My Festy's a battery eater

[m715]

I will pass on what I had on Shtinky.... The main harness connector under the hood, if you pull you wiring diagram this is connector # C 123 went bad on this car and did exactly what you are describing draining the battery if it sat any length of time. When I finally found the problem ( and it took me a long time) I disconnected the plug and found that almost all the connections had turned to a powder that reminded me of graphite. Be prepared for this if you pull this connector apart to look. You will be splicing wires just to get it running again if it is like mine was. I have had no problems since that for over a year after finding that was the problem.
HTH
Michael

[therris]

I'll check all this out. It's looking like a symptom of a larger problem. Today after starting the car and it was warming up there was a clicking sound from the dash and the RPMs dipping as if it might die. That went away. About a mile or two down the road the car started lunging between 2-3k RPM, clutched it and ran up the RPM, then re-engaged without a problem the rest of the way. The quandry continues.

[scitzz]

Sounds almost as if something is shorting out under the dash, which could also drain the battery while sitting without running......I don't know the wiring from Jack, but maybe a main wire for the starting? I suppose you could idle it, and wait for the noise, maybe at night, and look for blue sparks? Shot in the dark here, anyone else?

[SIBladerunner]

I'm telling you check for a parasitic drain, most likely cause of the battery dying is the drain that is really small, usually a light not turning off or a short to power somewhere. Check to see, you could just get a battery switch for it and save the trouble of finding it. Check the battery with a DVOM set on amps disconnect the battery with the doors closed and the engine off, nothing on. Connect the DVOM between the lead and the battery terminal. This should tell you is power is draining off the battery, if it is more than 20miliamps or so, I would look so shorts to power. Or just buy a battery switch, they're only $10.

[m715]

I used a battery cut off switch until I found the haness connector. Drove me crazy if I forgot to disconnect it, and I got tired of doing it every time I got out.
Michael

[jglutz]

Clicking sound and lunging....possible fuel pump relay failure....up under dash behinnd front left speaker.

[therris]

Would a fuel pump relay failure also effect gas mileage? I was in an accident within the past several hundred miles. Since the accident my mileage dropped from the mid to high 30's to the high 20's/low 30's.

[m715]

You don't have a fuel pump relay on your car. Carb cars have mechanical fuel pumps, the FI cars have the relay. Where was the car hit? Maybe you have damage to some wiring or a sensor. Now we may be getting closer to solving the problem!

Michael

[therris]

Right between the head light. Person turned left in front of me as I was going through the light. Insurance company totaled the car, but I only needed to replace the grill, bumper, radiator and a/c drier.

That's all the damage I noticed, but I fear electrical systems in cars. Don't know much about them.

[m715]

The wiring harness passes under the top of the radiator support, and is held in place by plastic loops under the top edge I don't know if I followed exactly where you were hit, but the radiator support is VERY flimsy, and will wrinkle with the slightest hit. Did some wiring get pinched by the evaporator, or radiator? I would take the 2 brackets holding the radiator loose, and start looking around at the harness, and around the headlight assys. How is the horn doing? Did you replace the bumper as an assy with the support? Did wiring get pinched in there? You have A/C wiring/ 3 relay pack that runs from passinger to drivers side in the mix there too ending up under the battery tray at the relays. Look everywhere you have been at the point of damage. It may be right there, and write back as go along. Shtinky got that "totaled for no good reason" treatment too. He had a broken headlight, grille, and sidemarker with light damage to the fender. Radiator support wrinkled enough, but not bad enough to change out. Like I said, they are flimsy.That's how I got him. It took a long time to find the connector problem on him, but he is healthy and happy now. Just take your time and eliminate one thing at a time.
Much luck
Michael

[therris]

I did remove the entire bumper assembly and replace it after the accident. I'll look into all this and see what I can find. Thanks for your help.

[therris]

Finally got to work on my car a bit. Charging the battery every two weeks was getting annoying.

Seems to be running good now. I replaced the old cables to the battery, took the alternator in and had it tested, it came out good. But the wire running from the batt connection on the alternator had been riding on the ?harmonic balancer?, that rubber washer on the axle, and the rub had eaten through about half of that wire. Seems that might have been the problem. We'll see.

Also, there was a red/yellow wire, part of the bundle running back up to the battery, that had a plastic clip connection that wasn't connected to anything. Don't know what it was. It was a male connection. I already had my three running to my alternator. Any ideas?