Hey guys my 1978 Stingray is dead after a new battery was put in last month. it was good for about a month and now completely dead..Tow truck jumped the battery and it started right up but has no power and battery is dead. Shop said the battery is getting drained somehow and they don't know why. Any suggestions? Thanks guys..
My C3 died again
- Thread starter corvettec3Az
- Start date
Shop said you should not be having this problem with the battery and yiu should not have to disconnect battery to not start it. Shop has had it for 10 days already..
There has to be an electrical draw somewhere in the system when it is shut down. Are there any under hood lights/visor lighting that may be staying on after shutdown? The underhood light in my C5 was staying on and draining the battery at one point until i disconnected it. I use a battery maintainer always now that keeps the battery at full charge. Still would be best to find the culpret though.
Finding this one will depend on how good you are with troubleshooting electrical problems. Simply put, you need to put a meter in-line with the battery; make sure it set to measure the current draw; pull fuses until you see a drop in current draw. Now you know which circuit is the culprit and you will have to trace through this circuit to find it. Could be a short circuit somewhere, a light staying on or a number of things. I don't know what the draw should be on a C3 but with a lack of computers, etc... it should be quite minimal; a few milliamps I would think. I am sure some of the C3 guys on here will chime in to guide you better than I can.
Do you have access to a dark garage? Pull the car in and start looking for light somewhere, might be a start anyhow.
Good luck with it!
Good luck with it!
A very common issue with the older cars is the analog clocks mechanism get stuck. Once stuck they draw more power than normal and continue to draw power all the time. If your clock is not functioning that would be the first fuse I would try to remove while monitoring the current draw on battery. Almost every vintage car I have owned has had that issue. Other common issues are aftermarket stereos and amps that have phantom current draw. Good luck!
there doesn't seem to be anything that's draining the battery that the shop can see. even the clock doesn't work at all so no drain there.
no I do not have access to a dark garage. Even my wife said why did you buy a corvette and not have a garage? blah. blah..blah. etc..
Suggestion... Try and find a shop that specializes in auto electrics.
My bet is that it is the seat belt, key, headlight on warning buzzer. When this unit fails the buzzer may not sound but the circuit still draws power even if the lights are off, the key is out and the seat belts are not connected.
It is plugged into the fuse box under the driver's side dash. You can just pull it out as it will not effect the operation of the car.
If that doesn't work I would be happy to check out the problem for you but I am in Victoria, BC.
It is plugged into the fuse box under the driver's side dash. You can just pull it out as it will not effect the operation of the car.
If that doesn't work I would be happy to check out the problem for you but I am in Victoria, BC.
Two very likely causes are analog clocks and door switches. As turbozig suggested- pull the fuse for the clock while checking amperage draw. I’ve also seen map lights, trunk lights (sedans) that you’d never know were on, and constantly drawing current. Start with fuses.
thank you everyone for messaging me as to possible problems. I got the car back and the shop installed a new battery..i believe it will happen again . the shop said maybe bad battery. they don't see any drain.
no I don't think I can..its outside in the parking lot..what do you think ? it's possible or not a good idea?
Wonder if a solar charger would make a difference. You might not have power where you park but it is always sunny in AZ!
I have a 2 watt 5 x 14 inch solar panel plugged into the cig lighter of my plow truck (98 Suburban) in the summer as I park it off behind my shop and not near a power outlet. It has the typical led clock drain at the very least but the panel keeps it topped up all summer. I just lay the panel on the dash.
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