Parasitic draw on battery

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Mar 12, 2020 | 12:05 AM

tomseal6

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Racer

Joined: Dec 2006

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From: Waynesville, MO

Parasitic draw on battery

Every spring my C5Z battery is completely dead. Car is Stored with cover in garage

I know how to test each circuit for a draw but what is going to be the likely culprit?

Before I charge the battery and start pulling fuses, I would like some likely problem areas of this.

Thanks

Mar 12, 2020 | 01:44 AM

jim993

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From: Prescott, Arizona

C5 Corvettes have a slight parasitic battery drain even when all the circuits are perfectly normal. Because of that fact, it is in my view, unwise to not drive the car for extended periods unless it is on a battery tender.

Some owners disconnect the battery when storing for extended periods, but even a disconnected battery loses charge over time. My C5 has been on a battery tender 24/7 for 9 years unless I am away at the track.

Check the following including post #13.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ery-drain.html

And of course, your battery may be bad.

Mar 12, 2020 | 10:14 AM

tomseal6

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Racer

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From: Waynesville, MO

It's a new battery. Less than a year old. Bern in storage with no tender since this past november.

so going on 5 months sitting and completely dead

Mar 12, 2020 | 10:44 AM

GCG

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From: Miami FL

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomseal6

It's a new battery. Less than a year old. Bern in storage with no tender since this past november.

so going on 5 months sitting and completely dead

That's normal. A C5 in sleep mode drains between 20mA and 30mA (with 25mA being the most common value) from the battery to keep its systems alive. An appropriate battery in good shape should last for a month or so, but not for 5 months. When not daily driven, it should be kept with a battery tender, as mentioned above.

Mar 12, 2020 | 10:53 AM

mmartinez

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From: Espanola New Mexico

Mar 12, 2020 | 12:10 PM

mmartinez

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From: Espanola New Mexico

So storing your car for 5 months without starting it or having a battery tender on it will cause your battery to be discharged "dead", the other thing is that discharging a battery that severely will damage your battery, and it will not hold a charge afterwards.

Mar 12, 2020 | 11:22 PM

tomseal6

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Racer

Joined: Dec 2006

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From: Waynesville, MO

Would I have been better off disconnecting the battery at storage time? Minimum

Mar 13, 2020 | 12:17 AM

jim993

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From: Prescott, Arizona

Properly storing disconnected lead acid batteries involves more than most people realize. Even disconnected, they discharge. Faster if kept warm, slower if kept cold. Here is a good detailed explanation to a question that does not have a simple answer:

https://batteryguy.com/kb/knowledge-...cid-batteries/