you can use a amp probe on each fuse one at a time to see if there is a draw on that particular circuit with engine off.

have you confirmed your hood or trunk light actually turn off when you close hood or trunk?

sounds like there is a ghost drain going on

 

My dad thanks it’s the starter. Can I check it with a Multimeter

 

Battery drain

I had a similar issue that ended up being the door chime/interior light module. Something internal to it was using juice all the time.
Swapped it and no more issues.
It's an easy check though. Just pull it out for awhile.
Down by your left foot if seated in drivers seat.
Later,

 

You need to properly troubleshoot the electrical system, and stop guessing. Throwing parts at it is expensive. If you can not do it, have a qualified shop troubleshoot it. It could be something as simple as a switch not closing.

 

How would a shop do it? Would it be like the other guy said? By checking the fuses with a amp gauge

 

using a amp probe clamp meter is how to find the problem ..

in nov 1995 when I purchased my 96 Impala I removed the hood and trunk lamps . this is a common problem battery drain .. lamps never put back in.

alternator new if you purchased a re manufactured alternator that is IMO a bad purchase..

find the drain of the battery is time consuming but not hard.

on the key error.. what are the resistances you have 2 keys ?

I have used electronic /maf cleaner to clean up the key hole .. use straw blow in a small amount.. DO NOT USE ANY ACETONE / BRAKE CLEAN ....

only maf/electronic cleaner that is safe for rubber/paint / plastics/wiring etc.. read label carefully..

your throwing parts at an old vehicle is not how to properly fix stuff..
there are professionals that do this so you pay for their guesses..

if you do not have the ability to do this troubleshooting best buy a new vehicle every 4 years ... LOL..

 

I'd start by checking the battery cables.

 

I’m getting a pass key light this morning on the dash

 

I checked both keys with a multimeter they both read the same resistance. So if the resistor in the Key Is good I’m not shore why I would get that light. Maybe the contacts are dirty.
As far as knowing how to trouble shoot things or working on my car vs throwing on parts. I replaced every thing because I could afford it and it was for peace of mind and when I do have an issue on this particular car I do like to ask advise on here from a idk stand point to gather lots of ideas and suggestion befor I start.
Sometimes I’ll ask the question even when I already know just to see what others idea is because I can’t stand a know it all that can’t be told any thing so they learn by trial by fire.
But any time I end up having to repair something on this car and it’s something I haven’t did yet I like to replace every thing new.

 

Nothing wrong with asking questions. That's how you learn.
If folks (FK) would just be supportive instead of adding criticism it would help also....
Keep at it.

 

Battery vs Alternator and their purpose. the battery is a static Load and usually around 12V and will supply Power (volts) and Current (amps) for a limited amount of time. Once it drains, it needs to be recharged or kept at a level to prevent discahrge while suppling volts/current. The alternators job is to help keep the battery charged while it is in use and supplying volts/amps to devices. Usually a quick check of the alternator is simply using a DVM (Digital Volt Meter) to see what battery voltage is with the engine running. Usually, a working alty will keep battery voltage around 14.2 Volts. If you see that while running and then back to around 12V with engine off then the alty is most likely ok.

Lets assume the issue with battery drain is some circuit is active and draining your battery. How best to find this? For me, I would first see what current draw the battery has while the car is just sitting. There should be a small of current (milliamps) for things like radio/clock/alarm LED, etc. But if you are seeing larger amps being pulled from the battery you have a Circuit issue somewhere. the best way to find which circuit? Pull all the fuses and check the battery drain again. Most likely it is normal. Now replace each fuse one at a time and check for current draw after each fuse is installed. Once you get the high current draw again, you have at least narrowed down the circuit causing the problem.

That is half the battle. Now that you know which circuit, it could just be a simple matter of a bad device/bulb/etc in there causing the issue. It could be more involved and be a wire that is shorted to ground or metal somewhere or something like that. There are Circuit schematics available that will help you trace out wires and parts pretty easily. But to me the key is narrowing down the culprit so you can then fix it. GL as electrical issues can sometimes be a PITA but can also be something silly like a shorted wire/bulb on/ etc.

 

on the key good both have same resistance .. check that the tits on the key are not worn too much as if the key was on a ring with other keys the pellet will be worn down and not making good contact.. yes I have had to spray the proper solvent in the key hole a few times over 22yrs.. did it last year..


replacing parts on these can create more problems .. reason is some are china crap..



parts I had to replace 4 water pumps .. this last pump I installed is working perfect no weep at the weep hole but back in 1996 it did weep....GM said its normal...


I am on the 3 rd EGR valve reason is these fail at 10yrs age kills them. I did replace the opti because when I did the 3rd water pump and checked it the rotor had a slight wobble .. well 3yrs later the aftermarket opti crapped out tried getting a new one that would work well that was a PITA.. had to install the original one .. works great but it does have a slight rotor wobble..


the other parts are the coil and ICM... coil would cause miss fires on damp days .. I could see the arcing in the dark...
replaced the rear rotors rust on them .. and a set of brake pads front rear.


this spring radiator had a crack on the driver side plastic tank so I replaced that ..idler arm was replaced in 1997 with the HD one no sloppy steering..
blower resistor replaced lost one speed ,,has about it 82K miles ..


cheap repairs when you do the troubleshooting and find good parts..

 

Thank you brothers

 

 

Huf...short of you going over to OP's house and doing it for him, the video makes it "crystal clear" on how to find a parasitic draw

 

:surprise: Did not watch all of it. Is it that bad? Sorry. Sure, one should also know how to use a multimeter, at least.

 

you fix /find the battery issue ?

 

No not yet but I’m really thanking it was the key. It happened again so instead of jumping the car like always I just pulled the fues to the pcm, reinstalled it and it started right up.
I’m a union pipefitter, I got a last minute call to go to husky Refinery right after I started that post so I haven’t got to do anything

 

No not yet but I’m really thanking it was the key. It happened again so instead of jumping the car like always I just pulled the fuses to the pcm, reinstalled it and it started right up.
I’m a union pipefitter, I got a last minute call to go to husky Refinery right after I started that post so I haven’t got to do anything

to know if it is the battery when it fails when you crank it,, you turn headlights on and open the drivers door.. Then look at the interior Dome lamp .. lamp on looks normal then as you turn key look at the dome lamp.. if the lamp does stay on then it sure can be the key issue which is common as they get old...
IMO I do not replace parts on a guess ..more parts changing causes more problems esp. if you have some wrench spinner work on the electrical s..


did you use electrical contact cleaner in the key hole ?

 

No nothing yet. I mean I got a call Wednesday to relocate four hours from home for a job on Thursday. I just threw everything in the car and left.
I’m really planning on trying to clean the contacts tonight with the mass airflow cleaner like you said.
This is one problem I don’t want to try to change any parts! the lights don’t dim when I hit the key everything works is normal, the car just doesn’t start and pass key light come one.
If it was to totally take a dump on me though I think I would just pull the wire out of The ignition and put a resistor in it directly... ?

 

Ok I just stopped at O’Reillys I bought a product from CRC called QD electronic cleaner what do you think ?

 

does the product state safe for plastics/rubber/wiring /circuit boards ? IF so then should be safe .. also a 1-2 sec spray is all that's needed very short squirt using the straw..


do my test if it screws up again .. battery/starter power or key/pcm other odd electrical stuff..


intermittent electrcals are tough to find ... good if it does fail ,then you can track it down ..


should also be safe for MAF cleaning ,,,.


I looked the spray up .. safe to use alcohol based .. probably denatured alcohol .. used this denatured alcohol in Navy to clean up electronic components..

 

I thank it worked!

 

Maybe? The car started but I steel have the light

 

wipe the key tits with the cloth /cleaner and give the key hole another hit .. then quickly put key in hole and out and wipe the tits down .. I hope that's it ..

there is a key bypass posting on here on how to do it properly but I never did do this procedure...

 

I give it another spray befor I read your last post and no light.

 

After I had one "passkey fault" theft module go bad and I was "green" and replaced it at the cost of $600+ back in 2005; when it started to act up again I did the bypass. When mine passkey fault light came on the car would not start but sometimes it did and the light went off shortly after I started to drive. I didn't have the issue after the bypass. I've had my 96 since 2004 and I've never cleaned the ignition hole (giggady) but I will do that today for GP.

 

Cleaning mine has seemed to work