New battery..... Optima Red Top

[Rich Z]

OK, so I got tired of my battery going dead if I didn't drive my C5Z for a week and a half. The battery isn't that old. It's an Exide Orbital gel type battery and had good reviews when I checked. This is actually the second one in there. Or maybe not. When I took the car back to the place I had it installed when I had this exact same problem (under warranty - it was just over a year old), they put in a regular lead/acid style battery by mistake. So I had to go back and have them put back in an Orbital like I had purchased.

I've got a real sneaking suspicion that I just got my old Orbital back, since it is doing the exact same thing.

Or maybe there is another problem killing the battery. The alternator charges up good while driving, so perhaps there is a drain somewhere when the car is just sitting.

In any event, I decided to go with an Optima Red Top this time. So I guess I'll just see what happens in a while. In the past, when I have had this sort of problem, just replacing the battery fixed it.

So, we'll see................

BTW, if you don't have a battery charger/starter at home, they can be worth their weight in gold sometimes. They are pretty cheap at Sears, and well worth having in the workroom for that time you need it.

[Rich Z]

Well, I took out the C5Z today, which is the first time since my appendicitis/hernia operation. The car sat for two and a half weeks and the battery was dead as a doornob. So I've replaced the battery (a couple of times now) and also the alternator.... But something is obviously draining the battery when it sits too long without being driven. I guess this could be considered as a GOOD thing, since it means I need to drive the car at least once a week, but still, this silly little problem bugs me.

Anyone got any ideas? I don't see anything obviously having power applied to it when I shut the car off, and nothing is in the cigarette lighter. Is there anything in the STS turbo kit that could be drawing current with the ignition off?

[plastic fantastic]

With the car off, the ignition switch off , the doors closed , courtesy lights off, and the underhood lights disconnected, unhook your negative battery cable. Put a wire with a 12v bulb ibetween your negative cable and the battery terminal. If it lights up, then you have something drawing power when the car is off. A well charged battery should last longer than a couple of weeks.