Chris Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Hey guys, as posted on another post, I've been having some problems with my sts wrt high voltage/battery not charging. My battery was pretty old and couldn't seem to hold a charge so I bought a new one today. Put it in tonight and still have the same problem as before (battery being drained when car off and same high voltage message when car running). Now I know there has to be a short since the new battery can't hold a charge any better than the old one. Since the car starts ok, I suspect the short on one of the accessories (ie that gets disabled while car starting). The problem started on Monday, the hottest day of the year (80ºF/26ºC), not sure if that has anything to do with it. I am wondering if there are any accessories you might suspect be the cause, or if anyone has any suggestions? Otherwise, I will just start pulling fuses I guess. Thanks for any input! -Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
growe3 Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 A fairly common error, is the interior lights being left on accidentally. With a good charged battery, get in the car, allow the power time delay to take effect. Observe ALL of the interior lights, are any on? are all on? If a single light is on, switch it off by pressing on the light. If all are on, rotate the light switch knob pass the detent to turn them off. -George Drive'em like you own 'em. - ....................04 DTS............................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 A tried and tested method: Remove the negative cable from the battery and connect the negative (-) battery terminal to ground through a 12 volt test lamp. The test lamp will illuminate if any significant amount of current is being drawn. If the test lamp ignites, begin removing fuses until it goes dark. When it does, you've identified the circuit that is killing your battery. As an alternative to a test lamp you might use an ammeter. With everything shut down current draw should be under 0.03 amps. Don't forget that your trunk lamp is like your refrigerator lamp: when the door is closed you're never quite sure if it's off. Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyrez00 Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Warren's suggestion is obvious the best.. and so i learn everyday here...! I had a similar issue once and that had all to do with the aftermarket alarm which was installed. After ripping it out everything was back to normal. Hope that helps. Marc. If you are in complete control..... you are not going fast enough.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted March 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 Hey guys, thanks for the advice. I went with Warren's suggestion and disconnected the battery, removed a fuse, then used an ammeter to measure the current. I removed the positive terminal, which is made up of 2 leads. One goes directly under the engine cover and the other goes down, through the starter (alternator??) and up to service the rest of the electical components (I assume). There was no current flow when I connected negative to the lead that goes under engine cover. When I tested the other lead, I got a current of almost 5A. I pulled every single MAXI fuse, testing each time, the small fuses under the hood, the 5 relays, and all the fuses in the trunk. Each time I got a reading of almost 5A. Is there another fuse box hiding somewhere? What could I have missed? The battery has been disconnected for 24hrs but I dont think there should be capacitors that woudl draw 5A..... what should I do? Ahh this is so frustrating, please leave any suggestions you have -Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted March 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 I noticed on the alternator there is a harness with 2 wires - red and black. On my car, the black one is only a stub: I assume this is not normal.... I was thinking maybe it was too long and got caught in rad fan and chopped off. With alternator running open loop perhaps it would overcharge, hence the battery voltage too high message? -Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 Is there another fuse box hiding somewhere? What could I have missed? The battery has been disconnected for 24hrs but I dont think there should be capacitors that woudl draw 5A..... what should I do? Ahh this is so frustrating, please leave any suggestions you have There is another fuse block in your trunk. In my '95 Eldorado it was in the driver's side rear fender behind a clearly marked trap door. The trunk relay block was behind the rear seat upright. In my '98 the trunk fuse block is behind the rear seat upright along with the trunk relay block. I'm not familiar with the '93s, but I expect they would be the same as my '95. Or at least similar. Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2007 Warren - Thanks for the reply, but are you saying there is more than 1 fusebox in the trunk? After exhausting every other possibility I decided it was the voltage regulator. Took it in for "charging system check" and sure enough it was. Just got the car back this afternoon with a genuine AC Delco alternator. The last one was a generic brand and lasted just under 4 years. I really wish I knew about this forum (and had read all the "only get OEM" posts) back when I got it done the first time. Well, whats life without a few $500 mistakes eh hahah Thanks everyone for your suggestions! -Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted April 4, 2007 Report Share Posted April 4, 2007 Warren - Thanks for the reply, but are you saying there is more than 1 fusebox in the trunk? I was pointing out that there is a fuse block *AND* a relay block in the trunk. In my '95 Eldorado they were in separate locations. In my '98 Eldorado they are both in the same location (behind the rear seat upright, driver's side). It's a source of annoyance to me that I have to empty the trunk and disassemble its upholstery to get to the fuse block in my '98. Regards, Warren P.S. You're right! This is a heck of a forum, isn't it? There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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