbe Short Question
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 573
Likes: 0
From: San Diego California
Possilbe Short Question
Hey guys,
I have an 04' coupe and it seems as though the battery dies quite fast. I replaced the battery about 3 months ago because I thought the battery was bad and thats what my mech. advised me to do. I don't drive the car much sometimes once every two or three weeks. I was told that Corvettes are bad about draining batteries when the set for a while. Well lately it seems like its dies even faster. Maybe 3 or 4 days or so after driving it. I am going to get a battery tender here very soon to see if that works. My question is, is there any sort of short that corvettes are known for? Or has anyone had this problem before and what did they do to fix it? I have tried to get the dealer to chase a short and they say they cant find anything. If you have any suggestions Im all ears. Thanks guys
I have an 04' coupe and it seems as though the battery dies quite fast. I replaced the battery about 3 months ago because I thought the battery was bad and thats what my mech. advised me to do. I don't drive the car much sometimes once every two or three weeks. I was told that Corvettes are bad about draining batteries when the set for a while. Well lately it seems like its dies even faster. Maybe 3 or 4 days or so after driving it. I am going to get a battery tender here very soon to see if that works. My question is, is there any sort of short that corvettes are known for? Or has anyone had this problem before and what did they do to fix it? I have tried to get the dealer to chase a short and they say they cant find anything. If you have any suggestions Im all ears. Thanks guys
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 8,700
Likes: 298
From: Ft. Lauderdale Fl
Not driving the Vette that often tends to weaken the battery. If there is no drains (from the stealership), you need a battery tender...try a CTEK from one of the Forum vendors. You might have weakened the battery to the extent that it won't hold a good charge anymore or at a high enough voltage.
The recap.....have the battery load tested and purchase a battery tender.
The recap.....have the battery load tested and purchase a battery tender.
Last edited by runner140*; Mar 7, 2012 at 07:06 AM. Reason: add
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 22,202
Likes: 4,187
From: Kannapolis NC
If you only drive it every two or three weeks, you definitely need a battery tender. They will drain the battery and a short drive, or even medium drive, won't fully recharge it so it gets lower each time. If you want to check for parasitic drain, put an ammeter in series with the negative battery cable, make sure all lights are off and the computer is in the sleep mode (by waiting about 20 min) and observe the ammeter. You should see around 20-25 ma of current draw after the car shuts down the system except for basic memory backup for the radio and run the clock, etc.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,868
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From: Kelso Washington
St. Jude Donor '09, '13, '15
I found a parasitic drain in my truck using a test light. I disconnected the positive cable and ran the light between the cable and the battery post. It lit up bright and shouldn't be.
Then I started pulling fuses until the light dimmed. When that happened, I knew what system to look at.
My major find was an accessory wire somebody had wired in and it must have been touching something on the other end because it wasn't hooked to an accessory. No more drain and it starts after a week or two of sitting.
That's the "non-tech" way to do it anyways....
Then I started pulling fuses until the light dimmed. When that happened, I knew what system to look at.
My major find was an accessory wire somebody had wired in and it must have been touching something on the other end because it wasn't hooked to an accessory. No more drain and it starts after a week or two of sitting.
That's the "non-tech" way to do it anyways....
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 573
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From: San Diego California
Thanks everyone. Im not really certain with all of these electrical terms. My trade is in explosives but not so hot on the electric side of the house haha. However, I have a few friends that are pretty good with it and I will see if they cant help me out with looking for a parasitic drain. In the mean time, does everyone agree the battery tender jr. works well and would help with my problem if all else is good?
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Race Director
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From: Reno is so close to Hell you can see Sparks , State Of Confusion
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14
Thanks everyone. Im not really certain with all of these electrical terms. My trade is in explosives but not so hot on the electric side of the house haha. However, I have a few friends that are pretty good with it and I will see if they cant help me out with looking for a parasitic drain. In the mean time, does everyone agree the battery tender jr. works well and would help with my problem if all else is good?
I am a fan of the Ctek 3300 unit.
Mr.Bill
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,640
Likes: 84
From: . New York
Hey guys,
I have an 04' coupe and it seems as though the battery dies quite fast. I replaced the battery about 3 months ago because I thought the battery was bad and thats what my mech. advised me to do. I don't drive the car much sometimes once every two or three weeks. I was told that Corvettes are bad about draining batteries when the set for a while. Well lately it seems like its dies even faster. Maybe 3 or 4 days or so after driving it. I am going to get a battery tender here very soon to see if that works. My question is, is there any sort of short that corvettes are known for? Or has anyone had this problem before and what did they do to fix it? I have tried to get the dealer to chase a short and they say they cant find anything. If you have any suggestions Im all ears. Thanks guys
I have an 04' coupe and it seems as though the battery dies quite fast. I replaced the battery about 3 months ago because I thought the battery was bad and thats what my mech. advised me to do. I don't drive the car much sometimes once every two or three weeks. I was told that Corvettes are bad about draining batteries when the set for a while. Well lately it seems like its dies even faster. Maybe 3 or 4 days or so after driving it. I am going to get a battery tender here very soon to see if that works. My question is, is there any sort of short that corvettes are known for? Or has anyone had this problem before and what did they do to fix it? I have tried to get the dealer to chase a short and they say they cant find anything. If you have any suggestions Im all ears. Thanks guys
and it has an RC of 120. If you run it down it will charge back up with no problem. You will get a lot of recommendations, there are a lot of good batteries out there.Might want to look at this tender ( I have one also). In addition to tending/charging it also senses the condition of the battery and will deep cycle/condition it as necessary.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,817
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From: Somerset, NJ
Thanks everyone. Im not really certain with all of these electrical terms. My trade is in explosives but not so hot on the electric side of the house haha. However, I have a few friends that are pretty good with it and I will see if they cant help me out with looking for a parasitic drain. In the mean time, does everyone agree the battery tender jr. works well and would help with my problem if all else is good?
I should mention that it is always a good idea to do a Load Test on your battery after charging it especially if it is a older battery or has been subjected to freezing weather. Being yours is only a few months old and you live in California you should be good to go.
Last edited by ffas23; Mar 8, 2012 at 06:49 AM. Reason: Spelling
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 815
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From: Richmond VA
+2 on different battery. I run the top of the line delco sold by gm ( only cost $5 more than most other batteries) I have been able to go months without driving/starting and it cranks right up. I did purchase a Stanley trickle charger from Lowes and use that from time to time.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2009
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From: Somewhere in Mo
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '14
i'm sorry folks, a battery, if it's a good battery, will not drain in 3 months completely. something else is wrong here. I have let my vette and my Dodge Ram sit for extended periods with no tender and they have never drained.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,817
Likes: 21
From: Somerset, NJ
Funny the C5 is notorious for having their batteries go dead from lack of use. My '99 Coupe with fully charged Optimum battery will have a hard time starting my C5 in a months time if just sitting without a battery tender connected. Do a search on this forum. Many others have had the same problem with their C5's battery. Do a Google search and you will hear about the same battery drain on a C5. Trust me it is not the battery. Your Dodge Ram is a different animal. I don't have the same problem with my other vehicles either but my C5 does have that problem.
Last edited by ffas23; Mar 8, 2012 at 10:44 AM.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,773
Likes: 2
From: San Diego CA
I've never gone three months, but frequently go two or three weeks between taking the Vette for a spin. It starts every time........
I suspect there is a battery drain, other than the usual C5 stuff. A battery tender will work, but might mask the actual problem.
Good Luck.....
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 13,421
Likes: 8
From: Lake Mary Florida
Review Bill Curlee's electrical post at the top of C5 Technical Perf section.
Disconnect the passenger seat electrical connection wait a minute and reconnect. He also gives instructions on how to test for a drain on the battery in that thread.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...tion-long.html
Disconnect the passenger seat electrical connection wait a minute and reconnect. He also gives instructions on how to test for a drain on the battery in that thread.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...tion-long.html
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2009
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From: Somewhere in Mo
St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '14
Funny the C5 is notorious for having their batteries go dead from lack of use. My '99 Coupe with fully charged Optimum battery will have a hard time starting my C5 in a months time if just sitting without a battery tender connected. Do a search on this forum. Many others have had the same problem with their C5's battery. Do a Google search and you will hear about the same battery drain on a C5. Trust me it is not the battery. Your Dodge Ram is a different animal. I don't have the same problem with my other vehicles either but my C5 does have that problem.
I have read about battery drains here and everytime I think, there's an issue somewhere else. It's not the battery.
Is it normal? I don't know, all I know is I have never had a battery go dead after 3 months of ownership. And if it is normal there is a major design flaw somewhere.