Optima yellow top drain

[J-440]

My car has been sitting for the past week and a half and today I had no charge on the battery. It's charging as we speak (slowly). These things are designed to sit and I was wondering what the deal was. Nothing has been left on and all the doors are closed. Do I have a drain and how do I test for it with a test light? Thanks again.

[mincharlie]

First thing to do is see if the battery arcs when you connect the negative battery cable. If it does the there is some type of draw on the system. Then disconnect the battery again and pull one fuse at a time until the negative cable doesn't arc when attaching. This will lead you at least to the curcuit with the draw. After that find out what is on that curcuit ( clock,radio or computer ) even a small drain such as the clock or glove box light that you can't see may be your issue. My yellow top will get pretty weak after about a month without any running due to the clock.

[sccacuda]

Your tag says EFI, that means NTL (No Test Lights)! You need a DVOM or multimeter. Avoid buying a cheap Chinese unit due to resistance. You can pick up a Fluke for $100 or so. Set your meter on amps and place the leads in the correct terminals on the meter. Disconnect either battery terminal and place a jumper wire between the terminal and cable. Connect the meter leads, one to the terminal and one to the cable. After they are connected you can remove the jumper wire and let the current flow through the meter. If you fail to use a jumper and try completing the circuit with the meter, it WILL blow the internal fuse. You will now know what the amp draw is. Anything under 30 milliamperes or 0.3 amps is okay. If higher than that, follow Dan's advice for pulling fuses until the draw drops. You may have to wait a few minutes for the EFI computer to go to sleep before it's draw drops. That's normal.

[J-440]

Cool thanks guys. Ya'll have a good one.