When my 1980 Malibu is parked for a week or more the battery dies. Is this common? Are there particular electrical connections I can check that are prone to failure?
Check your grounds. What kind of battery is it? Optima? I've had problems with them when sitting for a while
It's a Exide Orbital Extreme and it's only about 4 months old. I checked the major connections in the engine bay and everything looks good. I even upgraded the gauge of wire for some of the connections when I was trying to fix this problem. That helped with charging while the car is running but it can be at 14 volts when I go to shut it off and then if it's left for a week it will be dead when I go to start it.
If you want an easy way to test for a draw on you electrical system this works good. Disconnect your negative battery cable. Use a test light with the small bulb . Hook the one end of the test light to the battery negative post and touch the other end to the disconnected end of the negative cable. If there is a draw the bulb will light up. Your radios memory will barely light the bulb so if there is a draw you will notice it. Then start pulling fuses one at a time while watching the test light. When you hit the correct circuit the bulb will go out. Also try unhooking the plug in on the side of your alternator, the voltage regulator or diodes inside the alternator can short out causing a draw but still be able to charge. If there is a bulb under your hood disconnect it for the test.
if its a 3 wire alternator check that the exciter is switched off with the key, thats the most common problem i can think of
Unhook the NEG cable from battery and put a test light between the battery post and the cable. If you have a lit light then you have a draw somewhere. Start pulling fuses till test light goes out. That curcuit is where you look for the problem.
540Malibu said:
x2, The alternator will kill a battery in a hurry....try unplugging the harness outta the alternator and let it sit for a day or two.
Battery Issues
Have The Battery Checked 1st, It Sounds Like It Can Have A Bad Cell. You Said That It's 4Months Old But It Can Still Be A Bad Cell In The Battery. 2nd Then Check The Alternator And Wires..Take The Battery To Maybe A Murrays, Autozone, Or Auto Store That Has A Battery Machine That Puts A Load On The Battery To See If It Holds A Charge Sometimes It Can Be 5mins Or Up To 30mins...........
Have The Battery Checked 1st, It Sounds Like It Can Have A Bad Cell. You Said That It's 4Months Old But It Can Still Be A Bad Cell In The Battery. 2nd Then Check The Alternator And Wires..Take The Battery To Maybe A Murrays, Autozone, Or Auto Store That Has A Battery Machine That Puts A Load On The Battery To See If It Holds A Charge Sometimes It Can Be 5mins Or Up To 30mins...........
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