Have a 1996 that has a problem. The battery is new. Alternator is new. Sits overnight, battery goes dead. No blown fuses, and yes, the map lights are off! Have heard the body module can be the source. Could it be the security? Please, help!

Richie

Take a battery cable off, then connect your DVOM in line, one end to the cable and the other to the battery post.
Then read the current draw. Start pulling fuses one at a time until you find the one pulling the battery down. Easiest if done with one person to pull the fuses and another to watch the DVOM.

Also, it's not unheard of for a new battery to be bad, so get that checked as well.

The light inside of my glovebox in my 90 was whacked.It was on when the door was closed and off when I opened it. Took me a few days to figure that one out. Check your switches.

my dad and i did that. couldnt find anything. battery works fine if you unhook the cable. can hook it up in the morning, and it fires and will run all day long. let it sit overnight, its dead.

So ya tested it and there was no drain? guess it would be the battery???

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What was the amp draw?

How many miles on the car?

IIRC, the normal amp draw is between .25 and .5 amps. So over night that should not be an issue.

There are a few circuits that can cause this. Courtesy and alarm are my personal fave's. Another thing that can do it is a bad starter. If the bendix or solinoid deside to stick a touch... bad news.

Again, put a DVM inline with the ground cable and read the amps. That will tell you if the car is overdrawing.

The battery could still be wack... if it is getting killed by a .25 amp draw, wow...

Check to be sure all cables and grounds are good. You don't mention your location (we ask for a general one; if you live in Newark NJ, NYC is ok, it helps us with climate related failures), but corrosion builds up under the battery. It really can be bad, rusting the frame rail! Ask me how I know.

Remove the battery and the inner fender to the rear of the front tire. Check for rust where the battery grounds to the chassis. Also make sure the ground to the block is secure.

When my 92 had a problem, unrelated, I did the battery box restore. I pulled the fender panel and the battery tray. The rust was scary bad. I cleaned it with a steel brush (on the end of a pneumatic die grinder ) and then primed and painted with rattle can engine paint (semi-gloss black). It really looked nice and has held up VERY well the last three years since I did it. I do live in SoCal, so that may help explain the longevity.

Just a few pointers.

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Actually it's more in the range of 50 milliamps.

.5 amp is 500 milliamps.

I thought it was a full .25... oh, well... thanks for the clarification!!!

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Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmigoodness!

A math nazi!

How many pico-Farads is that Mr Wizard??? Or how many newton-Joules??? Or nano-shekels, for that matter?

battery numero three. i have talked to a local tech. he thinks its alarm or body module trouble. anyway, thanks for your suggestions. it does have a draw. typical replacements, bat, start, alt. not at same time, but all are functioning properly. hope he can fix it. tired of messing with it.
thanks
richie

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Holy cow! 3 batteries! That's a hat trick!

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WTF? It might be handy for the thread starter to know to look for 50 mA, not 500.

Come back when you have a useful post.



Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhmigoodness!

A math nazi!

How many pico-Farads is that Mr Wizard??? Or how many newton-Joules??? Or nano-shekels, for that matter?[/quote]