In what looks like an arty attempt at double exposure, the old Chevy above appears to levitate above its tires. But I’m not that talented. This weird image was taken near the Wardner Castle in Fairhaven, said to be one of the most haunted locations in Bellingham, Wash. Was this strange episode something for the Ecto-1 or just a ghost in the machine? When my ancient Honda Accord died recently, the culprit was a “parasitic drain on the battery.”
What kind of automotive paranormalities have you encountered lately?
As an engineer, I’m afraid I look for normal, if sometimes elusive, causes. Boring, I know. By the way, I’ve recently noticed that the term “vampire drain” is used frequently now when referring to parasitic drain, particularly for EV’s.
Hi dman,
I’ve heard “vampire drain” too lately, and it sounds like an apt description.
With my old Honda, I thought the battery was draining because the fan would run after shutting down the engine. So I checked for a bad fan relay, then a bad ECU. Finally it got fixed along with some other stuff at the shop (after I gave up!). But it’s running now and hopefully for the foreseeable future.
I had this sort of battery drain crop up on two 1982 Pontiacs, a J2000 and a Phoenix. The latter turned out to be a glove box light that didn’t shut off when closed – that’s the first thing I would check, open the glovebox, trunk, hood etc. and close it almost all the way to be sure the light goes out. I never did find the problem with the J2000 (suspect a bad relay somewhere) and just disconnected and reconnected the positive battery lead whenever I was parked for more than a half hour for the last few months I owned it. In hindsight I could have figured out which fuse controlled it which would have been easier than futzing with the battery (and maybe provide a clue as to where the problem was) but 20-year-old me wasn’t a good diagnostician.
I think mine had something to do with the plunger in the door that turned the dome light on and off. Totally stuck in the “plunged” position. That was somehow sucking the life out of the battery.
I wouldn’t call it a vampire drain, but I have noticed the batteries in my last two cars haven’t lasted as long as in years past. One would buy a Sears Diehard and forget about it for 4 or 5 years.
In my current SUV, 36 months and it’s flat. No issues, no gremlins, no hard starts till month 36 arrives. I would imagine there are constant drains (leaving the GPS constantly hooked to the always hot 12v plug, a bunch of electronics, etc). I now write the date of install and make a point to replace on time.
Reminds me of the “old days” when they had those little plastic tabs you could pull out of the battery to show the date purchased. Are even those now a thing of the past?
It looks haunted .
Parasitic drains are a real thing in modern vehicles .
Always use a lamp when testing for parasitic drains never a meter .
-Nate
Definitely haunted.
I’ll try to post a link to a story about Wardner’s Castle.
I had to track one down that would only kill the battery during wet weather. Tracked it down to water leaking into the dome light switch in the door post. The waterlogged switch would conduct enough to flatten a battery but not quite enough to illuminate the light to where it was easily visible.
Not car related but about 35 years ago visiting Ireland with my partner. Took a picture of him on a derelict castle staircase. There is an image of another person in the photo that only the camera captured. Back in the day I had the photo slide analyzed. it is not any kind of double image, fault of the film or fault of the camera.
I am sure I still have the photo / slide somewhere with about 600 pictures I took over the years (packed away somewhere in a closet or basement).
What a great story!
With 600 images it sounds like you have the makings of a website or Instagram. Would love to see your Irish ghost…