Can anyone point me to the cause of an electrical drain?

Asked by lornejg May 13, 2020 at 12:26 AM about the 1986 Nissan 300ZX Base

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Hi all,
I'll preface this by saying that I am an amateur. I recently decided to try and get
my Grandma's '86 Nissan 300ZX (Z31) automatic naturally aspirated V6 (non-
turbo) two-seater running. It has sat in my Mom's backyard without being
started for at least 10 years. If I boost it, or if the battery is recharged using a
trickle charger, I can normally start it for between 30 seconds and a few
minutes at which point it dies, and the battery is drained to zero. Sometimes
the dash lights come on, sometimes they don't. Based on everything I'd read
online it seemed that the alternator was the culprit, so I replaced the battery
and the alternator (with a rebuilt unit from NAPA). This made no difference. The
car still starts only when the battery is fully charged or boosted and soon shuts
off. I haven't even successfully shifted the car into drive. To me, it still seems
that the problem is electrical, but I don't know where to look next. Any nudges
in the right direction would be really appreciated!

Thanks

2 Answers
10

boita999 answered 4 years ago

I have that model, but mine is a Turbo. I was replacing the alternator/battery constantly. They kept on saying I had a parasitic drain, but no one could figure where. I decided to shut off the radio before shutting off the car. That was it. Not sure if that’s your issue, but it fixed mine.

Mark helpful
10

boita999 answered 4 years ago

I have the same model, but mine is a Turbo. I’ve kept it running. I was having problems with the alternator. Kept replacing and also the battery. The shop said I had a parasitic drain, but couldn’t find it. I decided to use some logic, and shut off the radio before shutting off the engine. That was it. Not sure if this is your issue, might help.

Mark helpful

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