My battery loses charge .... any ideas HELP!

[silverbullit99]

My battery loses charge .... any ideas
Last summer my battery didn't seem to keep it's charge,, so I bought a Red Top. That seemed to work great for a while. then it started losing power again. I would have to charge every few days. I put the car away for storage last fall and brought back the Red Top.. This spring I went out and got another brand of battery. It was great for the past 2 weeks. Today it died on me again..
I have no idea as to what could possibly drain the battery. Any of you have any ideas ?? Could it be the alternator ? I have not driven the car yet this year, only took it out of storage today.. What a start ..............

[motorman]

My battery loses charge .... any ideas
Last summer my battery didn't seem to keep it's charge,, so I bought a Red Top. That seemed to work great for a while. then it started losing power again. I would have to charge every few days. I put the car away for storage last fall and brought back the Red Top.. This spring I went out and got another brand of battery. It was great for the past 2 weeks. Today it died on me again..
I have no idea as to what could possibly drain the battery. Any of you have any ideas ?? Could it be the alternator ? I have not driven the car yet this year, only took it out of storage today.. What a start ..............

check for a "draw" on the battery by placing a milliamp meter between the ground battery termimal and the cable and start pulling fuses till the heavy draw goes away. there should be less than a .5 milliamp draw when everything is OK

[silverbullit99]

check for a "draw" on the battery by placing a milliamp meter between the ground battery termimal and the cable and start pulling fuses till the heavy draw goes away. there should be less than a .5 milliamp draw when everything is OK

That's a good tip .. thanks !

[thug29]

If you have $16.00 you can also buy a battery float which simply clips onto your battery cables when its parked over night etc. and keeps the level/draw even.

[silverbullit99]

If you have $16.00 you can also buy a battery float which simply clips onto your battery cables when its parked over night etc. and keeps the level/draw even.

Never heard of that,,, I'll have to do a google search and see what it looks like ..

[mrm1149]

For whatever reason it seems that if the car is going to sit more than a few days, I keep it on a phase charger. Recently talked to a Porshe owner and their cars really need the same ritual.

Kind of goofy that we need to do this but it does work well.I just have the charger plugged in and pop the hood, hook up the leads, and that's it. Pretty simple ..........

[silverbullit99]

Well,,,, took the vette last Monday to get the electrical checked. Found that the new battery I bought last week should have had more amprage. And they also found that where the negative cable gets screwed into the battery it was as tight as it could go but it was still loose.. The original battery cable screw was not compatiable with the battery. It seems that the hole where you connect the cable to was not deep enough therefore could not be tightened any further .
So I bought an original GM battery installed it. It fit like a glove. I just hope it works well enough. The dealer did say that corvettes draw power and if it's not used the battery drains. I still find this bizare. A battery tender seems like a good idea. Although I do have a battery charger..

Since putting in the new battery last Monday, Yesterday ( Easter ,, I started the car 1st shot ,, no problem that's 6 days later ) Maybe the original Delco is what it needs. Although I am a little worried in case this battery leaks, I heard a few bad stories about the Delco.

Anyways Thanks everyone for all your feedback..

[Oldgeezer]

I have the third battery in my '99. The first battery lasted 1 year. The second battery lasted 5 years. The first two were on warranty. Don't know how long this one will last. They were all Delco.

[Old Dog]

Well,,,, original Delco is what it needs. Although I am a little worried in case this battery leaks, I heard a few bad stories about the Delco.
.

Silverbullit99

Just my 2 cents worth from the Delco experience. I have had several
of them leak in other cars. Directly under your tray are the major computer
connections and your vacuum lines. Just the slightest amount of acid and
you have really big problems. That is why many use a glass mat type battery, like the red top, to avoid the leak problem.

I would suggest putting a battery tender(2 amp) on it when the car is not
used for any amount of time to keep things at full charge as the computer
will draw on the battery even when shut off.

Second, I would invest in a battery acid mat to go under that Delco just
in case. You might have to cut to size, but is well worth the small investment.
Here are two places that sell them that I know of, but I am sure there are
more venders.

http://www.madvet.com/shop?frame=1.151
http://www.dccarcare.com/battery.html

Good luck.

[silverbullit99]

That's a great idea adding those battery mats,, I will order one,,, thanks for the tip !