94 Olds 88 parasitic drain! Finding short! (fixed)
06-13-2011, 03:48 PM
#11
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Trying to get the fuse box out!! I got it loose and got half of the back off of it and I can't see the top of it where the wires enter. There is no harness to disconnect. It won't come out any further without disconnecting all the wires from it and there is no way to know what goes where. No room to see nothing or work.
06-13-2011, 04:23 PM
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Great!! What exactly do you mean by testing the wires? I assume you mean using multimeter. How exactly do I need to test them? Thx and I appreciate your time and advice. Driving me nuts lol.
06-13-2011, 04:55 PM
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Well I checked for resistance on the wires. There is a large red wire and a smaller orange wire going to the fuse that is the problem circuit. Both of the wires are at 3.6 ohms. While checking other wires they read out at around 4.6 or 4.8ohms? Is this significant?
06-13-2011, 08:53 PM
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Well I checked for resistance on the wires. There is a large red wire and a smaller orange wire going to the fuse that is the problem circuit. Both of the wires are at 3.6 ohms. While checking other wires they read out at around 4.6 or 4.8ohms? Is this significant?
06-13-2011, 10:12 PM
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Don't know what the specs are. These wires run to the larger fuse box under the hood. There isn't a harness where it connects to the fuse box it is just individual wires running into the terminals. This is frustrating lol. I don't see where the wires even go from the under dash to the power door locks, etc. unless the orange wire is going to a relay and then from there under the dash and through doors, etc. There was one connector in the door that was wet and looks to be a little corroded. There is 2 wires and then they go from the driver side door through the rubber boot and up into the dash. I don't have a schematic to know it is related to the door locks.
06-14-2011, 12:24 AM
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I have a 94 Olds 88 that I had replaced alternator, battery and checked starter and battery was going dead after a couple of days. The positive connection on battery was also getting very hot. I went on Youtube and found out how to find the circuit that the short is on using a 1ohm/10watt resistor. Then using a homemade short circuit detector described in these videos. I found that under the hood that it was a 60 amp fuse which was labeled power door locks, trunk release, and horn is where the parasitic draw was coming from. I then began using the short circuit detector that I made per the video to try to find the area. I began unplugging the power door lock connectors, trunk release connections, horn connectors and shaking all the wires I could in the area and never got my buzzer/short circuit detector to quit or go in and out. I then found there was another fuse box under the passenger side dash on the kick panel. I saw there was more fuses 1. Door Locks, 2. Power Antenna, Lock Switch, Trunk Release. I pulled #2 and my buzzer went off. So this means the issue is between this fuse box and the wires going to engine bay fuse panel correct as by unplugging the connections would've broken the path and caused buzzer to stop correct? Also: what is the difference between 1. Door Locks and 2. Lock Switch?
Are you doing all your test with key off and out of ign, all doors and lids closed?
How many amps is the fuse for #2 listed in your post?
Do you have a alarm or a remote installed?
06-14-2011, 10:47 AM
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Yes everything off for the testing. Well the door is open when I was working on the inside but not while doing the battery draw or anything.
20 amp and the one under the hood is 60 amp
No alarm or anything! This all just happened at once. I drove the car back and forth to work and then it sat for a while as I got a different car. Went out one day and no start. Took battery to AutoZone and was swapped for free. Good to go then couple days later it was dead again. Got new alternator. Couple days later same thing. Thats when I started checking into things and learned about the parasitic draw.
Did all the testing and it says it is before the fuse under the dash. So there is 2 wires coming out of it. A large red and an orange. Could they go to a relay that is stuck open or faulty causing the problem?
06-14-2011, 11:00 AM
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That kind of draw would have me looking at relays. Hook everything back up and to a battery draw test. Then start unplugging relays. Don't forget about the antenna relay in the trunk.
06-14-2011, 05:15 PM
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I don't have a book for what relays are what. Where is the one in the trunk? Just start pulling the ones under the hood first? Then the ones under the dash? It is on the Power Door Lock, horn, trunk release circuit on the 60amp but the Power Antenna is on the #2 fuse under the dash. I would be extatic if I could find it to be a relay!!!