weird problem w/ my '95 lesabre

[poolemit]

hi.. i'm having a pretty strange (to me) problem. my car was recently serviced for electrical problem. after i took back the car there must have been a loose wire or something that drained my battery within a couple hours (i'm positive headlights were off, etc). anyhow, i jump started the car the first time. i let it run for 10mins or so then i turned on the headlights and it immediately died. i attempted to jump start it again several times after that w/out success. so i'm guessing the problem is not just a drained battery.. could it be alternator/starter, etc?

any help greatly appreciated..

thanks

[LeSabre97mint]

Originally Posted by poolemit

hi.. i'm having a pretty strange (to me) problem. my car was recently serviced for electrical problem. after i took back the car there must have been a loose wire or something that drained my battery within a couple hours (i'm positive headlights were off, etc). anyhow, i jump started the car the first time. i let it run for 10mins or so then i turned on the headlights and it immediately died. i attempted to jump start it again several times after that w/out success. so i'm guessing the problem is not just a drained battery.. could it be alternator/starter, etc?

any help greatly appreciated..

thanks

Hello

What type of electrical problem did you take it in for?

First off I would disconnect the battery, and put a charger on it. Let it charge a good while until it's charged. How old is your battery? It may be time for a replacement. They only last so long.

It does sound like you have a "draw" on your battery. This is something that taking power when the engine is not running. These can be tough to find. I've had some sucess with some cars. One had an alarm that was pulling the battery down.

Regards

Dan

[HotZ28]

To track down a battery drain problem, you first need to see the drain. Your tool could be either a volt meter or you can construct a light bulb with two leads so that it will glow when there's electricity flowing.

Procedure:
1. Disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery.
2. Wire the two leads of either the voltmeter or light bulb tool between the disconnected battery cable and the negative battery post. You should see the battery drain at this time on the voltmeter (or see the light bulb tool lit).
3. Pull the fuses in the car one at a time, and observe if the battery drain stops. When the drain stops, you've found the problem circuit and need to investigate why.
4. If you've pulled all the fuses and saw no change, the problem circuit may be one with no fuse in it like the alternator or starter circuit. You would need to disconnect them manually to test.

[GringoPete]

Sounds like your battery is no longer holding its charge. or maybe your alternater is shot. bring it to a shop and they will test it for you at no charge. (no pun intended)

Good Luck