Battery / electrical issue - need thoughts.
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Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,788
Likes: 6
From: Winchester TN
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St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'11
Battery / electrical issue - need thoughts.
Hi folks -
Our 99 A4 coupe is having an issue that I just don't know where to start.
I had a 3 year old Optima red top in the car, and about 2 months ago I went out to start the car and it would not start.
The battery was only putting out 5.6 volts.
I took the battery back to Sams Club and they gave me a new one no questions asked.
I put in the new battery and drove the car with no problems, taking it to Bowling Green, and driving it around town a bit.
I put the car away when the snow started to hit, in a heated garage, and put a battery tender on it - I rotate a battery tender around to my Z06 (which also has a red top - no problems) and my motorcycle batteries.
There was no problem until this week when I got the tender back onto the 99 coupe - and it showed a fault in the battery. The volt meter shows 5.8 volts.
The only thing that I have done to the car in the last year is the following:
added led cove lights
added led footwell lights
added led bulbs in the map lights
added Web Electrics sequential taillight harnesses.
How can I diagnose this issue to determine what is causing the car to eat batteries, or just what the problem is?
best regards -
mqqn
Our 99 A4 coupe is having an issue that I just don't know where to start.
I had a 3 year old Optima red top in the car, and about 2 months ago I went out to start the car and it would not start.
The battery was only putting out 5.6 volts.
I took the battery back to Sams Club and they gave me a new one no questions asked.
I put in the new battery and drove the car with no problems, taking it to Bowling Green, and driving it around town a bit.
I put the car away when the snow started to hit, in a heated garage, and put a battery tender on it - I rotate a battery tender around to my Z06 (which also has a red top - no problems) and my motorcycle batteries.
There was no problem until this week when I got the tender back onto the 99 coupe - and it showed a fault in the battery. The volt meter shows 5.8 volts.
The only thing that I have done to the car in the last year is the following:
added led cove lights
added led footwell lights
added led bulbs in the map lights
added Web Electrics sequential taillight harnesses.
How can I diagnose this issue to determine what is causing the car to eat batteries, or just what the problem is?
best regards -
mqqn
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,450
Likes: 1,155
From: Dyer, IN
Hi folks -
Our 99 A4 coupe is having an issue that I just don't know where to start.
I had a 3 year old Optima red top in the car, and about 2 months ago I went out to start the car and it would not start.
The battery was only putting out 5.6 volts.
I took the battery back to Sams Club and they gave me a new one no questions asked.
I put in the new battery and drove the car with no problems, taking it to Bowling Green, and driving it around town a bit.
I put the car away when the snow started to hit, in a heated garage, and put a battery tender on it - I rotate a battery tender around to my Z06 (which also has a red top - no problems) and my motorcycle batteries.
There was no problem until this week when I got the tender back onto the 99 coupe - and it showed a fault in the battery. The volt meter shows 5.8 volts.
The only thing that I have done to the car in the last year is the following:
added led cove lights
added led footwell lights
added led bulbs in the map lights
added Web Electrics sequential taillight harnesses.
How can I diagnose this issue to determine what is causing the car to eat batteries, or just what the problem is?
best regards -
mqqn
Our 99 A4 coupe is having an issue that I just don't know where to start.
I had a 3 year old Optima red top in the car, and about 2 months ago I went out to start the car and it would not start.
The battery was only putting out 5.6 volts.
I took the battery back to Sams Club and they gave me a new one no questions asked.
I put in the new battery and drove the car with no problems, taking it to Bowling Green, and driving it around town a bit.
I put the car away when the snow started to hit, in a heated garage, and put a battery tender on it - I rotate a battery tender around to my Z06 (which also has a red top - no problems) and my motorcycle batteries.
There was no problem until this week when I got the tender back onto the 99 coupe - and it showed a fault in the battery. The volt meter shows 5.8 volts.
The only thing that I have done to the car in the last year is the following:
added led cove lights
added led footwell lights
added led bulbs in the map lights
added Web Electrics sequential taillight harnesses.
How can I diagnose this issue to determine what is causing the car to eat batteries, or just what the problem is?
best regards -
mqqn
You'll need to audit the current draw with a good battery. Bill has the steps documented in the electrical sticky. Start at post #590
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...post1567522286
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,450
Likes: 1,155
From: Dyer, IN
Originally posted by Bill Curlee........
If your seeing 0.020 amps,,,,,something stayed ON and killed the battery.
The most problematic current gobblers are:
Stuck seat multifunction switch
Bose Amp relay
RAP Relay failure
Interior lights
Don't know the best way to troubleshoot a sporadic problem like this one.
BC
If your seeing 0.020 amps,,,,,something stayed ON and killed the battery.
The most problematic current gobblers are:
Stuck seat multifunction switch
Bose Amp relay
RAP Relay failure
Interior lights
Don't know the best way to troubleshoot a sporadic problem like this one.
BC
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,788
Likes: 6
From: Winchester TN
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'11
Originally posted by Bill Curlee........
If your seeing 0.020 amps,,,,,something stayed ON and killed the battery.
The most problematic current gobblers are:
Stuck seat multifunction switch
Bose Amp relay
RAP Relay failure
Interior lights
Don't know the best way to troubleshoot a sporadic problem like this one.
BC
If your seeing 0.020 amps,,,,,something stayed ON and killed the battery.
The most problematic current gobblers are:
Stuck seat multifunction switch
Bose Amp relay
RAP Relay failure
Interior lights
Don't know the best way to troubleshoot a sporadic problem like this one.
BC
I have the battery out of the car and on a 10 amp charger -
I am going to remove the cheap ebay map light bulbs I bought, and the sequential taillight harnesses and then do the draw test.
I do remember one "funny" thing - when I was putting in the sequential harness, there was corrosion on the factory bulb socket on one side - and when I was testing the harness turning on the turn signals, the dash lights were flashing with the turn signals!
I used a brass brush and cleaned out the factory socket really well and that seemed to have fixed the problem.
I will just ace the sequential harness and make sure that is all cleaned up as a precaution.
The electrics on these cars are spooky.
Thanks a lot for helping me with the links - I appreciate it.
best regards -
mqqn
