Double-aught_Z/28

iTrader: (11)

Alright so I haven't driven my Camaro much lately with all the snow and road salt this winter. I had been trying to start it once a week to keep it fresh, but I let it go for two weeks earlier this month and it was weak to start. So I took it for a short drive. Now today I go out, about a week and a half later, and it's completely dead. No power what so ever. Now I just put a new battery in it last March, so it shouldn't be that. I'm thinking maybe alternator?

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

Jump start it and after it starts disconnect the negative cable to your battery......if the engine keeps running the alternator works.

Then your battery is probably bad because you ran it down so low. It's rare, but batteries do sometimes get ruined if they go dead or way down.

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Double-aught_Z/28

iTrader: (11)

I know the battery is pretty much no good now, I was more wondering what wore it down so fast since it's not that old. I was thinking maybe the alternator wasn't charging it enough.

LS6427

iTrader: (2)

I drove my car last on Dec. 22nd before I left Florida for Kuwait. My battery drained too low to turn the engine over in 14 days. Batteries just die if they sit. I think cold weather hurts them too.....I think.....

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Double-aught_Z/28

iTrader: (11)

Probably was from the cold I guess. It's been below 30* for 2 weeks now. I just though it was odd that my dad has his '76 Camaro right next to it in the driveway and it started right up after over 3 weeks untouched.

TheSilverOne

iTrader: (22)

the 76 doesnt have any electronics like yours that draw voltage from the battery

SilverSS07

iTrader: (1)

If u have a multimeter you can see how many amps it's drawing with everything shut off. Set the multimeter to amps. With the car off disconnect the negative battery cable then touch one lead to the cable and one lead to the negative battery terminal. Should read a very small amount. Not sure what the exact specs on these cars are but my truck is a max of .035 amps. If it reads a lot higher than that start pulling fuses until it drops then you will have an idea where to start tracing wires.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

I can leave my '98 sit for 6-8 weeks and it's still got enough power to crank the engine over, albeit a bit slow. Usually shows about ~12.0-12.1 volts on a multi-meter after sitting 6-8 weeks in the winter cold. I actually just put the smart charger on it about two weeks ago after having sat for a month in record cold temps, and the battery was still over 12.1v, and this battery was installed in the spring of '09 so it's certainly not new.

If you have a new/good battery (that is fully charged when the engine is shut down) severely draining in 1-2 weeks time, then either you have a faulty new battery, or you have a drain somewhere. No way should it discharge to the point of no crank or no power AT ALL in such a short period.

ThatOneKid

Mine does this too, every 10-14 days. (Brand new battery too, like 3 weeks old) I just chalked it up to this ridiculous cold everyone is getting, and having all the electronics sucking power from it.

_JB_

iTrader: (33)

I agree. My car will sit for for 1-2 months and will still turn over on a cheap Duralast Gold battery from 2005.

Johnnystock

iTrader: (6)

minus 30deg is another game; it will drain the toughest batteries in 1-2 weeks, thats for sure. I will say that it can drain 'normal' battery in 3 days! We have a very cold winter here (its been from -20 to -35 since 2 months) and theres no way I'm leaving a battery in this cold for a long time.

I did in the past and was starting the car every week and eventually, the battery would need a jump start anyway. This aint good for a battery's life..

Another thing; its been proven that the alternator of the 4th Gen was crap. I got tired of the charging problems and got and OEM (used) Cadillac Escalade alternator for mine. It was 10x better than the 'custom rebuilt' alternator I got from a local shop FYI. Any rebuilt alternator is crap; they always cut on quality. There is a guy on youtube that might be good to buy from though;

www.not-a-sponsor.com.net.org

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Just to clarify, the OP mentioned "below 30°", not 30° below zero....

30°F isn't cold enough to drain a well charged, strong battery to the point of being dead in 1-2 weeks. There must be excessive system drain, or a weak/faulty battery, or one that wasn't fully charged to begin with.

wssix99

iTrader: (5)

Did you check to make sure you didn't leave the lights on, or something like that? When this happens to me, I don't chalk up a problem until it happens twice.

If your battery is low on power, the cold temperature will make things much worse.

ThatOneKid

Alrighty. My battery drain problem has gotten a lot worse. Before, it would go dead after a 10-14 days, but now it is only lasting just 24-72 hours max. I've searched and searched for an answer why. I know I gotta hook up a meter and start pulling fuses, but I don't have one, and I haven't found out WHY it's happening. Anyone know what's causing it? (I know what I gotta do, but don't have the tools to do it.)

666ws6

iTrader: (3)

Chasing electrical drain is tough. Do you have any added items on the car which could be tapped into 12v all the time?

You need the meter, go to store and spend 20-30 bucks. The issue could be a shorted wire, a bad motor or even a bad alternator.

ThatOneKid

I do have an aftermarket radio that always has the power button lit up, thats where I was going to start first.

SilverSS07

iTrader: (1)

Not that I would recommend it but if you're low on cash you can get a multimeter at Harbor Freight for a few bucks. Sometimes they're free with another purchase.

96ss1664

SilverSS07 - Did you read that in Amps ( A ) or Milliamps ( mA ) reason I ask is I have been trying to figure out the drain on my car. Which my car does not get driven much during the winter (garage kept) but I try and let it run every couple weeks. I am reading .093 mA or .000093 Amps, which is not much of a draw at all. The battery is just over a year old and shouldn't be going dead.

SilverSS07

iTrader: (1)

I was reading that in amps. Is the battery charged up good? What's the voltage? You're right the battery shouldn't be going dead with that draw. I'd take it and have it load tested somewhere- preferably some place you didn't buy the battery.

ThatOneKid

Noob question...
How long should I charge my new (ish) battery with this older 2/10/50 amp charger? I think my problem might be it may have never been fully charged, plus this never ending cold we all have.