Cadillac Repair: Battery running down. Antenna motor?, nylon cable, cadillac deville

Question
I have a 92 Cadillac DeVille that I'm having electrical problems with. The battery keeps dying and won't hold a charge. Got a new battery, same problem.  I'm not a mechanic but I'd like to know if I can avoid costly repairs with a simple fix.   If it needs an alternator etc.  I'll just have to get it done though. But I also suspect it may be the antennae motor which I can hear running after I shut off the car. The antenna is extended now and won't retract. How can I check that out and disconnect it if that's the real problem?

Answer
Hi John,

      It is common on older Caddys for the nylon cable to break and the motor to continue to run. Fortuneately it is an easy fix in that if you open the trunk and pull back the panel on the RH side you will see the antenna. And mounted on the mast is a relay. Remove the connector to turn off the motor and the draw might go away. Then over the next couple days you will know if the battery still has a draw or not. Otherwise you would need to install an ampmeter capable of reading between 7 milliamps(.007A) and 20 amps. Then after 30 minuits everything should power down and if the draw is less than 25mA then its normal. If not then you will need to remove fuses one at a time and see if the draw drops down. If the first fuse doesn't help install it and go to the next one. When you find the fuse that drops then reinstall the fuse and start disconnecting evrything one at at time until the draw goes away. Then you wil know what to fix.

     Hope that helps. Bill