Can't Find My Short

[Jersey-vinny]

My '88 Coupe has developed a power robbing drain which will deplete the battery after a few days of being parked. It's not in any of the fused circuits nor is it in the alternator. Where should I start looking next?

Jersey-vinny

 

[jeepie]

I don't know if your 88 is the same as my 91 but lets try anyway. There is a terminal block located behind the battery, it is called a jump start block, one of the wires from your positive battery cable goes to it. You can remove all the wires from this terminal and test them one at a time with a amp meter to see which one is causing the draw. I installed a disconnect switch on the negative battery terminal (one with a screw off knob) and put the amp meter across the disconnect switch. One note when you first apply the power there will be a large draw from the parking lights blinking and the security system, wait until this stops before using the meter. You will also need a electrical manual to identify each wire once you find the problem. With all the wires off the terminal you should only be powering the starter, so start there and do one at a time.
Good luck.

 

[BigRed]

...Heres a thought ( A blonde one but a thought)

How old is your battery? If its on its way out you got a factory alarm, Blinking warning lights, Memory circuts, and the ECM still pulling a little juice don't you? Try another battery if ones available and see if it corrects the problem.

 

[Jersey-vinny]

Thanks guys:
The problem is in one of the wires that goes to that terminal block behind the battery. It is a double wire that disappears into the harness. It will be followed and I'll let you know how it turns out.

Jersey-vinny

 

[jeepie]

Great, you found which wire, thats half the battle. Now you have to determine which circuit it is, you can leave it disconnected and see what does not work. I believe each of the wires on that block has a fusable link on it, with a little effort you can find each one of them on the diagram in the electrical manual, and follow the circuit and see what all is running off that link. Then disconnect or unplug each device running off the problem circuit until you find the draw. If there is still a excessive draw with all the devices unplugged you probably have a wire shorted somewhere which could be a PIA to find. But you are on the right track.
Good luck.

 

[Full Bull]

man...you had me doing a double take...thought your thread read "can't find my shorts"..........

 

[Jersey-vinny]

Yeah- The title was intentional. The wire in question goes into the dash. The next step will be to pull off the face of the dash and test the various relays sometime next week. Meanwhile, we put a kill switch on the negative terminal as a stop gap measure to stop the drain. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Jersey-vinny