Problem: Battery power loss when the car's not running, new battery is empty within 5 days although it was full. Even when the battery's full, it starts 2 out of 3 times. When it doesn't start, there's just a short -click- Solutions that didn't work (which I found on various fora): 1. Power loss at the battery switch: cleansed it, replaced it, wasn't the cause. 2. Checked for connections that were sucking energy like any kind of lights, radio, corroded connections, ... checked and cleansed them all, wasn't the cause 3. Replaced the "woven" mass cables (battery and engine) by new ones: wasn't the cause. 4. Replaced the non functioning antenna: not the cause 5. Checked the fuse box connectors: no problem. 6. Alternator is OK Anyone other ideas?
Don't know your answer for sure, but just a couple of thoughts... First, remove the switch between the ground cable and the battery negative terminal. I had a lot of power problems with my old '84 Mondial QV, and most of them cleared up when I eliminated that switch all together and installed a new negative/ground cable to the battery (old one internally corroded). I also cleaned up the spot on the body where the cable mounts very well, making sure that I had bare metal contact there. I then, after connections made, sprayed it all up with corrosion protector. You will always find the corrosion on the negative side. IIRC, there is a connector located between the battery and the starter on the Mondial. It is somewhere along the cable from the battery to the starter. You must check that. Mine had a lot of corrosion on it. Cleaned that up, and starter problems went away. Also, be sure the starter is grounding properly. Have you checked to see if there is a current on the battery with the key off? If there is, start pulling fuses until you isolate the circuit(s) that is causing the drain. Once you do that, you can trace down your culprit, and figure out what is draining the battery. Let us know what you find.
I disassembled the switch, found it corroded but cleaned it. Tried also with another switch but same problem. I'll check for the fuses, very good idea. Thanks
Stekke, There is always current somewhere even with the key off. Lights, and others... Greetings, Guido
You might check for problems with any after market add-ons , like power amps, alarms etc. Power amps should NOT get power unless the engine is running. If available put an amp meter in series with the battery cable to measure exactly how much current draw there is and to verify what is causing it by disconnecting various accessories. (you could pull fuses until the current draw stops, to help track down the bad circuit. (most multimeters have an amp function, they are pretty cheap too, priceless for tracking down this type of problem)
I've been doing that for the past 48 hours now and found that it's the radio/horn circuitry that causes the power loss. Also strange was that there has been a 16A fuse for the 'right hand radiator fan', although there isn't any right hand rad. fan. There's only a left hand radiator fan. Is it possible that it loses power on just 2 wires that are not connected to anything? They're just lying on the bottom.
A shorted out cigarette lighter would certainly do it. Has anything fallen down in there that would keep it going? Probably makes sense to just disconnect the lighter all together. Just make sure that the wire ends are taped up really well so that you don't end up with a short to ground. That will really ruin you day, and fast.
Gonna tape those plugs in. Started again with 12V in the battery, curious about how much it will be in 24 hrs.
