BlackMagicC5

If I let it sit for one day, its ok. 2-3 days of sitting and it will have very weak power, but won't start, just clicks. More than a few days and its 100% dead. Not a single light or sound. Is it a drain? Or is it the battery? The battery is only a year old. Any ideas? Could it be something with my boost or fuel pressure gauge? This problem just started not too long ago, kinda out of nowhere.

What do you guys think? When I hooked up my gauges, all was fine for a while. Then this started happening. I wired them into the little trunk release button. I popped the little plastic thing off, and wired my gauges into there. It seems to work fine. Everything comes on and off as it should. Any ideas?

Tony @ MPH

Did you wire your gauge lighting to the trunk release, or the gauge sending units?

BlackMagicC5

I'm not exactly sure what you mean. I think I wired the gauge lights to the trunk release light, so when I turn the parking lights on (1 click over), the gauge powers up and the gauge lights come on. The same is for 2 clicks over (headlights), the gauge lights are on as well. The gauge lights pretty much work with the dash lights. The gauge is powered when the key is turned, but no lights unless I turn the other lights on.

Operations

The trunk release button is hot all the time. No question there.
The Fuel pressure guage if connected to it for power is drawing current 24/7. I will drain your battery in 48/72 hours.
Belive me when I say this....It will drain it. Belive me I have the T-shirt and the tattoo to show for it.

I wired my guages myself going by a Corvette magazine "how to".
It killed my Optima after totaly discharging it 4-5 times.

Now to fix it.
Option 1. Find a 12V source that is only hot with the key on.
Option 2. Move the wire from have it, over to the same source you used for the guage lights. (Same harness just a few wires over)

It's true you will need to turn on your driving lamps for your pressure guage to work, but it is a fast fix, you will no longer drain your battery and it will buy you time until you fix it as per Option 1.

Wish you the best

Tony @ MPH

If your gauge lights are NOT always on, it might be that your sending unit IS always on (regardless of whether or not the gauges are doing anything).

You most likely don't have a sending unit for your boost gauge, but the fuel pressure gauge most likely does. It should be a small sensor looking thingy no bigger than half a grown man's thumb, and is most likely sitting on the end of your fuel rail.

BlackMagicC5

Correct, the sender sits on the end of the fuel rail. I 100% suck at electrical stuff, so it doesn't surprise me that I screwed this up. And my 1 year old battery has been completely drained about 10 times now.

BlackMagicC5

I didn't wire it into the actual trunk release wire, I wired it into the light for the trunk release thing. I thought I'd be ok having the gauge lights work with the trunk release light. I can't really figure out why it would be hot all the time. The gauges seem to get power only when the key is turned, and the gauge lights only get power when the parking lights or headlights are running.

IM QUIKR

It's time to re-wire.

For power to the FP gauge you need a source of power that's un-interupted by cranking the engine. There is a large PINK wire coming off the ignition switch. Tap into that one. I used a large tap-splice but others recommend soldering. The lights should be wired to switched power and the fuse box has an extra set of wires that you should use. (hot, switched, ground) It's time consuming but very easy. Here's a pic of the ignition wire . Also don't even attempt wiring mods without a test light. The auto parts store has hem for cheap. You clip one end to the metal ground point and peirce the wire with the sharp probe. This helps you ID whether the wire is hot or not.

budmont

Disconnect the Neg battery cable. Run a test light between the battery post and the cable, if it lights up and stays lit, there is a draw on the battery. Pull and re-install your fuses one at a time, when the light goes out, that’s the circuit the draw in on.

BlackMagicC5

Thats a good idea, I'll give that a try so I can narrow it down. I would hate to start pulling the gauges apart and rewiring them if thats not the problem. If that is the problem, I'll do what "IM QUIKR" suggested.

hpcubed

My battery keeps going dead as well. I have no aftermarket guages. How much current are should you see with the key off?

budmont

None

budmont

None, be sure to remove the hood light bulb before you do it.

hpcubed

Gotcha

XotiK ZO6

This was a big problem on my old 2001 Convertible. There IS current ALWAYS drawn from the battery, the question is whether yours is drawing too much. If memory serves there is a 15 to 20 Milliamp drain at all times caused by PCM, and of coarse your radio clock, and key fob modual among other electronics. Our old 98 vert would go about 30 days... after that charge it or jump it, but count on it not starting.

On my 3rd trip to the Chevy Dealer for the 01's dead battery they put a higher AMP battery in the car and that was that. Prior to this last attempt they found the Vette was drawing 30 to 40 Milliamps, twice the normal load. The instructions they were given to help correct the trouble involved removing the battery terminal cables for 30 minutes to "reset" the PCM.

Today, my ZO6 sits in the garage for weeks at a time. My 10 dollar Walmart charger keeps the battery perfect, and I put it on the car for the day about every 2 weeks that it is not driven.

Perhaps this is your issue or perhaps not, in any case, Good Luck getting it fixed. I know how annoying it can be.

hpcubed

Yeah, I thought that there should be some draw - thought there should be a few milliamps at least. I will check it with a DMM. But I get a pretty good spark from the battery to the ground cable when I connect it. Probably drawing a lot more current than you mention There is always something. Also, I hear a relay switch when I first connect the battery. Which relay if anyone knows?

XotiK ZO6

Not sure of the relay switch but I know the sound you are referring to.

I would not judge your current drain by the sparks from the battery terminal. There is high immediate battery draw charging the capacitors and energizing relays that lost their charge from the loss of power.

And yes, it always does seem to something!!