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need batyery help

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H

Howard

Lifer
What kind of thread is in the terminals of an OE battery for a 2005 CTS?

Stupid thing can't be connected to any jump starter or charger unless the car connectors are on but the car has lights on and I can't turn them off

Drained overnight and not sure how as nothing was turned on when ihot back into the car

I'm going to see if I can get some screws to screw in so I can hook up my charger but I dontbhave the tools to check the thread

E battery terminals are the kind that have female threads only

Sorry in rush

REWRITTEN POST BELOW:

I need to figure out what the female thread is, on my 2005 CTS OE battery's side-post terminals. The only way to connect anything to the battery is through the OE battery connectors which are "three-way": male thread to go into the battery terminals, cable to go to the electrical system, and hex head for tightening (and alligator clamping). I want to charge the battery after taking it out of the car, because there is a draw from the cabin lights which I can't turn off, but I can't hook up my charger because it doesn't have male threads and there are no posts to clamp onto. If I can get the right screws I'll put the alligator clips onto the heads of those screws and charge it with my CTEK.

I'm not sure how the battery drained, but when I got into the car, everything was dead. No juice to even power the door lock solenoids or trunk solenoid. What was strange, though, was that the overhead cabin lights were on (dimly) and I couldn't turn them off (the manual switches and the main light slide-switch weren't working). I don't know if those lights are to warn that the battery is dead, or if those lights got turned on after I got out of the car overnight and drained the system that way.

Last week I had someone change my aftermarket HID system, replacing all the bulbs and ballasts, but I don't think they would've accidentally shorted anything? Would a bad ballast draw power even if the lights aren't turned on?
 
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Auto parts sites seem to indicate 3/8-16. They sell studs and posts that can be threaded in.

In the rare case that the cables have a spare few inches (and if you're replacing the battery, anyhow), chop the ends off and convert to top post. I'd rather have the cheapest universal lead top post terminals over retarded side posts.
 
Thanks guys. 3/8"-16 was the right size, but I only got around to putting the charger on now (didn't have time to get the screws) and it seems like the battery's a goner.

Oh well. 9 years for a battery is pretty damn good, but I hope I can figure out where the drain is coming from when I get the new one.

EDIT: http://www.amazon.com/Multi-12-Volt-Smart-Battery-Charger/dp/B000FQBWCY is what I'm using and it's not giving me anything. Yesterday when I had it hooked up to the battery (in-car) I was actually getting a charge but it was fighting the draw from the cabin lights which I could not turn off for the life of me.
 
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A nine year old battery? I wouldn't worry about that draining. It's way too old. It didn't drain, it's dead. It's an ex-battery. It's pining for the fjords.

If a new battery has the problem, then you can worry and try to find the cause. My guess is that a new battery will not have any draining problems.

That charger is really just a maintainer, I think. It would take it a long time to recharge a healthy discharged battery.

I really wouldn't bother trying to charge a 9 year old car battery with it, or at all. It's lasted way longer than normal already.
 
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Best way to track down drains is with a current loop over the terminal, and start pulling fuses one by one until you see a drop. Then you can isolate troubleshooting to that system.
 
Pull out the cabin lights first to see if they themselves are the draw.

IF so; live with out them or start tracing from there.

Cabin lights are usually connected to one of two switches.

Doors or light switch.
Ensure that the light switch is completely off.
check the door switches first - one could be bent/jammed creating a circuit

Simple items can be overlooked because they are simple.
 
I really wouldn't worry about a 9 year old battery dying overnight...I wouldn't waste any time troubleshooting that unless it also happens with a new battery.
 
+1 replace the battery. 9 years, you got your money and then some.


My bet is that the headlight guy was turning the lights on/off, leaving on, etc testing them without the engine running.
 
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