Hi: I'm asking around for advice as to where I can get my 2001 Spyder GS properly diagnosed. I may have a parasitic battery drain that is intermittent and undetectable in normal conditions. I have a new starter and the alternator appears to be charging correctly. I've had the battery changed twice and tested twice. Each time, it shows no drain. My belts might be loose and I've been told that this might cause a problem with the charging system. As a result of the first battery change, my car doors won't stay locked and they chime when ajar, with or without the key in the ignition, as if the headlights have been left on but they haven't. My left turn signal switch is broken so I have to manually return the arm to neutral. Also, the volume **** on the radio isn't working. I don't think that these two things are causing a drain because they're old problems.

At this point, I just need to know what level of mechanic is needed to test the fuses or whatever. I don't want to take it to the dealer but the alternative shops don't seem to be able to detect what's causing the drain, if there is one. Any advice? Thanks.

 

Well if it's intermittent it's going to take a long time to diagnose the problem regardless if you take it to a shop or the dealer.

You should get yourself a digital volt meter for about $20 at a hardware store and check your battery voltage before and after a drive and after the car has been sitting. This will tell you if it's getting drained or not.

Sounds like you have a problem with your ignition switch. The chime when ajar and doors not locking sounds like the anti-lockout mechanism at a work which is to stop you from locking your keys in the car by auto-unlocking when you leave your key in the ignition and the chime for the same reason.

I'd also check for any courtesy lighting that may turn on when you put the key in or take the key out. if it's intermittently detecting a ghost key it might be turning lights on for a minute over and over that could kill your battery.

It's possible the signal switch is shorted somewhere that could be related but i would probably have that ignition switch tested or replaced (whatever is cheaper) first and see if the problem goes away.

You can also go into your fuse box and disable unneeded systems temporarilly like the radio, interior lights, etc. until you can narrow it down.

In cases like this you may need to be the detective unless you are prepared to leave your car for many days and shell out big bucks for diagnostic time.

How often does this problem happen? Is your battery just getting drained or is it dead to the point it won't start?

Also if you are looking for a local shop that can help you a location might help

 

Hi: It was three months between batteries before it died. I've never had this happen before. I have left the car sitting for six days and I was able to start it. What I just noticed, was that the chiming on the door is coming from the interior driver side fuse box. When I tap that area, the chime comes and goes or stops altogether. Even shaking the car stops it. I pressed on the fuses but I don't know what all the wires and plugs do in there. The fuse box covers fall off now because the latches are broken. The entire dash is cracked and causes excessive vibration in the cab. Would the door lock and ignition fuses being loose or wet be enough to cause the miscuing?

Also, for now, the door lock stays locked. I probably should get a volt meter but I could believe that the miscuing has to do with the ignition switch. No lights are coming on at least.

Something I didn't mention before, the battery was initially rated incorrectly low when replaced so it was showing more charge than it really had or lower capacity or something. The latest battery was correctly rated and all batteries have charged at 14 volt load. Is it possible that the initial replacement battery was just a dud?

 

Sounds like you have a loose/broken wire or a bad fuse block (corrosion possibly). Yes water or corrosion could cause many issues. You could be creating a path for current to flow from the battery to a circuit that is meant to be off.

A loose fuse would probably cause things not to work vs current drain.

You could be triggering the ig switch circuit with a bad fuse block.

All car batteries are 12v the only thing that really changes is cranking amps. A low rating won't hurt anything but it might not start on a cold day.

Anything is possible, has the problem re-occurred since you changed the battery?

I would still get that DVOM and watch the voltage on that battery.

 

Hi: I've been able to start the car several times and drive it since the battery change. The door lock and chime issue is hit or miss. It's fine and then it's not. The lock works when the chime stops, so that might be the key reminder buzzer thinking that there's a ghost key, like you said. When I hold the lock switch for two seconds, it seems to force it to stay locked. At least the dome light seems to be working properly. The weird part is that this car really doesn't like to be parked uphill, or even level. When I park it downhill, things work better. I have no idea why.

I think that I'm going to get the voltmeter and start using the keyless entry remote again. I can't stop the water from coming into the car so I'll try a car cover.

I don't know anything about the wires or the two little black boxes in the block. I might just have a mechanic look at the fuse block in terms of the ignition switch circuit and then the switch itself. That sounds like it could be the problem. Thanks for all your help.

 

I think your little bit of detective work has really narrowed down the location of the problem.


The uphill/downhill thing is another clue that something is probably loose, worn out or something is shorting out to something else.

I would print this thread and bring it along to the mechanic and just let him read it so he has all the details when he goes to look at the car. They will probably charge you an hour of diagnostic but I think there is probably enough information in this thread to really hone in on the exact problem or cause, whereas the initial report you gave was somewhat vague.

 

Hi: I think that it has to be a loose connection. Also, I noticed that my dashboard does not come on when I turn the ignition switch to the ACC position. The ignition has to be turned to the ON position to get anything to work. I didn't realize that I was draining the battery by running the electrical accessories in the ON position with the engine off. I may have a bad ignition switch as well. I'm going to test my electrical stuff with the multimeter before I take the car to a mechanic and I will bring this thread as well. Thanks again for all your help.

 

It's different on every car but generally the only thing that comes on in ACC is the radio.

Usually you have to turn it to ON to get windows, climate control, etc to come on.

If the engine is off and anything is running at all it's discharging the battery as that is the only power source for the car at that time.....Things like lights, and fans will take up the most power and drain it quickest.

The only time the battery can recover or get charged is after you start the car and run it for a bit.

 

Hi: That's the weird thing. The radio wasn't coming on in ACC. I was trying to reprogram it using the CODE function and it wouldn't go through the steps. It was completely off in ACC mode, no power.

 

Then you either have a serious electric issue or a bad ignition switch/wiring or possibly both.

The radio is about the only thing that should be on in ACC.