National Desoto Club

The battery of my DeSolto 1949 custom convertible is being drained at a rate of 0.75 emp, even when all the systems have been shut down. Where kind I find the fuses ( if any)? Has anybody had this kind of problem? I love to hear from you

with kind regards
Jan Hermans

Hi Jan,

Yes, I had a 1949 Desoto 4-door sedan and had a battery discharge issue similar to yours. There are probably 10 unfused circuits in the S13 model that could be a source of battery drain- mine turned out to be a bad mercury switch on the trunk light. Do you have a shop manual for your car? I strongly suggest you get one- they have been reprinted and are only about $20- a very good investment. They are available from many bookstores on the web. I got mine from Faxon literature in California, but there are many other sources too. The manual has a wiring schematic that you can use to trouble shoot your battery drain issue.

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Brent Jacobsen
Owner of a 1952 Desoto Firedome

Hi Brent
thank you so much for your answer. This is a good start to solve the power drain issue. I have seen the wiring diagram and hope that we can find the problem.
I will let you know how this all ends hopefully to a good end.
Have a very nice day and let's enjoy our car again to the fullest

with kind regards
Jan Hermans

That darn trunk light is a pesky thing on many cars. Had the same story on a friend with a 60s model something or other....

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It's supposed to be fun!
1949 De Soto Custom Convertible (project)

the main issue was indeed the trunk light that was the cause of the battery drain. But we also found out that the dynamo and the regulater also have to be replaced. That we will do next week (fingers crossed haha). Thank you again for your kind answer to my question. With kind regards Jan Hermans