My battery keeps going dead. Ive been to AutoZone and checked the battery, and they said its fine. They said the alternator was only putting out 1 amp, so I replaced it along with the cables, but the battery keeps going dead after a few days. Ive had the battery checked twice and they suggested I didnt need a new one. I checked the ground when replacing the cable. Does anyone have any ideas why this keeps happening? Even when the battery is fully charged, the engine cranks quite a bit and produces a whine and takes 4 seconds or so to start, which has never been an issue. I dont know if this is related though.
2006-09-22 14:12:48 · 13 answers · asked by Slick Mac 2 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Ive considered battery drainage due to lights, but I have checked and not found any evidence of a drainage issue. If I dont start it for a few days, I can go out and it will start. If I drive it around for a few blocks shut it off and restart it, then it wont start?
2006-09-22 14:21:21 · update #1
This happened to me! What was happening was the battery wasn't sitting quite right where it was supposed to, and the top thingies were in contact with the hood of the car, which was draining the battery.
So try putting electrical tape on the underside of the hood, where the battery is, to keep from making an electrical contact. Or you can tape up the positive and negative thingies (can't remember what they're called) so the charge can't run out.
2006-09-22 14:21:16 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Sounds to me like you've got a parasitic draw somewhere in your electrical system. First shut off all the car's lights and accessories then close all the doors. With the battery in the car, first remove the negative battery terminal. Now, using a multimeter set to the DC volts scale put one probe on the negative terminal of the battery and the other probe to ground. Read the meter. If you read more than about a quarter of a volt, you have a draw somewhere. Troubleshoot the draw by having someone remove fuses one at a time until you see the meter voltage drop. When you see the voltage drop, you’ve found the circuit in which you have a power drain. Thoroughly examine that circuit, area by area, until you locate the reason for the voltage drop. Isolate and repair the problem. If this doesn't fix the problem, take extra care for a few days and see that all the lights are off before you walk away from the car for the evening. It could be something so simple as a door that hasn't closed fully, causing an interior light to remain on overnight or maybe a bad switch on an under hood or trunk light. Any of those are more than enough to do the job. I've done it myself, more than once. Usually, a full battery charge will take care of it. Even a jump start and running the car for an hour or so should build your battery up enough to get you going again as long as your alternator is doing its job. There are different methods that will get you the answer you need, this is just one of the ways to accomplish the same thing.
2016-03-27 03:03:57 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Check the alternator again make sure this one is good it is possible to get ahold of a new one that it bad... if not if you've recently installed an alarm or stereo system or lights or something of that nature on the car then it possible you have a wire connected in the wrong place or left hanging lose somewhere it's very possible that it's draining the battery. If you have aftermarket anything on the car it's possible the part has gone bad or a wiring job has gone wrong or are leaving something plugged into the cig. lighter it will drain the battery. Maybe you have a light staying on. Good luck finding the problem... get a voltage meter and go around the car checking if nothing else works.
2006-09-22 14:26:37 · answer #3 · answered by moonlights_rain 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hmm, if its getting good power except for a few things, when you get a chance check the contacts by the starter, sounds like a rusty contact somewhere or on occasion it might even be a solenoid, basically a big wire thats near the engine, if that gets a little frayed over time it can drain battery power with little tiny arcs that might be rubbing against metal somewhere. but thats my best guess
2006-09-24 18:07:37 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
you need to check for key off current draw. The draw should be about .010-.030 milliamps if there is a high draw make sure all lights are off and check again. if still remove each fuse and see if there is a big drop if so that's the circuit you need to check
good luck :)
2006-09-24 11:36:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You mentioned whine..An alternator will whine when bad also, even though you have a new one. Did they check the voltage when they installed the new, or rebuilt alternator. Should be at least about 20 volts, or higher.
2006-09-22 14:19:21 · answer #6 · answered by virginiamayoaunt 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look for something drawing power from the battery when car is not in use. A big amplifier wired incorrectly, or something of that nature.
2006-09-22 14:16:24 · answer #7 · answered by don3070 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well seems like you need to have a pro look at it rather then sales associates at autozone. May be a problem with your starter taking too much amperage.
2006-09-22 19:50:16 · answer #8 · answered by j001solis001 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
something inside the car is draining the battery,like a dome light,trunk light?
2006-09-22 14:18:07 · answer #9 · answered by steve 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe you should have your strater check ed for losse wires and check your distuber if every thing else checked out alright.
2006-09-22 14:24:12 · answer #10 · answered by poetbrighteyes 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋