Quick test for dead short or parasitic battery draw

[Croaker]

The Bonneville got dropped off yesterday, and when I went to start it to drive it into the shop to start doing the safety on it, the battery was dead flat.

Anyone have any suggestions? The radio fuse was pulled, so it's not that. It's not the trunk light either, and no interior lights are visibly left on.

It's a 1994 Bonneville.



As a side note, the radio is fuuuuuuucked. None of the buttons do what they're supposed to, and it ate a CD I shoved into it for a test. Good thing it was one of my Dad's CDs :wall:

[Tony]

Troubleshooting is easy. Disconnect the negative battery cable and splice in a small 12V light bulb between the battery and the negative cable. If you have a parasitic draw, the light will glow because power is flowing. Keep pulling fuses one at a time until the glow stops. Make sure you don't leave your door open while doing this since the interior lights will be on, which will also register as a draw.