Electrical question

[SStraycat96]

We Have a 67 Olds Cutlass Convertible it has a 68 455 installed. Our problem is it is draining the Battery. we had the wiring totally reworked and some totally replaced by a local olds restoration shop and parts supplier. "Classic olds in Clemmons NC" it still is draining the battery and he can't seem to find the problem. Do any of you have any ideas what it might be? I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask around. Thanks Will

[RocketDude]

I would be a little concerned about a place that does electrical wireing for a living, and can't find a short. If the whole system was rewired, it could be anywhere. It could be something as simple as the glove compartment not shut completely, diddo the trunk, whick would keep the light burning, or it could be something done improperly in the rewire.

Take off the Pos cable, and touch it to the post. If there is a draw, there will be a little spark. Try pulling the fuses, one at a time, and rechecking for tha telltale spark. You can also hook up a test lite between the pos cable, and the post. If you pull a fuse, and the light goes out, you found the bad circuit. If none of the fuses seeem to be a fault, you will have to start disconnecting different componets, until you find the problem. Nobody ever said life is fair!

The length of time it takes to run down the battery, or the size of the arc between the post and the cable, witll tell you how big the draw is. It just takes detective work. For a problem like this, an electrical shop will quote you, so much per hour, for as long as it takes. It could be quick, it could take all day.

I would definately be knocking on the door of the guy who wired it.

[rocketraider]

My first ? is: is the battery known to be good? and how old is it? How quickly is it discharging?

Most batteries in collector car service never are fully charged unless owner takes time to slow charge them 2-3 times a year and then use a good hydrometer or spectraphotometer to check specific gravity of each cell.

Right now we're going thru a mess with a reproduction Delco 27F Energizer in a 66 Starfire. Battery had never had acid in it til last week. 4 cells charge up nicely , 1.260 sg but the two nearest the (-) post have not been above 1.18 with nearly 30 hours of 2a charge. It will not run the power antenna, much less start and run the car. I've also bought batteries off the shelf that, in collector car service, would not stay charged because they were only about half charged to start with.

The idea is that once the battery is in the car and driven several times a week, the vehicle's charging system will eventually bring the battery to full charge and maintain it.

[Guest Albert]

try placing a light bulb between the positive post of the battery and the removed positive lead, if it light or is dim you have a load somewhere, the start removing fuses and see if it will go out, then you know what circuit is causing the problem. One other thing do you have a clock?? try removing the fuse for it, the clock windings can drain the battery if it does not work.

[SStraycat96]

they have went back and checked most of the wiring that was replaced and reworked. they have the Conv. top harness and engine harness left. I hadn't thought about the clock draining it but I don't think that was it. It killed a 1 month old 900cca Optima. it wouldn't hold a charge at all afterwards. they said it was draining a battery in around 4 hours. they are thinking it might be the power top motor. I know the switch sticks, always checked it when getting out of the car. Does anyone know where you can get a 67 switch for power top??

Does that motor pull enough to drain a battery in 4 hours?

i'll find out more this weekend.

[rocketraider]

Yes it could, but if the switch were sticking enough that the motor stayed energized I think you'd hear the pump. Seems it would burn out the relay and circuit breaker before it killed a battery, if it didn't cause an electrical fire in the car. Kinda hard to believe an otherwise good battery now won't take a charge though. Makes me think the battery itself may have been bad.

'Course I admit I'm a little leery of gel-cell batteries after having had to pick up the pieces of a turbine wreck, that was caused by a faulty Johnson Controls gel-cell battery bank (same company that makes Optima, I think). When all those DC-powered emergency oil pumps started on loss of station power, that battery bank shat all over itself and I had to sit by helplessly as a hot turbine coasted down from 3600 rpm to standstill in 4-1/2 minutes- no lubrication. It normally takes nearly half an hour. Did I mention these are babbitted bearings? What a mess...

[Guest Albert]

You mean they where babbited bearings,, that would not be nice to clean up , can just think of the work ro pull the top of the turbinenuclear, to rebuild it. I was in doing service work at Darlington generating station and have seen the size of there turbines, which generate 980MW per turbine and there are 4 of these on the hall floor.

[SStraycat96]

The problem was found!!!! After 4 1/2 days they found that the Ribbon wire, 6 wires all together side by side, running under the carpet had over heated some time in the past and 2 wires were connecting.

[rocketraider]

Glad they found it. Next ? is why did the wires overheat? Maybe related to the top switch sticking?