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I have had the battery die twice in the last four months while sitting in the garage. The car does not go longer than 10 days without getting a 50-100 mile run. It is a 2005 Base model, with manual transmission. Parked with gear in reverse and brake set before being turned off. I do not cover it until I check all lights and accessories are off. I was wondering what could be causing the problem, does anyone have recommendations for trickle charger, and does anyone recommend a portable car jump starter capable of starting a 6L engine.
Get a battery maintainer, not a trickle charger. Take your pic, I've seen probably 10 different ones recommended, and no one has ever said don't use xxx brand that I can remember.
I have had the battery die twice in the last four months while sitting in the garage. The car does not go longer than 10 days without getting a 50-100 mile run. It is a 2005 Base model, with manual transmission. Parked with gear in reverse and brake set before being turned off. I do not cover it until I check all lights and accessories are off. I was wondering what could be causing the problem, does anyone have recommendations for trickle charger, and does anyone recommend a portable car jump starter capable of starting a 6L engine.
Battery age could be #1 issue. If it has been boosted in the past, there is a decent chance that it has a bad cell, because all the crap on the plates got shocked off, and it's now laying on the bottom and shorting out a cell or two.
If the battery can be load tested, and is deemed OK, then it could be a few things causing the drain:
If you can set up an amp meter on the battery posts, you could see what the parasitic draw is on the system when all goes to sleep. The amp draw should be not much more than .007 amps
here is a PDF of the procedure for setting up an amp meter to determine amp draw on the electrical system.
I learned from this forum that 05 manuals are famous (or infamous) for this problem. It's just another abnomaly to 05's. I experienced it and added a battery tender which I poked thru the grill. If I thought the car would be sitting for at least a week I would plug it in. Solved the problem. Mind you the car operated normally and perfectly. Though I used a cheap Deltron brand which I also use for Harleys, I would think most any would do. I recently traded that car in on a GS and saw that the dealer left it installed, lol. I wouldn't expect they would want to explain it as a selling point.
If my Corvette is in the garage it is on the GM (Corvette Logo) battery maintainer. Same maintainer/tender that GM puts in the Corvettes with the "Battery Protection" option. Bought it at the dealer from the parts guy for $100. Yes there are cheaper alternatives but I favor OEM. One end plugs into cigarette lighter and the other end plugs into a 110 outlet. You can run the wire out an open window or open the door and run the wire in the slot on the door seal and close the door on the wire no problem. Been doing this for years and never have a battery issue. If you do not drove your car frequently sooner or later you will have a dead battery from the computers that always run power. Easy fix.
I just put a new Interstate battery in my GS, there was nothing wrong with the old one, just 4 years old,just preventive maintenance. I use my maintainer EVERY single time I have my car out. I been using my Shumacher 1.5 maintainer for many years, about $20 at Wallyworld.
I would like to point out to the OP that all the facts and logic being mentioned here regarding new computerized cars having loads which draw from and drain a cars battery are all correct and one should be aware of. I was trying to make him aware that his 05 manual has a little known issue beyond common logic. This car has definate propensity to quickly drain the battery. I can only attribute it to the same logic that GM instilled into only the 05 manual when they designed it to 'must' be parked in reverse. If not parked in reverse, the battery will quickly die. For whatever reason this is a GM intended design to the point that the message will even alert when trying to exit. Unless one has experienced this nonsense it may be hard to appreciate. Note that this applies only to the 05 manual. I've had an 05 manual and an 05 automatic sit next to each other and again this quick drain only happens to the manual. Hope this helps him.
I use the battery tender plus. I suggest that you get a maintainer ASAP.
I've been using the Battery Tender Plus I picked up at AutoZone a few years ago; works great, is relatively cheap and can be purchased at your local auto parts store or from several online sources. However, as already mentioned there have been several different brands of tenders mentioned on the forum over the years, all of which seem to work well; it comes down to how much you want to pay. The main thing is to get a tender/maintainer and not a trickle charger. Because I'm retired and don't know if mine is going to sit for a day or for a week or more between driving it, I've gotten into the habit of hooking up the tender every time I pull it in the garage.
I also plug in my maintainer everytime my C6 is going to sit for more then a couple days.. I have had about every charger/maintainer out there, the Optima 400 is the best I have found.. I use one on my 89 Corvette also and leave them both on when the cars sit in the garage for more then a day or two...WW
I would like to point out to the OP that all the facts and logic being mentioned here regarding new computerized cars having loads which draw from and drain a cars battery are all correct and one should be aware of. I was trying to make him aware that his 05 manual has a little known issue beyond common logic. This car has definate propensity to quickly drain the battery. I can only attribute it to the same logic that GM instilled into only the 05 manual when they designed it to 'must' be parked in reverse. If not parked in reverse, the battery will quickly die. For whatever reason this is a GM intended design to the point that the message will even alert when trying to exit. Unless one has experienced this nonsense it may be hard to appreciate. Note that this applies only to the 05 manual. I've had an 05 manual and an 05 automatic sit next to each other and again this quick drain only happens to the manual. Hope this helps him.
I have purchased a battery tender, and a portable jumper just in case.
I read somewhere that there may be a flash that can be done to the system that helps with the battery drain problem in the 2005 model, but cannot find it. Have you heard anything regarding such a fix? I also saw a
that indicated there was a charger port in the back above and to the right of the license bracket. My car has a rubber seal there, but it does not appear to be (easily) removable, and I do not want to damage it.
I use Schumacher maintainer from Walmart...about $25.
Others use a more expensive brand.
Thanks. Purchased this. If I might ask, how do you connect it? Instructions indicate that negative (black) clamp should be connected to "...vehicle chassis or engine block away from battery." Problem is that the wires included will barely cover the span of the battery, let alone reach anything that looks like a good ground. Also, do you drop the wires through the engine bay and connect the charger below? I ask since I prefer to leave the cover on when the car is going to sit a few days.
Mine came with clamps and a plug. I hard wired to the battery posts (for safety hook the wire from the female sure if the plug to positive) and just plug it in. I usually lower to the hood to just sit on the latch. That way, if somehow the battery goes dead you can still open the hood.
Just me.
05-18-2018, 05:16 PM
C6 Battery drain
I've been using the Battery Tender Plus I picked up at AutoZone a few years ago; works great, is relatively cheap and can be purchased at your local auto parts store or from several online sources. However, as already mentioned there have been several different brands of tenders mentioned on the forum over the years, all of which seem to work well; it comes down to how much you want to pay. The main thing is to get a tender/maintainer and not a trickle charger. Because I'm retired and don't know if mine is going to sit for a day or for a week or more between driving it, I've gotten into the habit of hooking up the tender every time I pull it in the garage. 
