Fellas,
I'm having an issue with my 95Z. I just recently went through 2 new batteries and an alternator, but my car just keeps losing power to the point that if it sits for a few days it just keeps losing it all. What, if anything else could be causing this problem? Maybe it's possible i got a faulty alternator from auto zone, but what else could it be? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

Cold weather will drain one quick. You let it set for a day or two so I take it that it is not an everyday driver. You can try taking off the positive side of the battary off and if the same thing happens then it is the battary. If it stays charged then its something staying powered on in the car when the key is in the off position. To test the alternator start the car and take the battary out if the car stays running then the alternator is faulty! That all I can tell you.

 

You have a current draw that is draining the battery while the engine is not running. It is very simple to check if you understand how to check a current draw. With a KNOWN good current (meter that can read current) meter, set the meter to 10amps. Remove the positive cable(s) from the battery and put the red lead on the positive post of the battery and the black lead on the wire that came off the battery. Any indication over .02 amps is too much.

If you have anything that has been added to the positive side of the battery that was NOT there from the factory, suspect it first. If you have a big thumping amp, suspect it. If there is more than one wire going to the battery, measure all of them for current the same way.

Several notes of caution: When using a meter for current measurement, you have to change the location of the meter leads in the meter sockets. If you read 0 current draw, suspect the meter has a blown internal fuse. Check it!!!!!!

IF you get a low reading, change scale on the meter to get a better reading. If you get down to the main supply line going to the fuse box. Leave the meter in line and start pulling and then replacing one fuse at a time until the reading drops low. That would be the circuit with the problem.

 

Start your car and dissconect the battery, if it dies there is something wrong with the alternator or the wiring going to it. If it stays running after you disconnect the battery it has to do with the battery connection...

 

I personnally would not suggest this ...... Its was OK for older carb vehicles, not for computer controlled vehicles..... The vehicle will probably die if this proceedure is done and possibly damage electronic components.... JMO.....

 

This isn't just an opinion, i've seen this procedure do some serious damage to cars just follow speedy's tips you should figure out what it is.

 

ok I disreguard that Idea, sorry guys thats what we would do at work (o sh*t) sometimes on vehicles...

 

I finally got around to figuring out what is wrong with my car. It does in fact have a current draw and my master tech found the wires that are hot all the time, he's just doing some research now because we didn't have a wiring diagram. Maybe some of you guys know what the wires are? I wish i had a picture, but it's two of the wires that are to the left of the battery when your looking at it. There are like 4 wires all bolted together just to the left and above the battery in like this plastic bracket, does anyone know what i'm talking about? Anyway, it's two of those that are drawing current all the time. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks

 

Those wires feed most of the electrical system on the car, so much is not narrowed down as of yet. They go to at least two different fuse panels and such. A couple will normally have a little draw. It's just a matter of whether it is too much like speedygonzales said. A wiring diagram and some basic electrical troubleshooting skills should track it down.
As already said, systematically pulling fuses while monitoring the draw helps narrow things down. Just as a bone to throw out there...radios seem to be a frequent culprit in current draws.

 

He did the fuse checks and nothing made a change, until we took those wires apart. As soon as we took those wires apart of course the draw went away, and it only came back with two of those four. I believe it was the two bigger ones that were the cause. Like i said he's doing some research and i'm sure we'll figure it out hopefully! Thank you guys for your help and info, but if we took out every fuse and saw no change except for those two wires, does that mean anything? Did we narrow it down at all? Like you said shoebox he thought pulling the fuses would def narrow it down. I'm going to touch base with him later this week to see if he found anything out. Do the two bigger wires run to different places than the two smaller ones? Again, thanks for your help and any more info will be appreciated.

 

while you are at it, you may as well upgrade to a higher AWG wire

 

I have this same exact problem, anybody else ever come across this?