Silvia Club of NSW

Hey Guys.

Just joined the forums after I recently picked up a nifty S13 for a bargain price, was going cheap because someone thought it deserved a new paint job and threw a bucket of gold paint all over it, haha.

Anyway, paint seems to be clearing off nicely with a bit of thinner, but now I have a bigger issue. I didn't know at the time but something is draining the battery horribly, so badly so that after driving it home the other night it refused to turn over in the morning. The previous owner kept extensive receipts and among them was 5 receipts for battery replacements in the last 5 years or so. Most of them said the same thing, that something was draining the power but the issue appeared to not have been resolved.

I would try and return the car but even with this defect it's still a bargain, was just wondering if this was a common issue with S13s and if anyone has had any experience with it before, or maybe that there's a few things I can check or a simple fix before I ship it off to the electrician.

Cheers in advance.

what brand of battery is fitted
check if there is current being drawn with the ignition off
is there anything aftermarket like a cd player, xbox, neon lights, alarm
if so check the wiring and earth points
check that the boot isn't staying on or interior
it could be the alternator isn't hooked up right
check all wiring there might be a short or melted or worn wires
more information could help

if you have no idea, just take it to an auto electrician

No, it's not a common problem.

I would bet that someone was wired a stereo or gauge or something into constant power, rather than accessory power. It could even be an alarm or something.

Your best bet is to take it to an auto-sparky and get them to sort it out if you don't have much of a clue.

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Car is pretty much stock standard, battery is a standard nrma replacement. Immobilizer seems a bit dodgy though. Seems like it's short somewhere, as it looks like a problem that's developed over time rather than because someone's been tinkering with it.

But yeah, electrics are always a massive headache, off to the sparkie it goes!

Usually problems like this are caused by an alarm. If its a crusty old alarm, pull it out.

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