I have only had my 98 vw cabrio 3 mths, and recently something is draining my battery over night. We have checked everything
Asked by Zafhire Oct 15, 2014 at 03:59 PM about the 1998 Volkswagen Cabrio 2 Dr GL Convertible
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
Everything was fine for 6 weeks, when i bought the car the fuse panel was almost
empty i put fuses in "guessing at the time what the amp would be" but nothing blew and
off i went. However i did have to disconnect my windshields fuse it will not remain off
so i just pull the fuse or insert it. But thats not what is causing my battery to be dead in
the morning, i had the battery and alternator tested. It has a different radio not factory
and it works however i removed the face. I believe its the alarm, maybe power
antennia or rear defroster however i havn't even turned them on. I dont know, it even
drians the battery with the negative cable disconnected over night!!!!! Please help thank
you
7 Answers
did you put the right fuses in their respective places
did your alternator TEST GOOD or bad did you see if the battery is bad
i am guessing if your fuse panel was empty when you got it this was probably already an ongoing problem with the car. Start taking out a fuse every night before bed and when you wake up with a none dead battery you narrowed it down. the alarm should not be draining the battery at all. and as for the aftermarket stereo, i am guessing if it is wired incorrectly it is probably the most likely cause to your problem. Pull it out and check the wires i had bought a complete wire harness from bestbuy for my audi so's i would not screw it up. if they spliced and wired by cutting the whole original plug system off then you better check each and every wire. check the internet for reference if you need it
oh and Here is the fuse diagram. if this site is unclear google search it. be sure to put all the right fuses in NEVER PLAY THE GUESSING GAME WITH FUSES !! this is how car electrical fires start. http://www.autofuseboxdiagram.com/9413-1998-volkswagen-cabrio-fuse-box-diagram/
Thank you very much i will try these suggestions and yes i had the battery and alternator tested by batteries plus all good. I also put a new starter in however that didnt seem to cause the problem everything worked fine for weeks. Perhaps i should have mentioned, a few weeks ago i filled up and the gas had water in it. We tested the timing and found it that was. However at the time it was a process of elemination first the fuel filter changed it twice because of the water then the max air flow, throttle body was adjusted. However i had this problem just before the water in the gas tank. I love this car an am detereminded to find this ground issues. ???? Thank you so much for your feed back i will do as suggested. Yes i know i shouldnt of guessed on the fuses i have a new panel and believe it or not i was only of on two by 5 amps. Anyway i will do as suggested ! : )
well the water in the gas is not a good thing the emissions system will have a large amount in it as well but it should evaporate after the tank is empty and is back on supreme gas. i would recommend using the best gas you can find in your vw your car will run better and will get better mileage, plus it keeps your fuel system in god shape and will require less maintenance.be sure to check your crank case hoses for water as well. the water will clog your hoses with crud-ed oil and cause it to run badly.
