Originally Posted by
kernol2
Hey everyone,
With your help I was able to replace my main cylinders for my convertible top!!!! Thank you. Now I have another concern. Something is draining my battery. I have checked all of my fuses, both sides under the hood and the side panel of the driver side dash. All are working fine. Not sure where to go now.
Fuses do not cause battery drain.
Experience with a drained battery. First time it happened, I drove 15 miles to work, came out from work and needed a jump. Took the battery to my mechanic, fully charged. Put the battery back into my car, drove to work, again 15 miles. During my drive to work, a demon took over my car. Battery light flashing, abs light flashing, doors locked while I was driving, and the light sensor came on. Parked my car, came out from work, and yes, you guessed it, I needed a jump to get home.
All those lights coming on are a sign of unstable system voltage, generally low system voltage.
There are two things to remember here.
1) Generally, if the 'battery' light comes on, it means that the alternator is not charging. BUT, the design of the circuitry that activates the light means that, sometimes, it's true cause is hard to pin down.
2) There are three things that cause a dead battery. First, is an alternator that is not charging. The second is a drain on the battery when the key is in the "Off" or "Lock" position. The third is an old battery that simply cannot hold a charge.
Given that you can get a jump and the car runs, my first guess here is that the alternator is fine (even tho we kinda have indication otherwise, that is, that damn light) and that you have a high drain on the battery when the engine is off. You can assure that the trunk, interior and glove box lights are off - but little else is so easy to check.
I'd go with the recommendation to see if the system voltage rises to around 13.5 to 14.5 votls with the engine running, if so, the alternator is charging fine. What is now left is to find out if either the battery is just old and dying, or if there is a drain on it when the car is off. Any reputable garage should be able to measure the standby current - but fact is, most garages are not competent when it comes to even basic electrical issues.
Attached is my Crossfire-specific procedure.