2002 SAAB 9-3 repair Question Battery Drain

HLMCDONA

MEMBER
2002 SAAB 9-3
4 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
94,450 MILES

I recently replaced my car battery, only to have to replace it again a few weeks later. Though that battery tested bad and was replaced for free by the shop I purchased it from, my impression from the way my car is running is that this battery is dying too and that I may have a drain.

Today, my antenna stopped working - it is stuck in the up position, though I can hear the motor trying to raise and lower it as I turn the radio off and on. Could this drain my battery? Should I disconnect the antenna?

Thank you for any help!

3 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,912 POSTS

Hi hlmcdona. Welcome to the forum. First of all, does the power antenna work properly while the engine is running? If it does, that is most likely not the cause of the drain. A drain only affects the battery when the engine is off. It sounds like you might have a charging problem and the car is running off just the battery until it dies. Use a cheap digital voltmeter to measure the voltage between the two battery terminals while the engine is running. It must be between 13.75 and 14.75 volts. If it stays around 12.0 to 12.6 volts, the generator is not working. The low voltage can cause the power antenna and other systems to not work properly. Generators can be intermittent too so you may have to measure the battery voltage when the problem acts up.

Caradiodoc

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Friday, April 30th, 2010 AT 12:58 PM

HLMCDONA

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Thanks so much for the reply. I will definitely get a digital voltmeter and check it out. The antenna does not work with the motor running - I hear it trying to work, but it just doesn't go down. If it doesn't work with the engine running, does that it make it more suspicious as the cause of the drain (if there is one!).

Thanks again so much for your help.

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Friday, April 30th, 2010 AT 1:12 PM

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,912 POSTS

Yes. If you can hear the motor run after the ignition switch has been off for a few seconds, it may continue trying to go down until the battery is run down. Try pushing the mast down by hand. If it suddenly goes down on its own, the plastic flex track is stripped. I know for Chryslers you can buy just the mast and track. If you can't get that for your car from the dealer, the entire antenna assembly will have to be replaced.

Caradiodoc

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Friday, April 30th, 2010 AT 9:50 PM