Common Battery Drain?

[57eurovert]

So I have a '57 euro (semaphores) cabrio. I have a phantom battery drain. I just replaced the battery last week so it's doubtful that is the problem. Are there any common shorts in the electrical system that could be the problem?

[0nebadbug]

Could be anywhere, all you can really do is hunt and peck...

Might help nail down the culprit or not but I'd at least start right at the positive side of the battery and then every inch of it thru to the starter... If everything looks good there, after that I would charge the battery fully, pull all of the fuses and one by one leave just one fuse in it overnight until you notice which (if any) circuit might be sucking the life out while idle...
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::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[57eurovert]

[drscope]

The two things that come to mind are the radio and the brake lights.

Often the radio is not wired through the ignition and if turned down, but not off will continue to play unnoticed as long as the battery has power.

With the brake light switch, they are normally wired through the ignition so they shouldn't work when the key is off. But if they have been wired so they are no longer on the ignition switch, it is possible the brake light switch is sticking and keeping the brake lights on.
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[Zwitterkafer]

Using a suitable ammeter would be better, but you can try this: Remove the positive cable from the battery, then touch it very briefly to the battery post to see if you can get a small spark. It might be very small, and only visible in the dark. If you get such a spark, it confirms a current drain OUTSIDE of the battery.......remove all of the fuses, see if spark is still there. If not, replace fuses one by one until culprit circuit is found. (Most likely fused circuit would be the radio/dome light/horn, preferably start there).

Otherwise, an unfused component is either defective and / or wired to +30 when it should be on +15. A suspect component might feel warm to the touch....disconnect one by one until problem found.

If it is not possible to get a spark, (or ammeter reading) there remains the possibility of a manufacturing defect in the battery....have it tested or swap for a known good one.
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- Zeuxius, 400 BC

[Wayne S. Johnson]

You guys have a lot of great troubleshooting tips.
Is a phantom battery drain the same as a Vampire battery drain.
An apparition vs. biting a bat and sucking the juice out?
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[TMI Products]

a faster way of finding a current draw is to put a test light or meter inline on the positive side of the batter(disconnect the cable, connect to test light and other end to the battery. You should have a dimly lit bulb. Pull fuses till you the light goes out. It works better with a DVOM so you can see the current draw go down.
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1966 Type 3 Fastback
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