So for years my 04 Vert has been subject to a parasitic drain which results in my being unable to start the car after as few as 3 days of not driving.

When driving the dash information shows the car charging at between 13 and 14 volts, however when I get into the car and turn the key half way, more often than not the voltage shows to be as low at 10.8 volts after only 3-4 days.

Not being much of a mechanic, I have tried to "locate" the most obvious sources of a drain, such as sitting in the car in the dark garage to make sure all the lights and such have turned off correctly after their designated "shut off" time. Nothing.

A few months ago I left my car with a highly reputable local shop that repairs Corvettes, and after they had my car for more than a week the car was returned to me with the owner saying that they were unable to find any measurable source for a drain in my system. I have read the great write ups on this forum about how to go about tracking down a parasitic drain, and I have to assume that a shop that for more than 30 years of working only on our cars would know essentially the same procedure and even then sum. Am I wrong in this thinking?

Earlier today I went to my garage and the car appeared to be totally "dead". Usually the parasitic drain results in the low voltage that I spoke of earlier but today there was nothing. The
gauges didn't even illuminate, the drunk release didn't work, and there wasn't even the dreaded "click-click-click" Nothing. And this after only 3 days since I last drove the car, and as usual the key was not left in the ignition, the radio was turned off (always) before I turned the car off, and nothing else seemed out of the ordinary.

So, knowing that there are some great minds on this Forum, and that some of you guys (and gals) have experienced, diagnosed and repaired just about anything that has gone wrong with our great cars, I am asking for your help here. I am so frustrated because my car is so, so beautiful, in near perfect condition, has very low mileage, yet half the time that I go to drive it the darn car disappoints me and simply won't start. Sure, I guess I could just keep the car on a trickle charger since its in my garage when not being used. But really, is that the only solution to this stupid, annoying problem?

Please, if you have any idea's I am all ears. Like I said I am not much of a mechanic but its more than worth it to me to have another mechanic look at my car to put this problem to rest once and for all. Dare I say it, do I need to take my car to the local Stealership and let them have at it. I really don't want to do that. Please help if you can. Thanks....

 

I had/have a similar problem. How old is your battery? After changing mine I can go a little over two weeks with out driving it (because I travel a Lot) and it will start up. However anything over that and its dead. I haven't found a significant reason for the drain so it will be interesting to see the replies. In the mean time start with replacing your battery if you haven't already.

 

Sorry you are having issues with a parasitic drain !!...as previously mentioned it would be a good idea to get your battery load tested just to remove that from the equation. Can't believe a reputable shop was not able to diagnose the drain. Not being much of a mechanic as you said you did accomplish the "easy" things like making sure some interior lights were not on. All I can suggest is to find an auto/ELECTRIC repair shop in your area...this may be a better bet for you...does not really have to be a shop that repairs Corvettes...any shop should be able to find the cause. If you don't know your way around a multi meter I guess it makes no sense having us try to help you diagnose this yourself !!

 

New battery first...then ctek battery tender..

 

These videos might help;https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ours-help.html.

 

As mentioned above, I suggest you remove your battery from the car, have it fully charged and then take it to an auto parts store to have it load-tested. Most of them will test it for free.

You mentioned you've been having this problem for years and this has probably taken a toll on your battery...

I would also strongly suggest you get a good battery tender, not as a solution to your problem, but as a way to extend the life of your battery.

That being said, you don't need to be a mechanic to troubleshoot an electrical problem, it might be more important how well you remember Ohm's Law from your Physics courses . I don't know your electrical skills, but if you have the determination and discipline to follow troubleshooting steps, you can definitely give it a try. You'll just need a multimeter

First, follow through with the suggestions regarding the battery, as outlined above, and let us know the results. Also, let us know if you're willing to tackle some troubleshooting and if you have a multimeter

 

My battery is only 1 year old, and having said that, it sits totally disconnected for about 4 months during the winter (in my garage) while we spend those months in Florida. However, having said that I see that someone else suggested taking my battery out to get it fully charged and then see if that prolongs the length of time that it goes before being unable to start the car. Hey, what have I got to lose, gonna work on doing that possibly this weekend. Thanks for the suggestions.

 

given the original poster's description, I agree. New battery then high quality tender.

 

have you read the sticky I think by Bill about this ? look in the electrical section. It lists every source of drain and what to do about it

 

I agree with C5Diag in post #3.

I have had my car on a battery maintainer for ten years, 24/7 unless I am on the road in it or parked at the track.

It has always started except for the following incident:

I still had a battery drain three years ago that the battery maintainer couldn't keep up with, dead in three days. Following Bill Curlee's advice, I first pulled both seat circuit breakers in the passenger footwell fuse panel. With the seat breakers pulled, the seats will not adjust using the motors, but the bolster and lumbar inflators still work.
After doing the battery drain testing you have read about, it finally turned out that the driver seat switch was bad. You might try pulling those seat circuit breakers as a test after first checking out the battery as noted in other posts, and use a battery maintainer. If that doesn't solve the problem, follow C5Diag's advice and have a respected auto electric mechanic find the problem.

 

It won't solve your problem right away but you could put a kill switch at your battery.

 

I recently had a similar issue. Mine would die after just a few hours though. I would get battery recharged and tested and it would keep happening. EVENTUALLY after the constant recharging and draining, my battery was no good and so I got new battery. Changed the alternator twice, this did nothing, so I went back t original. Found some burnt wires leading away from the fuse box and taped them up. Found a burnt wire running to the transmission and repaired that. Now my battery was overcharging at about 17.5 from the alternator and I cleaned some grounds and taped up some more wires and it leveled out. I ALSO had a bit of water in the passenger foot well that completely dried out over this time. Car worked great but gauges would die and power windows would lock up while driving. sometimes they would come back to life during same trip, sometimes not for a few hours after sitting only to die again. I properly anchored battery and more properly aligned the nutt in the positive battery terminal as well as peeled the rubber coating back from between the connection and this problem was solved 100%. Good luck my friend. This can be an extremely frustrating and irritating trust me I know! Keep at it! Good luck!

 

It may be best to replace the positive battery cable...I know I would...But, you should check under the battery as well to ensure that your car was not one of the ones where the original battery leaked and corroded the wiring under it...It may be worth a look.

 

Sorry to hear about your problem. As for the shop you took the car to and they couldn't find the problem doesn't supprise me. I've been an industrial generator mechanic for 35 years and do not trust anyone to find a problem on any of my cars or trucks. I've seen electricians not be able to connect two 12 batteries in series for 24 volts. your better off buying a good multi meter learn how to use it read the forums and find the problem yourself. Its not that hard. Good luck.

 

An Update for Everyone who chimed in. First let me say thank you. Once again this Forum and Community proves itself to be an invaluable source of great information for all Vette owners.

OK, so I was very wrong about the age of my battery. Turns out that it was three years old, not one as I had thought. And I guess after carefully reading everyone's post I figured that I had contributed to the demise of my battery by simply leaving it unplugged and uncharged for 3-4 months for each of the past 3 years. Following some sage advice here on the Forum I found a great deal online at Advance Auto, saved $50 and purchased a brand new Optima Red Top for less than $150. For anyone thinking about a new battery perhaps you too could find this sweet 25% off deal online at their website and after having the battery installed earlier this afternoon, I have much higher hopes that my problem is going to be much less of an issue going forward.

First comes a "test" of sorts to see what the voltage on the new battery drops down to after perhaps 5-7 days of not driving my car, and it this doesn't cause the past problem to reappear, then I guess all will be good around here. Next, taking the suggestion of most I'm gonna break out the tender that I purchase a few years ago, arrange the wiring in my garage, and from this point forward anytime the car is going to be known to sit idle for more than a week, especially over our 3-4 month winter vacation, it will be on the tender, remaining fully charged.

Ah, all might be great once again in my Corvette world. Gonna give my car a nice wash tomorrow and then treat myself to another nice top down drive. Have a great weekend everyone.