Battery drain

RCALCHERA

MEMBER
1994 BUICK LESABRE
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
103,000 MILES

When the car sets for more than three or four days the battery goes completely dead, won't even charge unless I disconnect it and let it set for a day or so. Then I can charge it fully. The cars starts okay as long as I drive it every day. Not sure if this is a clue to the problem but I had to disconnect the horn because it was continually blowing. The relay has been checked so I have been told it is probably the switch in the steering wheel.

2 Replies

JDL

MECHANIC
16,098 POSTS

Is the horn draining your battery? If you pull that fuse in the diagram, the horn can't drain your battery. Make sure battery has a full charge and connections all good. Check your charging system. You could have too much drain, not related to horn, with everything off. A faulty generator might let the battery drain. Your not leaving lights on, anywhere, interior--under the hood--in the trunk, best time to check for lights left on is in the dark. Also, with too much drain, you can pull/replace fuses, one at a time. When you pull the fuse on the problem circuit, the drain goes away or returns to normal. Most digital multi-meters have a 10 amp setting, that is more than enough to check battery drain. You place the meter leads in series with a battery cable, the reading shouldn't even be a tenth of an amp, in my opinion. The repair guides link, at top of page, has a lot of good information about your battery and testing, check it out.

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