Progress Thread New To Me 1988 GT - trying to set up vacuum lines for upper intake question

[pindude80]

I got the car back from the painter a couple of weeks ago. I have been slowly putting it back together. When the car was at the painter's the battery went dead a couple times. I thought the hatch may not have been closed all the way and an interior light was on and drained the battery. I put the battery charger on it overnight on a 2 amp charge when I got the car back to my house. It started the next day after being on the charger. A couple days later I went to start the car and the battery was dead again. I put the battery in my other '88 to see if the issue was the battery or something to do with the car. I drove the other car around with the battery in it, everything was fine. A couple days later go out to start the other car and the battery was dead.

We thought it might have been the sunvisor lights causing the battery to die so I pulled that fuse. I bought a new battery since the other one wouldn't hold a charge. I put it in the car that just got the paint job. Everything seemed good. This weekend, a couple weeks after installing the new battery, I went to install new window run channel weatherstripping and the new battery was completely dead.

Is there anything common on these cars that causes a battery draw? Everything is pretty much stock besides an aftermarket radio. I'm pretty sure the radio is on the same fuse that I removed for the sunvisor lights. Prior to installing the new battery I had removed the dome light bulb. The light for the cargo / hatch area was removed from the car when we disassembled the car a few months ago.

Anyone have any ideas on what I should look at or how I go about finding the source of the draw?

 

[AeroCoupe]

Remove the positive cable and then attach one end of a test light to the cable and the other to the positive post. If it lights up you have a draw. If you have a draw pull a fuse from the fuse block and see if the test light goes out. Continue this until the test light goes out. Do not reinstall any of the fuses as you pull them.

If you pull all the fuses and the light is still on then you are down to what is powered directly off of the starter solenoid. This is where a wiring diagram comes in handle.

 

[pindude80]

Sounds like a great way to diagnose the battery draw issue. I'll give it a go. Thanks!

 

[pindude80]

Last night I hooked my test light up between the positive battery cable and the positive battery terminal. The light did not light up indicating a draw. I thought for sure I would have seen a draw but I didn't. I think it sat for about 2 weeks last time and the battery was completely dead. I would think it should be able to sit longer than two weeks before the battery would go completely dead. I hooked the battery back up. I'll keep an eye on it to see how long it takes before the battery goes dead again.

I want to change the wheels and tires on the car. I would like to run the staggered 10th anniversary wheels from LMR that are in the link below. The rears are 275/40/17 and the fronts are 255/40/17. I really do not want to roll the rear quarters or beat on / clearance the inner wheelhouses. Anyone have experience with these wheels and tires? I would like to order them but I'm worried they might not fit and LMR's return policy states that if the wheels have been mounted on the car they are not returnable. Also, they sell the wheels with tires- you can get Summitomo HTR Z5 or Nitto NT555 G2 tires; the Nittos are $200 more. I am on the fence about going with Nittos or Summitomos so let me know your opinion or thoughts on the tires.

https://lmr.com/item/WTK-1007DBAS/Mustang-SVE-Anniversary-Staggered-Wheel-Tire-Anthracite-ZII

 

[AeroCoupe]

Okay, I may have hosed that. Try the negative cable on the battery.

I had some Sumitomo’s a few years back and they were terrible. Would flat spot if the car sat for a couple days but once they warmed up that went away. Traction was non-existent. I have heard really good things about the Nitto 555 G2’s but only have experience with the Ridgegrappler’s and 555 R2’s of which both are great.

 

[DadLife0724]

I know for a fact that most batteries are made in the same place. For example, when a certain auto parts store I will not name started selling another brand of battery, it was literally pull the old stickers off the batteries and put the new ones on with the other brand name. Sooooo, what I'm getting at is most batteries now days are crap and of the same make. Could just be junk Batts.

 

[pindude80]

Okay, I may have hosed that. Try the negative cable on the battery.

I had some Sumitomo’s a few years back and they were terrible. Would flat spot if the car sat for a couple days but once they warmed up that went away. Traction was non-existent. I have heard really good things about the Nitto 555 G2’s but only have experience with the Ridgegrappler’s and 555 R2’s of which both are great.

No, I don't think you hosed it at all. At first I was wondering how would the test light work not being hooked up to a ground but I hooked it up from postive post on the battery to the postitve cable anyway. I tried re-installing the fuse for the visor lights and when I did the test light came on. I also tried holding down the button for the visor lights. When I held down the visor light button the test light went off so, from what I can tell, your diagnostic procedure was correct. For the heck of it I might try hooking the test light up between the negative cable on the battery and the positive cable when it is off of the battery and see what happens.

I appreciate you letting me know how your experience was with Summitomos. Nittos seem to have a good reputation so probably will be worth it to spend the extra $200 if I buy tires with the wheels. Who knows, maybe I'll just buy wheels and get my own tires.

 

[pindude80]

I know for a fact that most batteries are made in the same place. For example, when a certain auto parts store I will not name started selling another brand of battery, it was literally pull the old stickers off the batteries and put the new ones on with the other brand name. Sooooo, what I'm getting at is most batteries now days are crap and of the same make. Could just be junk Batts.

Years ago I heard that Johnson Controls was the only manufacturer of batteries and they were all made by them regardless of the brand name on the battery. I agree and think for the most part all batteries are overpriced junk now a days. For the past 3 or 4 years I have been buying all of my batteries from Wal-Mart and have to say they have performed well and are much cheaper than buying batteries at the auto parts stores.

 

[AeroCoupe]

All my buddies that fish swear by the Walmart batteries. Eventually they either move up to or want to move up to lithium.

 

[DadLife0724]

Years ago I heard that Johnson Controls was the only manufacturer of batteries and they were all made by them regardless of the brand name on the battery. I agree and think for the most part all batteries are overpriced junk now a days. For the past 3 or 4 years I have been buying all of my batteries from Wal-Mart and have to say they have performed well and are much cheaper than buying batteries at the auto parts stores.

Sad part is, the walmart batteries are probably the same as the parts store batteries. Parts stores are way overpriced..... probably the "free installation".

I've had a Rural King batt in my car for 2 years. Didn't even have to charge it when I pulled car out this past spring. Hoping for same next spring. Can't beat 60ish bucks.

 

[General karthief]

probably the "free installation".

Think about it....would you PAY to have a 'keeboard cashier ' install a battery in your ride??

 

[pindude80]

Sad part is, the walmart batteries are probably the same as the parts store batteries. Parts stores are way overpriced..... probably the "free installation".

I've had a Rural King batt in my car for 2 years. Didn't even have to charge it when I pulled car out this past spring. Hoping for same next spring. Can't beat 60ish bucks.

I've heard good things about Rural King batteries. If there was a Rural King near me I would try their batteries. I've always put the cheapie battery tenders from Harbor Freight on my batteries through the winter and they are good to go in the spring. I think the battery tenders are crucial in getting good life out of batteries in cars, or equipment, that isn't run often.

 

[General karthief]

I will jump on the battery tender bandwagon, my reason is the battery in Brand X is a 6 volt, the battery lasted years, yes a 6 volt battery lasting years, the tender finally crapped out and I need to replace it.

 

[AeroCoupe]

I use one on my Optima red top that is about 8 years old now. Have to have on that desulfates on the AGM style batteries.

 

[Noobz347]

I use one on my Optima red top that is about 8 years old now. Have to have on that desulfates on the AGM style batteries.

I like those batteries except for cold regions that regularly get to below zero.

One Aerospace Ground Equipment, they seem to do fine. On automobiles, not so much.

 

[pindude80]

Thanks to Aerocoupe's suggestion on hooking a test light up between the positive cable and positive battery terminal I was able to narrow down my battery draw. It's on the circuit that is for the interior lights, radio, etc. I'm thinking it's the Pioneer aftermarket head unit. If it ends up being the radio I'm going to be kind of surprised that the constant voltage to retain the memory in the radio is draining the battery in a week or two. I'm going to pull the radio and disconnect the constant power wire to see if that fixes the power draw issue.

 

[General karthief]

You have lighted vanity visors?
Take out the three screws and drop down the visor, the wire have a connection right there, unplug them and see if that takes care of it.

 

[pindude80]

Yes, I do have lighted vanity visors. I taped the buttons down for the visor lights durning my battery draw test but these were originally one of my main suspects for the battery draw. I was meaning to actually make a post about how to disable them so I'm glad you brough them up because they do turn on from time to time on their own. I will disconnect the visor lights before it goes back on the street and I will re-run the battery draw test.

 

[pindude80]

I ordered the door to body weatherstripping from LMR. I paid the extra few bucks for the kind that is supposed to be the exact same as the original Ford weatherstripping. I'm going to try and install it in the next day or two. I've never replaced it before on a foxbody, I would think it's pretty straight-forward. Any tips or tricks?

On a side note, I ordered new Daniel Carpenter drip rails from LMR. My body guy and I put on on last week, it didn't follow the roof line properly. It didn't completely go over the pinch weld channel like the factory drip rails do so I'm going to contact LMR and see about returning them. I re-painted my factory drip rails and will be installing those soon also. When you guys install the drip rails do you add butyl tape to the crevice in the trim or do you just roll with the left over goop that the factory put in there? I'm not sure why they put it on there unless it's supposed to help the clips hold it on and / or dampen squeaks and rattles.

 

[gkomo]

The door to body weatherstripping is pretty self explanatory (at least for 87-93's) as it fits right on a lip of metal and you push it down, so you can't really not put it in the right place. Only tip i would say is start your new weatherstripping in the same place the original was and make a nice clean cut (they give you more than you need) when you line up the seams between the two ends.