Week 1:
I drove the car on Friday night 2/19/16 to a daddy daughter date. No problems. The next morning I got in the car for a Saturday morning drive to breakfast. Dead. I jumped it and went to breakfast. After breakfast, dead.

Tuesday I took the battery to Interstate Batteries. They kept it Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, super-charged it and checked to make sure it was holding a charge.

Week 2:
I reinstalled on Friday, 2/26/19, and put it on a trickle charger just in case.
Saturday to breakfast no problem. Up to the KU basketball, no problem.

The next day, Sunday, I changed the e-brake. Silly me I did not disconnect the battery while working on the car. And in leaving the car doors open while woking on it... you guest it... dead when I tried to start it. I jumped it. All good, and went for about a 45 minute drive to 'change it'. When I got home I put it on the trickle charger.

That Wednesday, 3/2/16, I needed something out of the car... dead. I took the battery back in. The guy scratched his head and gave me a NEW BATTERY. That same day, Wed 3/2, I installed new battery and put on a trickle charger. .... so Wednesday night, Thursday and Friday... on trickle charger.

Week 3
Today Saturday 3/5, dead. Later the same day I decided to jump it and went for a drive, as I needed gas. Returning home I turned off the car --- and started the timer on my phone. 3:45 and the dash (speedo / time) lights went off.

Then I noticed the, I'll call them 'glow lights' were still on. The lights on the door-jam seat position 1, 2, 3, the tiny light above the rearview mirror, and the tiny light that is on the door handle. The one that casts a little glow towards your headlight on off dial. It is hidden and you can only see the glow it casts... but all on.

It has now been 1 hour & 15 minutes and the 'glow lights' are still on. I think that is what is killing the battery.

1 - Any ideas on what to check that might be keeping them on?

2 - Temporary fix... Can I pull a fuse to make them go off to stop killing the battery. I can't find a fuse diagram.

3 - NOTE ... I did change the e-brake (see What did you do to your car today thread). Surely that did not cause the glow lights to stay on. I doubt it as the problem started BEFORE I changed the e-brake.

Thoughts?

 

I just read in another thread they are called diode lights and should go off in 20 minutes. Mine apparently have lost track of time. :-(

 

Don't recall seeing any lights on in (or out of) the car after getting out of the car and locking it via the lock button on the key fob.

Well, check that: There are few lights, red LEDs I guess, on, blinking to indicate I guess the car is locked and secure.

Since I seldom leave the car closed but unlocked for any length of time I can't tell you the car's behavior when I do not lock it.

I can tell you even locked the car's DME can stay active for at least 3 minutes after locking the car and I seem to recall it can be active longer this.

Be sure the light switch in the overhead just above the rear view mirror isn't set to some position that keeps some lights on no matter what. Be sure the sun visor mirror flaps are closed and the lights in the sun visors are off.

Be sure the glove box lid and the center console lid are both closed.

In recognition of last thing touched first thing suspected, since you were at the e-brake there is the chance I guess you disturbed some electrical connection/switch connection and the car thinks maybe the center console lid is ajar. But when you lock the car the horn should sound a warning beep.

If you can't find any explanation for the behavior you might consider rechecking your handiwork regarding the e-brake.

 

Correction - Diode lights are suppose to go off in 2 hours.

Mine have turned themselves off.

Going to have to figure out some other culprit of the dead battery.

 

FYI....check the engine bay light. My 996 was driving me crazy with same issues as yours. After a 350.00 flatbed trip to my independent and a 100.00 fee from him , we couldnt find the drain until I walked out to my shop about 10:00 the night I got it back from the shop and there it was...engine bay light on with the deck lid closed. Removed the bulb and it hasn't had a problem since.

 

You mean to tell me that a shop couldnt figure out a battery drain by simply putting a multimeter on DC amps and start pulling fuses to see what circuit was causing your battery to drain...Time to find a new shop.

 

Hook a multimeter between the ground of the chassis and the battery and read the current draw. Then start pulling fuses one by one to determine which circuit is the offender. Now you have a place to start looking know what circuit is causing the issue.

 

Observed my 2003 Turbo yesterday. While the overhead, door, courtesy lights and the lights (LEDs) that illuminate the door handles and the center stack of the dash are on while the key is on or even after the key is turned off once I remove the key and get out of the car and lock the car all the lights go dark.

Just one light, one red LED, in the center of the dash just under the windshield remains blinking.

If your car has any inside courtesy lights on after following the same steps that's a problem. Might not be the only problem, but its cause needs to be found and addressed.

 

Solved. Bad voltage regulator.

 

That's good news, I guess. Still can't help but wonder about lights even LEDs staying on for 2 hours? And that's considered ok?

(Years ago shortly after I got my new VW Golf TDi the engine started cranking a bit slower than normal. Long story short one night I noticed one of the courtesy lights for the back seat was on. I think my brother who was riding back there -- my sister was in the front seat -- on a run down to see Mom and Dad turned it on and forgot it. I turned the light off and checked all the others -- they were all off -- and after some use the slow engine cranking was gone and I think the orignal battery was in the car when I sold the car about 7 years later.)