Hello there guys...new here to this forum.

I just picked up an '87 Fleetwood 4-door, with the 5.0 olds engine. Its the 'gold' de legance model...nice shape from the OG owner.

How it has the battery drain problem....the same one my buddys 78 had. He heard the clicking from the pass door area when we hooked the charger up....Turned out it was the seat-belt retracter or something. We just unplegged it, and the problem was solved.

Now on the four door, I am hearing the same sound when I jump the battery...so I know this is what is killing the NEW battery overnight.

My question is, is there a relay or fuse or something I could disconnect rather than disassembling the interior to get to the unit ??

Also, what exactly is that for ?? Does it have to do with the seat-belt retracting ??

Can it be repaired/replaced instead of just disconnecting ??

My buddys 78 has no seat-belt problems after the disconnecting.

Thanks !!!!


John

 

Put an amp meter on the battery and you will see the constant drop in voltage, then pull and replace the appropraite fuses one by one until the voltage drop stops. Then you know you have the right circuit. That will give you time to get to problem and still use the car daily. These problems are usually bad grounds or poor conections. Check for corrosion on the contact points.

 

Yeap, I'm prepared for that...Just thought someone could point me in the right direction right away....

I thought this might be a common problem, considering this happened to me twice in the past year, in the same type of the car.

Thanks anyway...


John

 

you have to get one of those connectors [that you can turn to open and close]for the positve terminal dont you or am i thinking of something else? for the parasitic drain

 

Clicking relays sometimes occur because of a weak battery. Not enough voltage to keep the contacts within the relay to stay engaged. So, what I'm saying is a clicking relay is not by itself a faulty relay. The seat belt retractor has no electrical connection except the buckle provides the ground to turn off the red belt warning lite and buzzer. Also, this function does not get power with the key off. Brougham1 gave you the correct advice. This is the proper logical procedure to locate the circuit causing the battery draw.