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2002 pontiac grand am?

2002 Pontiac Grand Am with lights draining battery w/i two minutes of turning engine off - WHY?

  • I have a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am (and I love it!) However, I discovered that for some reason keeping the headlights on with the engine off even for just a couple minutes will drain the battery to the point where I can still start the car, but the radio resets like the battery was completely dead. I had a mechanic check the battery and it's fine. If I turn off the engine and keep the radio on, even for over 15 minutes, the battery is still fine. It's just the lights that cause the problem. What could it be? Thanks

  • Answer:

    I would say the battery was not properly tested and or you may have a corroded positive cable connection. The radio draws much less amperage than the head lights so the lights will kill a weak battery much faster. Bad battery is my guess.

CatGirlK... at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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Lights use a lot of power. Do not leave them on with the engine not running. Your battery is old. It may still be holding a charge but it's current probably has diminished. You will need to replace it in a while. You got 9 years service from it and that's a lot.

There might be a problem with your ignition switch. There is a live wire, feeding the radio, for the "keep alive" circuit. This helps keep your radio station presets, and clock set, so you don't have to reset every time you shut the key off. If that leg of the switch drops out, you will loose your clock and radio presets.

Yes, I am thinking a weak battery. A battery of insufficient cca can still read 12 v but just barely be able to start a car. Drain it a little with the lights on and it doesn't have enough to start the car. A good, strong battery can hold the lights on for a while and still crank the car (in fact, lots of newer cars turn their lights off automatically a few minutes after you leave the car while still having enough power for a restart)

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