[seattlebrad]

I have a 1999 sts that has NOT been a problem for years and now all of the sudden is discharging the battery, I tried disconnecting the power at the fwd fuse block and the alt power wire. the abttery still runs down. this means the power drain is connected thru the fuse panel under the rear seat, when the neg battery cable is removed/reattached i hear relays closing, removing the one that was closing makes others close and so on .... difficult to pinpoint to just one relay. also, the amp for the radio is energized, the sub "pops" when neg battery cable is "brushed" against the battery terminal ...is it possible the switch on the transmission (actual ignition switch) is a problem and some of the assy's are stilll powered up. does it make a difference how the relays are oriented in the fuse block - I havent located a schematic to prove-disprove orientation

 

[JimD]

What is the age of your battery? Anything beyond five to six years is a gift.

Have your battery load-tested to put that issue to rest.

Hearing relays clicking is normal. The car has an intelligent retained accessory power system that will put (almost) all the various modules to sleep within 10 minutes of all the doors being closed.

Verify the condition of your battery as a first diagnostic step.

Displaying trouble codes (DTCs) is a logical second diagnostic step.
Here's how to do that (scroll down a little to get to your model/year):
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-tech-tips/55172-how-pull-codes-got-codes-warning.html

 

[seattlebrad]

thanks for the heads-up...pulled the codes already but dont have definitions for their meaning...can u help...also, can you tell me if all of the "mini" relays should be facing the same direction when seated in the fuse block...also a curious thing, the cigar lighter "maxi" relay is active (powered up) when the doors are closed and key is off...strange seems this would consume power constantly....The battery is brand new bty....if I run the car every day it will start, but if i let it sit a day the constant drain pulls the battery all the way down...whats up with the active rundown protection ? no warnings in the DIC ..is the built in battery rundown protection configureable ? thanks

 

[JimD]

thanks for the heads-up...pulled the codes already but dont have definitions for their meaning...can u help

Lots of folks here can supply definitions. And I have a .txt file that is emailable.

...also, can you tell me if all of the "mini" relays should be facing the same direction when seated in the fuse block

Relays that can plugged in two different ways are designed idiot proof.
Relays that must be installed correctly are designed such that you cannot install them incorrectly.

...also a curious thing, the cigar lighter "maxi" relay is active (powered up) when the doors are closed and key is off...strange seems this would consume power constantly.

The retained power system will shut things down after approximately 10 minutes.

The battery is brand new bty.

Brand new batteries can fail a load test right off the shelf.

.is the built in battery rundown protection configureable ?

No.

 

[seattlebrad]

all, ...I finally gave up and took the car to the auto electrician (hiline auto electric 206-243-8910) they located the drain source to be the "on-star" module...with module disabled (unpluged) draw at battery after sitting overnight approx 34millivolt +- a millivolt or two ....anybody heard of this ? not an issue due to the fact that "on-star" requires a "digital" cell phone and the STS mobile phone in 1999 is analog so "on-star" is not available to the old analog system in the vehicle. just a note to let you all know what was determined three hundred eighty dollars later. SO i'm not going to upgrade the vehicles phone or subscribe to on-star so not a problem to disable that module .....Brad

p.s. anybody ever replace a front motor mount on this beast, liquid filled type on this STS ... I am troubled the dealer wants just under a thousand dollars to replace it, most of which is labor, the part cost is under eighty dollars

 

[Submariner409]

The 30 mA drain is right in the ballpark for parasitic load in your car, and is the reason some members, leaving their cars for a week or two, will hook up a small "smart" battery maintainer.

Your OnStar cannot be upgraded to the newer OnStar digital, so unless you want to do a full Bluetooth install, leave it unplugged.

Talk to Jake - the stud man at the top of the main page - or look for the thread "Those damned motor mounts" in the Northstar Performance threads.

 

[FrankT]

p.s. anybody ever replace a front motor mount on this beast, liquid filled type on this STS ... I am troubled the dealer wants just under a thousand dollars to replace it, most of which is labor, the part cost is under eighty dollars

Wow, labor book time for the front motor mount is .8hr. So, your dealer is charging over $800.00 per hr? That motor mount should take about 1hr to replace and that's doing on your back with a few cold ones in between the job.
Call around and get a couple of prices from some other dealers or small mom and pop shops. Or better yet, if you can, do it yourself. I believe Ranger posted a motor mount R&R in the tech tips section of the forms.
Take Care, Frank

 

[tateos]

I think the motor mount is not the easiest thing to change. On your car, I think the dealer should be able to do it in an hour - for me, it took more like two hours

 

[FrankT]

Ya, I agree, not the easiest thing to change, especially if you never done it before. But regardless, on a hoist with air tools, and even taking 2 hours to do the complete job, $800.00 for labor is still steep. Heck, you may as well spend an additional $1,200, take it to Jake's and get the head gaskets replaced too.

After 3 motor mounts :annoyed: I now have my front motor mount tie down with a cable. Its been a couple of weeks and its holding just fine. Total cost for parts= $4.99,+ labor = 2 cold ones.