battery sparking

[fisher85]

i have a 2001 sunfire 2.2 that i bought last year.it was doing fine until about two weeks ago.i came out to run some errands and found a dead batter.i took the battery out to my shop to charge it up but the following morning when put it back in my car all i got were lots of sparks after trying to put on the negative and posative cables.i'm guessing that there's a short somewhere,maybe.i haven't checked out all possibilities that might be the problem.when i did a check on the battery at full charge with my multi meter, i got a reading of -12.82.is that about right for a normal side mount battery.i did run a test on all the wireing that goes to both fuse blocks in the engine bay and on the panel inside by the driver side door and all the fuses and wireing check out fine.does anyone have an idea where the possible short might be.one other thing also,when i put the negative cable on then the posative the electric fan started working on it's on .which leads me to believe that the short could be somewhere in the engine harness.thanks for any help or ideas you can provide.

 

[EaOutlaw]

Hi, first thing you should know is whenever disconnecting a battery or connecting a battery, Always disconnect the negative cable first. when reconnecting the battery the negative is the put on last.

This is done for safety.
Secondly all new cars will have a drain on the battery the question is how much drain do you have?

All cars have written in the factory service manual the allowed amount of draw or drain.

there is specific test instructions for each car made in the factory service manual.

Testing for a drain using any other generic method may lead you to false test results.

for now with the negative cable disconnected check for obvious problems, Doors not closed properly, interior lights left on, glove box light, aftermarket equipment radios and amplifiers not wired properly, coins in the 12 volt power outlet or cigarette light outlet etc.

With the battery connected run the car test everything electrical see what works and what doesn't.

If with the key off engine off you hear anything coming from the car audio speakers or relays clicking anything that does not sound normal report what you found.

Many modern cars have delayed off headlights and interior lights and many other circuits that will mess with you during testing.

Invest in a manual follow the flow chart using the appropriate methods and tools found in the manual. the same information can be found at aldata diy or Mitchell 1 diy both charge a fee. these yearly rates are much less than buying a new manual from the GM dealer if they still have them available

here is a link to basic information but this does not replace the factory manual and does not apply to your car specifically

http://flashoffroad.com/electrical/Batteries/BatteryDrain.html

 

[fisher85]

hi,thanks for your response to this ongoing problem of mine.but the main problem is that i can't begin checking anything as far as wires,fuses or anything else until i find where the short circuit is,and i can't do that until i have a good battery.reason being that after screwing down the negative cable then trying the same with the positive side it sparks like crazy.i've been trying to figure this out for the past two weeks now and cannot find a definite answer from any place that i've posted to.i'm going to replace the current battery this coming week and see where that takes me.again,thank you so much for your input.

 

[melsg5]

a fully charged battery is 12.75. Did you remove all the fuses from the under hood and passenger compartment fuse boxes and then reinstall the battery? Did you then start tracing from the positive cable on to find the problem?

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[EaOutlaw]

The information I provided will help you track down this problem.

Your calling this a short, It is a drain or draw on the battery.

If it was a short to ground the circuit effected would have burnt a fuse.

To check and fix this problem you will need access to a factory manual, you will need a Digital Volt Ohm Meter. ( DVOM ) this meter needs to be connected between the negative post of the battery and negative cable.

The meter gets connected to the test leads to measure amperage.

Meaning the meters circuit the test leads will have the vehicles current ( drain or draw running through the meter ) which is protected by a 10 amp fuse in the meter.

Before you attempt this, you have to measure conductivity from the positive cable that is disconnected from the battery to ground if the meter shows a short to ground then you are correct you will need to find the short to ground.

This is covered with the link I provided. and this is covered in the factory manual.

If you try and repair this problem on your own without a manual, you may get lucky, but most likely you will end up like a dog chasing its tail.

Let us know if you have a DVOM, a factory service manual.

A meter from harbor freight cost like 20 bucks, the subscription to Alldata is like 30 dollars.

With a meager 50 dollar investment and our guidance I am positive we can help you track down this problem.

Without spending this money on basic tools and data to do it correctly.

You will have to take pictures of all your fuses in each fuse panel, and remove them all with the negative cable disconnected.

Then touch the negative cable to the negative post of the battery, Do you still get "crazy sparks" when touching the negative cable to the negative post on the battery?

If no sparks are present starting from under the hood reinstall one fuse at a time putting the correct fuse for that spot going by the label and retest.

Keep installing one fuse at a time back into its place and retesting.

Any circuit that creates even the slightest spark write down what circuit that fuse belongs to pull the fuse back out and move on to the next one.

Find the circuit that is creating the largest spark and that is the one we need to diagnose.

Every single car with a keep alive circuit for the radio, the computer etc. will create a spark when connecting a negative post of the battery. that is because the keep alive circuit is drawing amperage from the battery at all times.

if your car has headlights that come on automatically and go off automatically with the key this feature should be turned off.

Just connecting a battery will cause the relay to activate and put a draw on the battery making you track down a problem that may not exist.

Again another reason to get the information from a manual.

Headlight that are on when connecting a battery will cause crazy sparks as you are experiencing.

I warn you that your car has airbags that may deploy when testing a car this way.

Which is why I told you to use a DVOM and a factory service manual.

Not one person could tell you where this draw is coming from on your car or if the car even has an unacceptable draw without a meter and the factory manual.

So its your choice get a meter and a manual or subscription and I will help you.

Performing this inspection with the fuse method may narrow down the circuit
but doesn't help with the real diagnostic procedures and information we need to help you.
once you get the manual we can help you step by step, without it your just playing with your car and our time.