Voltage drain Replacing battery cables - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

alex3d · 12-27-2015, 05:38 PM

2012 ZL1, since 3 months ago i have been feeling the voltage running low in the car. like the alternator not giving charge enough, car is stock, no aftermarket electronics addons, also the car hesitates some times to start.
last week didnt start, bought a brand new baterry, worked fine for a day, but started again loosing charge in 2 days.

short story, the only thing that the mechanic found bad at the dealership, after 2 days looking for a cause, is a high resistance measuring the battery cables.

they are installing the cables as soon they get them.

anybody knows if these battery cables draining the battery is a common issue?

Bigtime53 · 12-27-2015, 05:58 PM

I have not heard of that. All of these Z's have the battery in the trunk and the cables are the same so I have my doubts that is your problem. Could be but, seems like there is a drain on your battery from somewhere else. I have heard of a alternator being bad and draining the battery so I would check that out first. Did the mechanic ohm anything?

ghosted · 12-27-2015, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigtime53

I have not heard of that. All of these Z's have the battery in the trunk and the cables are the same so I have my doubts that is your problem. Could be but, seems like there is a drain on your battery from somewhere else. I have heard of a alternator being bad and draining the battery so I would check that out first. Did the mechanic ohm anything?

I agree with this guy. There shouldn't be any reason that the cables would have "picked up" extra resistance suddenly after all this time....sure, aging cable can potentially experience a resistance increase over time due to oxidization/corrosion, but not quite enough to do what you're explaining.

It sounds to me like either something else is draining your battery, or the alternator isn't charging properly.

ZO6 Bryan · 12-27-2015, 09:48 PM

Sounds like a bad alternator to me. What's your voltage read on the dash when the car is running?

sengli · 12-28-2015, 09:46 AM

Had the same issue with my brand new 1LE last year. The car was always kept on a battery tender when not in use normally. I started driving it more often. So one week I didnt plug it in. And the next day it was dead. Had to jump it, to get the trunk open to attach a charger. Took it to the dealer and they tested the battery which was fine according to them. They had it for three days. Got it back and the charging voltage on the floor gauges was pegged at 15v+ all the time. Plus when attached to my tender it charged almost constantly. Finally made the dealer replace the battery, plus they also found the BCM ( body control module) software was not up to date too. After that it was back to normal.

alex3d · 12-31-2015, 06:32 PM

dealer replaced 3 cables including harness that connects the alternator and starter, big job.
i also asked to update any out of date module in he car.
car if working fine now. battery charging behaving normal in the 14-13-12.6 volts range.

12-27-2015, 05:38 PM	#1
alex3d Drives: zl1 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 79	Voltage drain Replacing battery cables 2012 ZL1, since 3 months ago i have been feeling the voltage running low in the car. like the alternator not giving charge enough, car is stock, no aftermarket electronics addons, also the car hesitates some times to start. last week didnt start, bought a brand new baterry, worked fine for a day, but started again loosing charge in 2 days. short story, the only thing that the mechanic found bad at the dealership, after 2 days looking for a cause, is a high resistance measuring the battery cables. they are installing the cables as soon they get them. anybody knows if these battery cables draining the battery is a common issue?

12-27-2015, 09:48 PM	#4
ZO6 Bryan Drives: 02 Z06, 95 Trans Am, 2012 ZL1 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Southeast Posts: 1,838 View My Garage	Sounds like a bad alternator to me. What's your voltage read on the dash when the car is running? __________________ Bryan 2018 ZL1 M6

12-28-2015, 09:46 AM	#5
sengli Drives: 2015commemorative vert 2SS Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: northern Indiana Posts: 949	Had the same issue with my brand new 1LE last year. The car was always kept on a battery tender when not in use normally. I started driving it more often. So one week I didnt plug it in. And the next day it was dead. Had to jump it, to get the trunk open to attach a charger. Took it to the dealer and they tested the battery which was fine according to them. They had it for three days. Got it back and the charging voltage on the floor gauges was pegged at 15v+ all the time. Plus when attached to my tender it charged almost constantly. Finally made the dealer replace the battery, plus they also found the BCM ( body control module) software was not up to date too. After that it was back to normal. __________________ 2018 ZL1 Bright Yellow, A10, PDR, sunroof, carbon hood, and dash- sold 2020 2SS A10 sunroof..shock and steel special-traded 2015 commemorative vert 2ss

12-27-2015, 05:58 PM	#2
Bigtime53 Drives: 2013 ZL1 Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 2,326	I have not heard of that. All of these Z's have the battery in the trunk and the cables are the same so I have my doubts that is your problem. Could be but, seems like there is a drain on your battery from somewhere else. I have heard of a alternator being bad and draining the battery so I would check that out first. Did the mechanic ohm anything?

12-31-2015, 06:32 PM	#6
alex3d Drives: zl1 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Florida Posts: 79	dealer replaced 3 cables including harness that connects the alternator and starter, big job. i also asked to update any out of date module in he car. car if working fine now. battery charging behaving normal in the 14-13-12.6 volts range.