QuestionI just bought a used 1998 Chevy Astro this past Saturday. The car worked fine all day, through several starts and stops, but the next morning the battery was dead. I had the battery replaced, and again, the car worked fine all day, through at least 10 stops, but the next morning it was dead again.
The car doesn't have electric windows or locks, no alarm, no rear window defrost or wipers, no trunk lights -- none of the usual drain suspects.
The dealer has offered to fix it, but they're a 2.5 hour drive away (and currently getting hit by the outskirts of Hurricane Ivan). I'm a little worried that the car will die on the side of the highway, or that the repair will take more than one day (which means I'll have to find a hotel for the night). I was thinking of taking the car to a local Chevy dealer, instead, but then I'd have to cover the repair cost myself.
Would an electrical system repair be expensive enough to be worth the risk and the long drive? Is it a $100 repair? $500? $1000? Even more?
AnswerHi PC, Your battery going dead over night means that there is a draw on the battery while it is sitting there. This means that something is staying on, like the dome lights, inside mirror light, sun visor lights, glove box light. Some other but not common things are the fuel pump(bad relay) Blower motor (bad high blower relay) and one I have only seen a couple of is the alternator. I would take a look at it in the night just to be sure no lights are on.
Once you have it started it will run all day, not to worry if your going down the road.
Check it out and let me know what you find.
Have a Nice Day Mark
