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battery dies overnight please help

orangecreme

orangecreme

New member
I have a problem
My key is stuck in the ignition and the wheel does not lock.
My battery dies allot overnight.
The only thing that stays on is the Indicator light for shifter on dash.
Could this be the cause of the battery dying?
alternator and battery are good.
 


under the steering coloum there is a small tab you can remove, then stick a screw driver up there and it will push up a white tab that will release the key from the ignition.

and if you battery keeps dying over night, either the battery is bad or the alternator is not doing its job charging the system.
 
There could be a parasitic draw on the battery. What normally stays on is such a small voltage that it shouldn't drain overnight. If you connect a test light in series with the positive battery cable & start pulling fuses you can see what causes the light to go out. You can also unplug the alternator to see if that is causing a big drain. First things first, have that battery & alternator checked to see if either is bad.
 
Fivefingerdeathpunch said:
under the steering coloum there is a small tab you can remove, then stick a screw driver up there and it will push up a white tab that will release the key from the ignition.

and if you battery keeps dying over night, either the battery is bad or the alternator is not doing its job charging the system.
Click to expand...

Adding on to that, if you take a straw (yes, a drinking straw), and cut off about an inch, you will be able to stick it on that small tab you just removed, and put it back in the steering column. It is a cheap workaround for the lock solenoid in your steering column which appears to have failed. I used to have the same problem you are having about 4 years ago. Haven't had a stuck key since though, ever since I used the straw method :)
 
another way to check for any parasitic draw, disconnect your neg. battery cable, and place an ammeter in series (one end on the negative cable, and the other end on the negative terminal on the battery itself) and check your reading. not exactly sure on the spec but it should be a very low reading, if you have anything over .05 amps start pullign fuses until that number drops
 


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