1991 Cadillac Deville Battery dies after weeks of not being

Tiny
RASTERDAN
  • MEMBER
  • 1991 CADILLAC DEVILLE
  • V8
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 105,000 MILES
My battery dies after not being used for a week or 2. I noticed that with the car OFF, that every 4 minutes or so a buzzing sound, (like a small air compressor) runs for 10 to 15 seconds. I feel like this may be the source of my battery drain but I don't know what the sound is and how expensive it will be to fix.
Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 AT 8:32 PM

8 Replies

Tiny
MASTERTECHTIM
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,750 POSTS
This vehicle has a relay that stays energized if the key is shut off and you are stilol inside vehicle. I had a 91 caddy just last week that kept killing the battery and I found the drivers door pin switch would not turn on the interior light causing the relay to stay energized. Check that and get back to us
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Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 AT 8:36 PM
Tiny
RASTERDAN
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
All interior lights come on and go off with the opening and closing of the drivers door.
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Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 AT 8:52 PM
Tiny
MASTERTECHTIM
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,750 POSTS
Well next step is to install a amp meter in series with the negative battery terminal and the battery and see what the system is drawing for amperage with everything off. If its under.50 amps then the problem is most likely a faulty battery.
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Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 AT 8:56 PM
Tiny
RASTERDAN
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Now that you mention the door switch, we had the car on and turned it off but did not get out. Every thing in the car was off but we were hearing the noise. I will bet that if I had opened the car door it would have stopped. I just went out and sat in the car for 10 minutes and it was dead quiet. I will try to check the current draw tomorrow.
Thanks.
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Tuesday, April 15th, 2008 AT 9:05 PM
Tiny
BUZZSAW
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,198 POSTS
For a caddy if it sits more than a week without starting it will have a dead battery. That battery in return will have to be trickle charged for at least 10-15 hrs to bring it back to full charge

the computer will stay charged about 15-30 min after you get out of the car
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Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 AT 12:33 AM
Tiny
RASTERDAN
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
I measured the current draw on the Battery and the system is drawing 17.8Ma which is just about nothing.

In you last response, you incicated that if a Caddy sits form more than a week, the battery will be dead. Is this a normal function for this car? I would expect that a car should be able to sit a month or two without killing the battery. We went away for a whole 3 months before and my van started immediately as if we just drove it the day before.

The car seems to be runnin properly other than the battery draining down. I am not sure how long it takes for the battery to drain down however, I am just getting involved with my Dad's car after his death and we can't go back and ask him about this and my Mom thinks all cars look the same other than color. You get the idea.
Thanks for your help.
Dv
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Saturday, April 19th, 2008 AT 12:03 PM
Tiny
BASSMUSICIAN
  • MEMBER
  • 38 POSTS
I'm not sure if anyone asked this or not, but I was wondering. How old is the Battery? I have a 94 Chevy pickup, and I bought it brand new, and after it's first battery went bad, (Around 4 years) it would do the same thing. As long as I drove it all the time, it was fine, but drive the wifes car for a week or two, trucks battery dead as a doornail. I'd push the truck down a hill, pop the clutch to start it, and it would charge back up and be fine, until I'd park it for a week or two again. Finally, I just got a new battery, and all that stopped.
Just a thought, and even if your battery is new, it could be defective as another user mentioned above.
Good Luck with it,
Jack
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Sunday, April 20th, 2008 AT 9:13 AM
Tiny
BUZZSAW
  • MECHANIC
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Yes its normal, without the battery being fully charged it will drain, if not driving it if it last for 2 weeks your lucky
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Monday, April 21st, 2008 AT 12:49 AM

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