battery drain on my 98 c5

Hello everyone,I'm new to the group but my problem isn't.
I have had 2 dealerships and numerous 'mechanics' look at it with no
luck.
My 98 will completely drain the battery if let sit for just 3 days and
after charging it back up every week it will kill the battery in about
4 to 6 months.I have been through at least 6 batteries in the last 4
years.The last battery I purchased was a red-top Optima,it took 13
months to kill it after about 5 months of re-charging.
I do not plug any cell phones or radar detectors in,hood lamp is not
connected(after-market hood) and I have checked all other areas for
possible drains.
It's bad enough having to go through the re-charging every week,let
alone the re-learning of the idle,the tire pressure sensors and the key
fobs!
Any info would be greatly appreciated........sideburn101

"sideburn101" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello everyone,I'm new to the group but my problem isn't.
> I have had 2 dealerships and numerous 'mechanics' look at it with no
> luck.
> My 98 will completely drain the battery if let sit for just 3 days and
> after charging it back up every week it will kill the battery in about
> 4 to 6 months.I have been through at least 6 batteries in the last 4
> years.The last battery I purchased was a red-top Optima,it took 13
> months to kill it after about 5 months of re-charging.
> I do not plug any cell phones or radar detectors in,hood lamp is not
> connected(after-market hood) and I have checked all other areas for
> possible drains.
> It's bad enough having to go through the re-charging every week,let
> alone the re-learning of the idle,the tire pressure sensors and the key
> fobs!
> Any info would be greatly appreciated........sideburn101
>
Pull your battery and check under it to see if it pee'ed in the wiring
harness. If you are still using you passive access fob make sure they are at
least 50 feet away from the car when not in use. GM dropped that lovely
feature I think in 2002 because it was such a problem. They also went to a
glass mat battery to cut down on the leakers. If not then start by unhooking
one post only and put a meter across that broken connection to see what your
draw is, it should be very small.

Good luck,

Dad

Mechanics and dealer will not help..go to an electrical auto facility...have
them check it out..or do what Dad said check the draw with a meter..then if
it is significant..start pulling fuses one by one and check the draw each
time....I had the same problem with my old 1984 C4....it went away when I
changed the ECM to a 1990 model and converted it to a TPI operation..so my
problem was some where in the ECM...no problems since....also check mirror
lights..and the alternator can also short out and tends to run as an elect
motor..the only thing that prevents it from turning over is the load on the
belt system...so have the alt checked for feedback even if you have to
remove it to do so.( not a rare problem with alternators)

Also this seems not to be an uncommon problem with Vettes of all
years....and I don't know how they have been solved previously.

"Sailbad the Sinner" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> Mechanics and dealer will not help..go to an electrical auto
facility...have
> them check it out..or do what Dad said check the draw with a meter..then
if
> it is significant..start pulling fuses one by one and check the draw each
> time....I had the same problem with my old 1984 C4....it went away when I
> changed the ECM to a 1990 model and converted it to a TPI operation..so my
> problem was some where in the ECM...no problems since....also check mirror
> lights..and the alternator can also short out and tends to run as an elect
> motor..the only thing that prevents it from turning over is the load on
the
> belt system...so have the alt checked for feedback even if you have to
> remove it to do so.( not a rare problem with alternators)
>
> Also this seems not to be an uncommon problem with Vettes of all
> years....and I don't know how they have been solved previously.
>

An alternator can NEVER run as an electric motor. Don't know what you were
trying to say, but that is not it.

I had the battery drain problem with an OT car. It was the dealer installed
alarm. Took me a half a day to repair what the installers did to the wiring
harness. Half a day standing on my head under the dash...

Al

On Wed, 3 May 2006 23:55:18 -0700, "Big Al" > puked:

>
>"Sailbad the Sinner" > wrote in message
link.net...
>> Mechanics and dealer will not help..go to an electrical auto
>facility...have
>> them check it out..or do what Dad said check the draw with a meter..then
>if
>> it is significant..start pulling fuses one by one and check the draw each
>> time....I had the same problem with my old 1984 C4....it went away when I
>> changed the ECM to a 1990 model and converted it to a TPI operation..so my
>> problem was some where in the ECM...no problems since....also check mirror
>> lights..and the alternator can also short out and tends to run as an elect
>> motor..the only thing that prevents it from turning over is the load on
>the
>> belt system...so have the alt checked for feedback even if you have to
>> remove it to do so.( not a rare problem with alternators)
>>
>> Also this seems not to be an uncommon problem with Vettes of all
>> years....and I don't know how they have been solved previously.
>>
>
>An alternator can NEVER run as an electric motor. Don't know what you were
>trying to say, but that is not it.

If I'm not mistaken, a generator can...

>
>I had the battery drain problem with an OT car. It was the dealer installed
>alarm. Took me a half a day to repair what the installers did to the wiring
>harness. Half a day standing on my head under the dash...
>
>Al
>

--
lab~rat >:-)
Do you want polite or do you want sincere?

"lab~rat >:-)" > wrote in message
...
> On Wed, 3 May 2006 23:55:18 -0700, "Big Al" > puked:
>
> >
> >"Sailbad the Sinner" > wrote in message
> link.net...
> >> Mechanics and dealer will not help..go to an electrical auto
> >facility...have
> >> them check it out..or do what Dad said check the draw with a
meter..then
> >if
> >> it is significant..start pulling fuses one by one and check the draw
each
> >> time....I had the same problem with my old 1984 C4....it went away when
I
> >> changed the ECM to a 1990 model and converted it to a TPI operation..so
my
> >> problem was some where in the ECM...no problems since....also check
mirror
> >> lights..and the alternator can also short out and tends to run as an
elect
> >> motor..the only thing that prevents it from turning over is the load on
> >the
> >> belt system...so have the alt checked for feedback even if you have to
> >> remove it to do so.( not a rare problem with alternators)
> >>
> >> Also this seems not to be an uncommon problem with Vettes of all
> >> years....and I don't know how they have been solved previously.
> >>
> >
> >An alternator can NEVER run as an electric motor. Don't know what you
were
> >trying to say, but that is not it.
>
> If I'm not mistaken, a generator can...
>

Correct. Can't make much power, but they will run. In the back of old
Popular Science mags in the 50's and 60's there were guys selling
instructions to turn them into decent motors.

Al

On Thu, 4 May 2006 18:22:09 -0700, "Big Al" > puked:

>
>"lab~rat >:-)" > wrote in message
.. .
>> On Wed, 3 May 2006 23:55:18 -0700, "Big Al" > puked:
>>
>> >
>> >"Sailbad the Sinner" > wrote in message
>> link.net...
>> >> Mechanics and dealer will not help..go to an electrical auto
>> >facility...have
>> >> them check it out..or do what Dad said check the draw with a
>meter..then
>> >if
>> >> it is significant..start pulling fuses one by one and check the draw
>each
>> >> time....I had the same problem with my old 1984 C4....it went away when
>I
>> >> changed the ECM to a 1990 model and converted it to a TPI operation..so
>my
>> >> problem was some where in the ECM...no problems since....also check
>mirror
>> >> lights..and the alternator can also short out and tends to run as an
>elect
>> >> motor..the only thing that prevents it from turning over is the load on
>> >the
>> >> belt system...so have the alt checked for feedback even if you have to
>> >> remove it to do so.( not a rare problem with alternators)
>> >>
>> >> Also this seems not to be an uncommon problem with Vettes of all
>> >> years....and I don't know how they have been solved previously.
>> >>
>> >
>> >An alternator can NEVER run as an electric motor. Don't know what you
>were
>> >trying to say, but that is not it.
>>
>> If I'm not mistaken, a generator can...
>>
>
>Correct. Can't make much power, but they will run. In the back of old
>Popular Science mags in the 50's and 60's there were guys selling
>instructions to turn them into decent motors.
>
>Al
>

Kind of like the way you can turn speakers into microphones...
--
lab~rat >:-)
Do you want polite or do you want sincere?

If you don't find the cause of the drain then I would suggest putting a
battery tender on the car when not in use. If I think I won't be using my
vette during the week I connect a battery tender to the car via the
cigarette lighter. Keeps the battery topped up. Batteries last a lot
longer when you don't let them drain.


"sideburn101" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello everyone,I'm new to the group but my problem isn't.
> I have had 2 dealerships and numerous 'mechanics' look at it with no
> luck.
> My 98 will completely drain the battery if let sit for just 3 days and
> after charging it back up every week it will kill the battery in about
> 4 to 6 months.I have been through at least 6 batteries in the last 4
> years.The last battery I purchased was a red-top Optima,it took 13
> months to kill it after about 5 months of re-charging.
> I do not plug any cell phones or radar detectors in,hood lamp is not
> connected(after-market hood) and I have checked all other areas for
> possible drains.
> It's bad enough having to go through the re-charging every week,let
> alone the re-learning of the idle,the tire pressure sensors and the key
> fobs!
> Any info would be greatly appreciated........sideburn101
>