Very interesting.

I had a parasitic drain as a result of a radio swap I that I did (months earlier with an older stock HU), but the drain would happen all the time, not just in ACC or RUN. I never did figure out why I had the issue, but it was the radio itself that was causing the problem. Do you have another radio to try? It appears that something in the radio, internally, must be drawing a big load.

FWIW, here was my write-up: http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ight=parasitic

I like the headlight test on page one. No radio, just headlights. How long until dead?

OK, guys, here'* what it was.

Although I'm not an electrical guy, I sure couldn't imagine the battery discharging that quickly to ground without frying something, as many here have mentioned.

So, this PM, I took the Optima Yellow Top out of my convertible and tossed it in. It solved the problem at once.

Next, I took my 6-month-old Delco to ANOTHER auto parts store just to check to see if it failed a load test. It didn't initially-but then the counter guy told me to pick up the battery (it'* got one of those handy handles) and shake it up and whirl it around.

I did, and it failed. Voltage dropped from 12.8 to about 10.5 and CCA dropped to 220.

This Delco was a warranty replacement for the previous one, which failed at less than a year. Anyone else remember when Delco was a premium battery brand you could count on?

Guess I'll watch the ads for a Yellow Top sale for the convert, but as of now, everything is fine.

Thanks to all for your input.

Good news! So what did you & Bill suspect was the problem?

My Delco professional in the 96 is going on 10 yrs old so they used to be Quality, but who knows where they are making them now? Maybe the same place as the Bendix rotors!
Had an 80 Skylark and the original Delco battery lasted 9 yrs.

A yellow top is going to stress your alternator. Go red.

We initially suspected the ignition switch itself. I've seen them do this as a result of microscopic particles worn from the key shorting out in there (on much older vehicles). But that suspicion was before the severity of the drain was actually calculated.

Please explain why.

Bob - I've had very good luck with Delco batteries. I think you should connect a meter (on 10amp scale) between the neg cable & neg battery terminal. You may have a battery drain that may not kill the battery for 2 or 3 days but is enough to be hard on both the battery & alternator. A normal drain on the battery is less than .05 amps when the car is off & all doors closed.

Ted, until recently, so have I. But this was a warranty replacement 6 months ago, and my wife'* Altima had a Delco warranty replacement after 8 months about 6 months ago.

It seems to me their quality has slipped. Lotsa complaints on the web, too, about situations like mine.

Automotive alternators are not designed to charge and maintain that type of battery. RV and Boat alternators are.

For this reason, even my local Autozone (significant in the fact that they usually don't give a crap) are refusing warranty claims on alternators if a yellow top is installed in the vehicle.

I recently bought a new red top for the Zilla, and while in the store, one of the 'clerks' was trying to sell me a yellow instead. The manager chewed his surprisingly. I'm personally very pleased some stores are now realizing what it'* costing them.

If you run a yellow or deep-cycle, run it as a second battery behind an isolator. For your primary battery, choose a conventional automotive battery or a red-top.