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I'm having a battery drain problem on my '99 C5. A few days ago while on a road trip, I neglected to turn off the fan on a cooling seat cushion I use in hot weather. In the morning the battery was dead. I used my power pack jump starter and all seemed fine and we continued on our road trip. However, when I turned the ignition off, the radio did not turn off via the RAP (retained accessory power) function. This often happens when the battery is drained or disconnected. It is usually fixed by disconnecting the battery (I have a quick disconnect on the negative terminal to make that task easier) for 30 minutes or so. I did that and when I fired up again all seemed right and when we stopped again and I switched the ignition off, the radio turned off when I opened the door, making it seem that RAP was functioning. However, the next morning, totally dead again. When I jump it, the RAP function is again not working, so I disconnect the negative for a while and then it seems to be working - stereo goes off as it should. Then, dead again, and the pattern repeats. I also tried pulling Fuse #5 but that seemed to do no good, after about a half hour when I reinserted it, the radio came right back on (ignition was off). Sometimes when it dies and I jump it, the fobs won't work and have to be reprogrammed, sometimes they are fine.
Stereo is an aftermarket Kenwood double-DIN that I installed about 18 months ago. I have the Metra Axxess adapter harness but don't use the part that was intended to mate the aftermarket unit to the Bose amplified speakers. Years ago, when I put in my first aftermarket stereo (a single-DIN Sony) I could not get it to work with the Bose speakers even with the Metra unit. So, I got rid of the Bose speakers and put in a set of Kickers in the doors and behind the seats. I don't remember the details but while I had that stereo (about eight years) there was no RAP function - radio came on and went off with the ignition and I was fine with that. When that unit went bad, I temporarily replaced it with a single-DIN unit I had lying around, a JVC, I think. With that unit the RAP function came back and would have to be reset as I described above whenever power was lost. When I put in the current Kenwood, the RAP function continued and would have to be reset as I described above. That's okay, I can live with it as it was not usually a problem. I also added an amplifier but that is powered through a direct connection to the battery, not through the stereo wiring harness. I have a C-Tek battery tender that I use in the winters when it is not driven very much (or any time it will not be driven for a while. Battery is one year old.
Right now, I have fuse #5 out and will leave it that way for several hours to see what happens. I assume if it does die, the drain is not the stereo and I will try disconnecting the amplifier to see if it might not be powering down and that might reset it. If it does not die, then the stereo is the problem but I'm not sure what is happening with the RAP function. Why does it seem to be reset but then the battery drains? Is it really resetting or is it still somehow causing the drain?
I know that low battery or a dead battery causes lots of electrical gremlins but I thought I knew how to get everything reset.
Advice, words of wisdom, suggestions are appreciated.
When it is working properly, the XSVI will retain the RAP function. Sounds like the unit is not working right. You might try re-initializing the XSVI. 1. Disconnect the battery for 30 minutes. 2. Make sure that the battery is FULLY charged. 3. Re-connect the battery. 4. Turn the key to the ON position for 30 seconds, then turn the key OFF.
Good luck!
I hve heard of that harness going bad and doing exactly what you are describing. I would bet it's the Axxess. FYI Google Axxess draining battery - instant hits.
Dash lights. It was the dash gauge lights. I had been adjusting the brightness level of the lights and went too far to constant on. Discovered it when I went out to the garage after dark and finally noticed the dash gauge lit up. All the other times it was too bright for me to notice. D'OH!
Battery Drain - RAP Function Not Resetting?
