Anyone ever experience this problem in a mkVIII

[Smoke and Mirrors]

My mark VIII has been parked in the driveway now for 4 weeks. When i went out to drive the car,the first thing was the remote didn't open the doors. So i open them with the key and go to start the car.....NOTHING! No bells,no whistles nothing. I checked it with a volt meter and i got ".29 volts". The battery is only 8 months old and the only thing i have on the car is an after market stereo with 2 amps totaling 400 watts. The cables are clean and no doors were left open or lights on.
I'm i to look for a problem here like a draw on the system or has this happened to anyone else and it just came from sitting?:shifty:

 

[Aquabrit]

Wouldn't the stock alarm system have a current draw and drain the battery down?

 

[poniesviii]

Wouldn't the stock alarm system have a current draw and drain the battery down?

It'd take about two years.

I say you have a bad ground, possibly alternator going bad?.

 

[MediumD]

Check to see if your sound system key-on is wired correctly (to switched 12v, not constant.)

 

[htrdlincoln98]

Not sure exactly how the air hide works but I've heard mine come on with the car parked. If the bags are leaking that might drain the battery. Is the car sitting low that could be one sign.

 

[96hotrodlincoln]

The airride will make some adjustments, if the bags are leaking, but it has a time out. I quote Kale's documentation,

"While the car is parked, the computer uses a different strategy, called the short term strategy. This means the computer will adjust immediately according to the input of its height sensors. This is why the car will vent when jacked up with the air suspension switch on. What happens is the sensors sense the car is too high so the computer tries to compensate by venting air out of the system. Since the the jack is under the car not allowing it to drop, the computer ends up venting for the maximum length of time (45 seconds). This should not hurt anything and the car should raise back up to trim height when started. This short term strategy has a time window of one hour. At the end of the hour period, the computer runs a check of it's sensors and will raise the car if necessary at that time."

So that would not explain the battery drainage if the key had not been in the run position for four weeks.

 

[Blenderhead]

You have a current draw somewhere. Hook up an ammeter in line series with one of the battery terminals, and measure the draw with everything off and all the doors closed. Next, open the door and see how much it goes up. Now pull the fuse for the interior lights and it should go back to the first reading. Now start pulling fuses one at a time until the reading drops to almost nothing. Whatever that last fuse you pulled was, your problem is on that circuit.

 

[Smoke and Mirrors]

Thanks to all. This is good information. The stereo was installed using a harness adapter from a stereo shop and i don't think i got that wrong,but i'll check it too. PoniesVIII...you spoke of the alternator going bad. I checked the charging system and got 14.5,which drops to 13.8 or so with lights,stereo,and a/c on at idle. Blenderhead...thats real good info and i'll perform that check,thanks.

 

[vr4]

yes you have a drain somewhere. i let mine sit for 2 months and it still started (slowly but it did)

by the alternator he means it could be the source of the drain. it can still charge normally and cause a draw when off.