A draining problem...

93JXJ

93JXJ

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2005
Location
SC
Alright, stupid title, sorry.
My new battery is constantly dying overnight, even after being charged.
Last night, while trying to find the problem, this is what I discovered.
I had the negative side of the battery disconnected, but my headlights/taillights stayed on (I don't really have anything else to test as a light or accessory).
Last night I was pissed, today, I'm thinking that I must have a ground on the positive cable somewhere(?).
Does this make sense? I would have thought that disconnecting the ground from the battery would kill everything, but it didn't.
 
Yo,
Working in the dark can yield some crazy results.....
Unless you have a second battery or a huge capacitor somewhere, there's
no way a disconnected battery can put out...assuming its intact and in good condition.
Often starters can drain the battery if its connected directly to the positive side of the battery. Especially true when they get wet mud inside them. May want to pull it and have Advance or Auto Zone check it.
Other choice is to pull all fuses, put a 12v test light between positive side of battery and positive cable. Have someone watch the light as you add fuses. When the light comes on, you have found the circuit with the parasitic drain.
That will narrow it down. Make sure door and under hood light switches are not activated by open door or hood. Some use a meter and look for resistance or current draw on a suspect circuit. The light bulb or buzzer works as well.
Good luck.
Whew...:beer:
 
may sound like a dumb question, but you did disconnect the Negative cable FROM NEGATIVE BATTERY POST. not just disconnect a negative ground cable form another point right?

As for positive cable grounding out, ya, if you have a positve grounded that could draw power, but not if the negative battery post is not grounded to the vehicle somewhere. Have you done any wiring since this started? The last thing you did before a problem occured is always a good place to start.
 
The negative cable is disconnected from the battery, I checked probably 100 times b/c I couldn't believe it. I don't have a 2nd battery and have pulled out all of my wiring for my lights and winch.
And the headlights and tailights were definetly on. I haven't done any kind of wiring, this thing has sat pretty much all summer.

I pulled every fuse I have, the only one that did anything was the headlight fuse. Last night I went to bed thinking it had to be headlights, but this morning I was thinking a ground from the positive wire. I just don't understand how I am getting power from the battery w/out the ground hooked up...
 
Ok dont be offended please.

Are you doing this with the vehicle running or off?
 
even if a positive wire was grounded out, you don't have a complete circuit if there's nothing touching the Negative post on the battery. You don't have two sets of terminal on the battery do you? Like the posts on top and the screw in terminals on the front do you? if so, tht Negative terminal isn't hooked to anything is it?

Sorry for bringing up seemingly stupid/insulting points, just making sure that something isn't overlooked. We've all done that.

There has to be somethign that's completing the circuit if the lights are on.
 
Probably the flux capacitor...

Also, I have my winch connected directly to the side terminals on the battery, so when you disconnect the main terminal, the frame is still grounded.
 
I appreciate everyone's help - I won't get offended no matter what the question.
Vehicle is off (battery doen't have enough juice to kick the fuel pump).
There are side posts, but no terminals in them and they aren't touching anything (thought that too, checked it a bunch of times).
I've checked the flux capacitory, but I think the stainless steel dash is an insolator.
I asked someone at work and he said that "it happens all the time. You're getting something that's not shutting off - something like the starter or ignition switch." Now, I'm think I've had problems with my NSS - but does this make sense - that my neutral safety switch is hung up or something?
 
I don't see how it's possible. you can run all the wires you want, but unless you have both positive and negative posts hooked up or touching you have no circuit.

with the negative cable disconnected you can take a wire run it from teh positive post, thru a light bulb and touch it the frame, nothing is going to happen, no light, no spark, no drain. there has to be someway that the power is flowing back to the - terminal. I'd certainly like to hear the outcome of this! :popcorn:
 
No joke. I thought I had the basics of electricity down.
I'm going home tonight to pull the NSS apart.
If that doesn't work, I do understand the basics of fire...
 
mbalbritton said:
I don't see how it's possible. you can run all the wires you want, but unless you have both positive and negative posts hooked up or touching you have no circuit.

with the negative cable disconnected you can take a wire run it from teh positive post, thru a light bulb and touch it the frame, nothing is going to happen, no light, no spark, no drain. there has to be someway that the power is flowing back to the - terminal. I'd certainly like to hear the outcome of this! :popcorn:
Click to expand...

Exactly...
Or you have one hell of a good source to ground...even then with DC its iffy.
This vehicle is on tires right...
No other source of extreme negative ionization of the frame...
Im running out of thoughts here.

The (+) post of the battery is certainly supplying a plentiful source of (+) potential energy. But where is the attraction. Wher is the (-) coming from?

You have only 1 battery?(I think we have covered that)
Dont have another vehicle hooked up via jumper cables?
I guess, in theory (though I have never seen such) if the entire vehicle frame had enough of a (-) charge there could be potential difference between the battery (+) terminal and the frame, where the ground wires run back to.

I almost get the feeling someone is pulling my leg here....

Well the more I ponder this response, think through the process of a running car with battery removed. Alternator power will keep all running and what is its grounding point to frame. The more I think of it, I guess the frame would act as a large capacitor(in a very loose sense of the word) for P.E. and the ground wire would just serve as a way to get that energy back into the battery to minimize waste and such, but would there be heat build up over time?...

I see an experiment when I get home tonight:beer:

Please let me know if you resolve this, I am now intrigued
 
Take a digital volt meter and check the battery + post to the case of the battery. Youll probly show battery volts. If the - cable is off the battery and you stil have voltage going to anything it has to be coming back through the battery case. Plastic is not a conductor but all that crap covering the battery is.
 
no one is pulling one on you by scribbling a pencil line from the negative post to the tray or body are they???? take the battery out of the tray. that crossed my mind earlier, but got lost in all the other thoughts....
 
Do you have a different battery you can try?
I wonder if the battery itself could have an internal short?
and it's what's completing the circuit?
Something has to complete it.
This sounds really crazy.

Edit: just noticed you said "new" battery. Was it draining before, and that's why you replaced the battery?
Or did this just start when you replaced the battery?
 
I swear I'm not putting anyone on. I was drinking, although I should have been. The battery was dying before, it's a new yellow top Pro-Comp battery. I am going home tonight and will take the battery out of the tray (it's mounted in with metal bracket which isn't touching the posts) and see what happens. I know that pulling the negative off of the battery should kill everything, no matter what. That's why I posted. This one really has me baffled. Last night I unplugged every fuse and most wire connectors. I keep thinking that I've missed something - but, there is nothing attached to the ground of the battery. If I figure anything out, I'll post. Even if it's something stupid - but I checked 100 times if something could be brushing up against the battery. There wasn't anything. Maybe connectivity through the metal mounting bracket with old battery acid that is on top? But I'm talking about a very, very, very light dusting.
 
Very Strange.
Is it possible the metal holding the battery down is cutting into the battery on the negative side? Take the battery out of the tray isolate it from the vehicle with a piece of wood or something non conductive. Check the whole battery bottom, sides top everywhere. Make sure it's not leaking it's gel.
Just a few thoughts, I too wanna know where this ends!
 
Do you have a trailer connected to this vehicle? Probably not, but it's worth a shot. If so, the battery for the trailer brakes, if electric, could be feeding back.

Also, you should be able to touch the positive and negative cables together to finish out any juice left in the circuitry, though there really shouldn't be any.
 
:popcorn:

Got to be that battery. How it hasn't blown up I don't know.
 
I checked the ball bearings, made sure I was using high quality 30 weight.

Well, here's where it gets even more interesting. Unhooked positive cable (so both + and - off). Hooked up battery charger, battery charger needle bounced from 0 to 100% every 5 secs or so. Thought great, screwed up my charger. Took off hold down bracket, removed the battery and set it on the garage floor and hooked up the battery charger again. It's charging, no bouncing. I guess the hold down was causing a problem? The tray is plastic, so it's not that. Maybe when it's charged, I can figure out what the drain down problem is (without the hold down, I guess). The thing is, the hold down was touching the negative at all. I'm not convinced.
Well, if I put the battery back in and it's not grounded magically, anyone have any idea where an XJ has a typical grounding problem?
 
A volt meter will tell the tale. Put the + lead on the + post and the - lead on the battery case.
 
Bump.

did this ever get solved?
 
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