electrical problem
#1
06-27-2019, 08:16 PM
electrical problem
1995 z28. if i dont use the car, or start it for 2 or more days. i need to jump it and it runs fine, and always starts no issues. but like i said if i dont every 2 days i need to jump...has anyone had this problem. something must be grounded. but has anyone had this or anything like it....where to start looking...any help thanks.
#2
06-28-2019, 08:09 AM
What you are talking about is a parasitic draw. It can be caused by almost anything electric in the car. Without the right tools the process to track it down can get complicated although it can be done with a volt meter. Explaining how to track this down could be very frustrating because you don’t have the back ground in electrical. What I can do is list the common causes.
The battery itself, (Disconnect the battery for the 2 days then reconnect to see if it starts.) if it is still dead then the battery has an internal parasitic draw.
Lighter or lighter socket shorted. (Rust can do this. Disconnect the sockets and see if you battery still dies)
Unseen lights not turning off. Glove box, hatch light or under hood light. ( You can feel the lights to see how hot they are. If you open the glove box and the light will burn you right away and the whole area is heat soak there is an issue with the glove box switch. Remove bulb to test.
Anything aftermarket. Amp, Stereo, alarm or any non-factory wiring. I would disconnect it all to rule out those issues.
FYI. A bad ground can cause a lot of problems like battery not charging but it will not cause a parasitic draw. Bad grounds tend to block the flow of electricity your issue is electricity flowing with the key off.
One other thing, all cars have a natural parasitic draw. A battery is sized that the car can sit for months and not kill the battery but as a battery reaches the end of its life that time will shorten. Right before the battery fails it can be killed by the natural draw just before it fails. Also these are not deep cycle battery, even a battery that was in good shape 2 weeks ago can need replaced after a parasitic draw has killed the battery 3 or 4 times.
The battery itself, (Disconnect the battery for the 2 days then reconnect to see if it starts.) if it is still dead then the battery has an internal parasitic draw.
Lighter or lighter socket shorted. (Rust can do this. Disconnect the sockets and see if you battery still dies)
Unseen lights not turning off. Glove box, hatch light or under hood light. ( You can feel the lights to see how hot they are. If you open the glove box and the light will burn you right away and the whole area is heat soak there is an issue with the glove box switch. Remove bulb to test.
Anything aftermarket. Amp, Stereo, alarm or any non-factory wiring. I would disconnect it all to rule out those issues.
FYI. A bad ground can cause a lot of problems like battery not charging but it will not cause a parasitic draw. Bad grounds tend to block the flow of electricity your issue is electricity flowing with the key off.
One other thing, all cars have a natural parasitic draw. A battery is sized that the car can sit for months and not kill the battery but as a battery reaches the end of its life that time will shorten. Right before the battery fails it can be killed by the natural draw just before it fails. Also these are not deep cycle battery, even a battery that was in good shape 2 weeks ago can need replaced after a parasitic draw has killed the battery 3 or 4 times.
Last edited by Gorn; 06-28-2019 at 08:20 AM.
#3
06-28-2019, 08:42 AM
thank you there is so much info in just what you sent. i will check those things out.
What you are talking about is a parasitic draw. It can be caused by almost anything electric in the car. Without the right tools the process to track it down can get complicated although it can be done with a volt meter. Explaining how to track this down could be very frustrating because you don’t have the back ground in electrical. What I can do is list the common causes.
The battery itself, (Disconnect the battery for the 2 days then reconnect to see if it starts.) if it is still dead then the battery has an internal parasitic draw.
Lighter or lighter socket shorted. (Rust can do this. Disconnect the sockets and see if you battery still dies)
Unseen lights not turning off. Glove box, hatch light or under hood light. ( You can feel the lights to see how hot they are. If you open the glove box and the light will burn you right away and the whole area is heat soak there is an issue with the glove box switch. Remove bulb to test.
Anything aftermarket. Amp, Stereo, alarm or any non-factory wiring. I would disconnect it all to rule out those issues.
FYI. A bad ground can cause a lot of problems like battery not charging but it will not cause a parasitic draw. Bad grounds tend to block the flow of electricity your issue is electricity flowing with the key off.
One other thing, all cars have a natural parasitic draw. A battery is sized that the car can sit for months and not kill the battery but as a battery reaches the end of its life that time will shorten. Right before the battery fails it can be killed by the natural draw just before it fails. Also these are not deep cycle battery, even a battery that was in good shape 2 weeks ago can need replaced after a parasitic draw has killed the battery 3 or 4 times.
The battery itself, (Disconnect the battery for the 2 days then reconnect to see if it starts.) if it is still dead then the battery has an internal parasitic draw.
Lighter or lighter socket shorted. (Rust can do this. Disconnect the sockets and see if you battery still dies)
Unseen lights not turning off. Glove box, hatch light or under hood light. ( You can feel the lights to see how hot they are. If you open the glove box and the light will burn you right away and the whole area is heat soak there is an issue with the glove box switch. Remove bulb to test.
Anything aftermarket. Amp, Stereo, alarm or any non-factory wiring. I would disconnect it all to rule out those issues.
FYI. A bad ground can cause a lot of problems like battery not charging but it will not cause a parasitic draw. Bad grounds tend to block the flow of electricity your issue is electricity flowing with the key off.
One other thing, all cars have a natural parasitic draw. A battery is sized that the car can sit for months and not kill the battery but as a battery reaches the end of its life that time will shorten. Right before the battery fails it can be killed by the natural draw just before it fails. Also these are not deep cycle battery, even a battery that was in good shape 2 weeks ago can need replaced after a parasitic draw has killed the battery 3 or 4 times.
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