97 Sport With problems

[Drago20]

Can Anybody help me i have a 1997 Dodge neon sport DOHC it has a new battery and new belts. the alternator tested fine also so did the starter but the battery still keeps draining overnight. Should i check the main fuses and the main relays this has been going on for about a month and i am feed up. with it I am ready to push it off a Cliff. I was also told to just use a battery disconnect if i didnt want to chase the problem.

[denisond3]

Make sure there isnt a light in the trunk that is staying on. A radio can have a bad capacitor inside and draw more current than the usual few milliamps to keep the memory going. Some cars have the tiny lights beside the mirror in the sun-visor, but I dont know if this was a Neon option - they might be stuck 'on'.
The final means of tracing the problem is to put a VOM (milliammeter) in series with the battery connection, to measure the current drawn, and keep removing fuses until the current draw is only perhpas 5 or 10 milliamps. This would be the amount of current the PCM needed to keep its memory 'up'.
It could even be a bad relay, whose coil was continuing to draw power - and that relay would probably feel warm to the touch, until the battery was dead.
Its also possible for a battery to have an internal short circuit, but this would usually only lower the battery voltage a couple of volts - not discharge it to zero volts. Still, in this case it would fail to start the car, or even crank it over.

[Drago20]

I Did a volted drop test and it showed 5.2 milliamps draw, i am going to check the relays.

[Drago20]

Checked all relays all of them felt cool not hot. the car once had fog light tell it got into a wreck and fudge up the bumper and lights, but still has the fuse so i pulled it to see if that was the problem also pulled the radio fuse to see if that would show anything. if these dont work i an all out of ideas to check. If anyone else has any ideas plz send them my way

[rhandwor]

Unhook the negative cable put a dvom on the ground and the ground wire. Keep checking by pulling one fuse at a time. An interior light or a trunk light will cause problems. Stuck fuel pump relay will drain a battery. An alternator can get an interior ground. An exterior voltage regulator will ground out. I don't remember what year they changed.

[Drago20]

What gets me is that i pulled the radio,fog lamp fuse and let the car sit for a whole day than it started fine the next moring, Than would not start the same day at lunch. i am wanting to push the thing off a cliff or blow it up if i cant fix it. i asked a tech and told him what i have done and he says it is strange that it is still acting up and he doesnt know of anyhting to try. so as my last resort i think i am going to buy a battery disconnect. Does any know have any ideas or did you have any problems.

[rhandwor]

I had a 1985 T-B that both the alternator and external voltage regulator got a ground and drained the battery. Disconnect the alternator when you can let the car set and see if it starts when you hook up the battery. If you have an external voltage disconnect this as I've had many problems on customers when I had a garage. I'm not sure what year they changed. The fuel pump relay would occasionally stick and the fuel pump would run after turning the key off.
Ford also recalled a few cars with bad ignition switches this also went bad on this car.
Auto zone or Advanced sell battery disconnects. I use a battery maintainer on my diesel tractor in the winter. But not every place has a plug handy.
Keep looking and you will find the problem.

[Drago20]

I am still having problems with the battery, for about a week and half it started fine in snow and rain with temps of 10 degress. but todaywith temps of about 30-35 degreess i go out to start it to go to work and it acts like the battery is dead. but i jump it with my jeep and it starts fine and runs fine. To try to figure out the problem i removed all spare fuses that i dont use like the radio, cig lighter, and old fog light fuse also removed the trunk light to see if that helps but i guess it didnt. anyone have any ideas. I think there is a Gremlin living in the car saying i am going to screw with him today.

[das2123]

Do you have a light in the glove box?

[Drago20]

I looked in the glove box i didnt see a light, but i am wondering if the starter has a bad spot in it. but i dont know if that is it. I have tried everything but i dont know what else to try.

[das2123]

Something has to be draining the battery. Have you had the alternator checked out?

[rhandwor]

I think you have something like a fuel pump relay that sticks occasionally. Otherwise it wouldn't start for a week and then stop. When it won't start check battery voltage. If you have a flat spot in the starter the battery voltage should be normal. I had a Dodge with a bad relay to the starter that I worked on. It would start perfectly 97% of the time and then nothing. One of us kept turning the key the other one held a test light on the wire going to the starter. After it messed up a new relay fixed the problem. The old relay was dismantled and the problem was visable.

[ikeyballz]

or for the easy, halfass fix...get one of those BIG terminal switches..@ night, flip it off....

flip it back on in the morning and start it up..

annoying? yes, but its also a theft detterent..and if youre getting pissed off @ it its gonna be a easy temp fix..

[rhandwor]

Dodge used to have a relay which allowed the cooling fan to run a while when the engine was shut off.
You could watch the fans and make sure they shut off after a short time.