02 grandprix battery drain

[fishingstar]

My son has a grand prix that the battery goes dead. The battery was replaced last year and tested good now. He is in college so it doesn't get driven much. It tacks about 5 to 6 days to go dead. Last time he was home we could not a draw.

This summer he started to use a new key after that the ignition did not seem to work (had to play with it to get the key out)could the ignition be the source?

[Jeremy airjer W]

Quote:

last time he was home we could not a draw

When was this?

Specifically, how did you measure for a draw?

What where the numbers that you had?

If the key is out than I would have to guess that the ignition switch is off. The key coming out hard is a result of either a badly cut key or a worn out lock cylinder.

Does he have an aftermarket radio?

[fishingstar]

This was two weeks ago

multi meter set on DC V

12.5 volts

when we bought the car it only had one key. had one made, then lost the original. had a second one made now they both work like dump. you can pull the key out with the car running some times you can't get the ignition to lock.

[Jeremy airjer W]

You did not measure for an amperage draw.

To measure a draw you will need a multi meter capable of reading amperage. With the multi meter set to amperage and the test leads in the appropriate location in the meter remove the ground cable from the battery. Install one test lead on the battery post. Place the other test lead on the negative cable. Your multi meter is now in series with the vehicles electrical system.

Let it sit for 1/2 hour making sure the doors are closed, 12 volt accessories unplugged, underhood lights removed, and keys out of the ignition. Initially you will see something around .350 amps. It should drop periodically as modules go offline. After 30 minutes there should be less than .050 amps and more realistically around .025 amps would be fantastic. Anything more than that is a draw.

To find it start pulling fuses one at a time. If the amperage draw increases after putting a fuse back in wait until the amperage drops back to where it was before continuing.

Let us know what fuse made the draw go away and we will help you trouble shoot that circuit.

[fishingstar]

We will try that when he comes home next.

Is there any thing we can do with the ignition?

[Jeremy airjer W]

For about $40 at your local parts store you can get a new ignition lock cylinder with 2 keys. The anti theft will need to be relearned after the new lock cylinder is installed.

You can also bring a title or other proof of ownership to a chev dealer and see if they can get you a lock cylinder with the right anti theft code and key it to match the vehicle. Usually quite a bit more but well worth the time savings and having to distinguish between the different keys.