[Jimmy_Sweden]

Hi. I have a 2017 Camaro. Last fall the battery started to discharge more and more often when it was stationary for a while. When I tried to charge the battery from the engine compartment, it just said error on the charger. I bought a new battery and installed it. But the next day the battery was dead. I tried to connect the charger in the engine compartment but the charger just keeps turning on. If I disconnect the battery connectors, charging directly on the battery works. Does anyone know what could be wrong.

[bishopts]

What are you attaching to under the hood?

[Jimmy_Sweden]

the two charging points in the engine compartment

[Jimmy_Sweden]

The screen does not turn off when I lock the car. I also hear a hissing sound when the car is locked. The sound stops when I disconnect the negative terminal.

[bishopts]

Are you sure you re-tightened everything at the battery? I get customers all the time that install their own battery and they leave half the bolts loose.

[arpad_m]

Do you have any aftermarket electronics, say, a USB device that isn't a dumb flash drive, a dash cam parking mode power supply, LED upgrades etc. in the car?

[Jimmy_Sweden]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

Do you have any aftermarket electronics, say, a USB device that isn't a dumb flash drive, a dash cam parking mode power supply, LED upgrades etc. in the car?

No extra electronics.

[AZIROC]

I guess the question to start at is, when this problem started.... had you done anything recently to the car? led tail lights, radar detector, change the starter, ect.


Check all your battery connections, the 2 main and the multiple that connect to the positive side.


What charger are you using that it says "error" and what 2 spots in the engine bay are you connecting to


If the screen is staying on, thats probably the source of your battery drain. After you have checked all the above items(and they are fine) then pull the fuse to the screen and see if the battery drain stops. If it does, then you know the problem is with the screen. If it doesnt, then you will have to keep searching

[Jimmy_Sweden]

Originally Posted by AZIROC

I guess the question to start at is, when this problem started.... had you done anything recently to the car? led tail lights, radar detector, change the starter, ect.


Check all your battery connections, the 2 main and the multiple that connect to the positive side.


What charger are you using that it says "error" and what 2 spots in the engine bay are you connecting to


If the screen is staying on, thats probably the source of your battery drain. After you have checked all the above items(and they are fine) then pull the fuse to the screen and see if the battery drain stops. If it does, then you know the problem is with the screen. If it doesnt, then you will have to keep searching

I pulled fuse F55 in the fuse box in the trunk and the screen went completely black. I'll see tomorrow if there's any power left in the battery.

[AZIROC]

Originally Posted by Jimmy_Sweden

I pulled fuse F55 in the fuse box in the trunk and the screen went completely black. I'll see tomorrow if there's any power left in the battery.

Idk which would be "better"... pulling the fuse and the battery is good but now you have to figure out the screen issue or the battery is still bad and you have to start chasing grounds/wires.

[Jimmy_Sweden]

Originally Posted by AZIROC

I guess the question to start at is, when this problem started.... had you done anything recently to the car? led tail lights, radar detector, change the starter, ect.


Check all your battery connections, the 2 main and the multiple that connect to the positive side.


What charger are you using that it says "error" and what 2 spots in the engine bay are you connecting to


If the screen is staying on, thats probably the source of your battery drain. After you have checked all the above items(and they are fine) then pull the fuse to the screen and see if the battery drain stops. If it does, then you know the problem is with the screen. If it doesnt, then you will have to keep searching

I installed a pair of LED taillights in 2024. Could it be they who are causing trouble?

[arpad_m]

Originally Posted by Jimmy_Sweden

I installed a pair of LED taillights in 2024. Could it be they who are causing trouble?

So you do have aftermarket electronics. Oh yes, these can definitely cause issues and draw power, especially if they also have LED reverse lights with incorrect wiring or resistance (I'm assuming you have a US spec Camaro where the reverse lamp is in the taillight assembly and not at the bottom center, Mustang style, like it's done on EU/Asia Camaro models).

If you can, check in the dark if the reverse lights are very dimly lit even with the car off.

Then, if you don't see any unwanted light output, take out the multimeter and measure power draw around the taillight connectors. Unlike bishopts, I'm not a mechanic, so I don't know the exact ideal amount, but a couple milliamps should be okay, while a couple hundred milliamps would definitely deplete your battery fairly quickly.

Also if you still have your OEM taillights, you can swap them back temporarily for an A/B test.

[AZIROC]

Originally Posted by Jimmy_Sweden

I installed a pair of LED taillights in 2024. Could it be they who are causing trouble?

Yeah, LEDs if not installed correctly can absolutely drain the battery. Id make sure the grounds are good and if it has a relay (it should) that its working properly. An "easy" way to check that is if you still have the oem tail lights, put those back in and see if you have the issue.

[Jimmy_Sweden]

I think I've found what's draining the battery. It seems to be the Amplifier in the trunk. When I felt it, it was a little warm.
Amplifier doesn't seem to get a signal when I lock the car to turn it off.