boneTSI Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 i have a perfectly good battery have had it tested and everything but when i park my car,i have to jump the car every morning cause i think the battery doesnt hold a charge over night??not sure why that is happening,im charging the battery over night tonight but is there any reason why this would be happening?? thanks -bonetsi- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killtodie Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 Do you have a sound system? Amp could be draining the battery. Make sure there isnt a bad ground somewhere. My friend has same issue, battery would go dead after like 3 days, he had a bad ground on his amp and it was killing the batt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim_C. Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 you need to check the drain on the battery. Disconnect the negative cable and measure current across it. It should be less than .2 amps. If it is more, like 1 amp or more, check to make sure the rear hatch is closing all the way and putting all lights out. Then pull a fuse one at a time and check amps again to see if the drain went away or not. That is how you find the shorted circuit. Then start looking at everything in that circuit and the harness to pinpoint the problem. Mike C has a much better explanation I'm sure! Mine is the hack explanation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie88TSi Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 Your car wouldn't happen to be an 87, would it? If it is, the ETACs is a known problem. There is a TSB out about your specific problem. It's listed in the FAQ forum. Basically, your only fix is to replace the ETACS. In the TSB, there is a list of part numbers for the bad ETACS. Quick check is to unplug your ETACS unit (located under your seat) before you park the car for the night, and see if it fixes the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernie88TSi Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 Here is the link to the TSB. http://www.starquestclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=48904 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec Posted July 4, 2009 Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 Another common source of "kills the battery overnight" is an alternator with a shorted-out diode. The first test though is to drive the car and park it, then with the key out of the ignition, disconnect the battery. Let it sit overnight. Re-connect and try to start. If it still has trouble starting, the battery itself is bad. Most NAPAs and other auto parts stores will test alternators for free... but ya gotta remove it from the car and bring it in. StarQuest alternators remove fairly easily from below the car: disconnect battery first, remove metal undertray, undo the plug connector at the alternator, undo the nut on the output wire (hold the wire as you loosen the nut, you do NOT want the stud itself to turn as that busts the alternator), loosen long 12mm pivot/hinge bolt/nut, loosen belt adjuster (on some StarQuests), remove upper bolt (between alternator and a/c compressor, sometimes you have to loosen the a/c V-belt to reach this guy), now the alternator should be flopping on its pivot. Remove the 4 12mm bolts holding the suspension anti-sway bar to the chassis (watch for the brackets to fall down, pay attention to how they were installed!) and then slide the alternator's long bolt out. Wiggle the alternator free of the engine block and pull it forwards/out as you hold the anti-sway bar down just a little bit. Rear hatch light: when it's dark outside, or in a closed/dark garage, battery connected and charged, etc. flip the rear seatbacks down while the hatch is closed and look for a light on the passenger side. I'll bet though it's either the alternator or a bad battery. Most of the light bulbs in the car won't kill a battery overnight. But a car battery that has been discharged too deeply once or twice in its life is permanently damaged: it acts like a physically smaller battery. You may get it to read +12volts after charging it... but it has all of the storage capacity of a watch battery. Places that sell batteries (Sears auto centers, some NAPAs, etc) often have a battery "load tester" or "test pile" device: basically something that makes sure the battery is charged, then it hits the battery with a high amperage load... the test measures how long the battery can maintain voltage at such a high demand. A weak battery will cry wolf during this test. mike c. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boneTSI Posted July 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 4, 2009 thanks for your guys help ill try and look at everything you guys said today and tonight,try some stuff tomorrrow and if i ave more questions ill post them tomorrow.thanks -bonetsi- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelby Posted July 6, 2009 Report Share Posted July 6, 2009 you will need to fully charge the battery,,that takes several hours not minutes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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