Had the battery tested, its good, the alternator is good, checked all fuses, relays, and switches and cannot seem to find a problem. If I leave the car sitting more than 24 hours without starting it, the battery will be dead, if I disconnect the battery, and let it sit for the same amount of time or even longer, when I hook up the battery it starts up just fine. BTW this is a 2004 Nissan Sentra 1.8L. Also, I make sure that all interior lights are off, radios off, basically turn everything off that I can in the car, even resorted to taking out light bulbs, but the problem still resurfaces.
2006-12-20 04:53:08 · 13 answers · asked by ballucnb1195 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Wow. there are a lot of answers here - but some still seem to be missing the point.
1. You stated that the battery when left disconnect starts the car fine the next morning - this fact eliminates the battery as the culprit.
2. Using a test light between the disconnected battery cable and the battery as described above is the best way to find a current drain. start pulling fuses until the light goes out. be mindful of door lights as described above.
3. you only need to concentrate on accessories that function when the key is removed from the vehicle. i.e.
- 1. power seat and door locks (if equipped) - very switch isn't stuck on.
- 2. interior lights dome/map/door/trunk/hood/glove box/under seat storage (if equipped) - verify they turn off when doors are closed
- 3. exterior lights (park/headlamp/brakelight) - verify not left on, if vehicle is wired for a trailer verify the trailer plug isn't damaged.
- 4. aftermarket acceroies (i usually start with these) if they're wired directly to the battery..
most other accessories i.e. power windows, rear electric defroster, heater fan, etc. only work when the key is turned so you can rule them out.
2006-12-20 05:27:13 · answer #1 · answered by Saturday Morning 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
this is called a parasitic draw. The best way to deal with this is take it to a reputable repair shop. They will be properly equipped to deal with such a problem. IF you are mechanically inclined, you will need a DVOM(digital volt ohm meter) to connect in series between the battery negative cable, and the negative battery terminal. Battery run down time will vary depending on the battery cold cranking amperage or reserve capacity rating. Note the battery Reserve Capacity (Amp Hour rating). Divide the reserve capacity by 4 (Amp hour rating by 2.4). Compare this to the multimeter milliampere reading taken in the previous step. The parasitic current drain should not exceed this number. Example: If a battery has a reserve capacity of 100 minutes, (60 A/H) the current drain should not exceed 25 mA. A good guess at the minimun parasitic draw on your car would probably be under 50 miliamps or so. If it's draining your battery over night, I would expect it to be in the neighborhood of around 750 miliamps. Look for the source of the draw by removing the fuses one at a time an observe the meter reading. BE CAREFUL WHEN OPENING THE DOORS WITH THE METER ON!! THE DOME LIGHTS CAN OVERLOAD THE METER AND BLOW THE METER'S FUSE!! You can also check lights and switched like sunvisor mirrors, truck lights, glove compartment lights, etc.
If you have a service manual, you can find out what all circuits are on the fuse that when removed the draw goes away.
2006-12-20 05:15:24 · answer #2 · answered by bbking48507 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Assuming the alternator and battery were properly tested, and the battery connections are clean, the most likely cause is parasitic drain.
After charging the battery, disconnect the positive battery cable and let the car sit overnight. Next morning reconnect the cable; does the car crank and start normally?
If it does, disconnect the positive battery cable. Series in an ammeter with at least a 10A range, observing polarity. Amperage draw should be low, perhaps 0.1A or less. If it’s higher than that, start disconnecting circuits to see which circuit is the culprit. Easiest way is to start by disconnecting the fuses, one at a time watching for the amperage draw to drop to near zero.
If after the overnight test the care does not crank, it’s probably the battery.
2006-12-20 05:14:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You seem to have covered many of the bases but have you removed the bulb in the trunk, the one that is SUPPOSED to turn off when the trunk is closed. And, how about the same type light under the hood. Do you have a second vehicle that you can swap batteries with? From that point on, I think you need some electrical test equipment and someone who knows how to use it. So to that end, I offer the following:
And please, take everything I say seriously.
1. This sounds like fun!!!
2. Do you live anywhere near Sacramento CA.?
3. If answer to 2 is yes, PLEASE contact me through my profile.
There are literally a ton of variables in this sort of problem and troubleshooting can be frustrating. But, a good electrical guy with a good wiring diagram should be able to help you a lot.
Good Luck, and this is fixable.
2006-12-20 05:20:22 · answer #4 · answered by gimpalomg 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, It could still be the battery even tho you took it out and it didnt drain. because your car always uses alittle power to power the clock, and other small drains. I think replacing the battery would be a good first step. If that isnt the problem, then there is possably a short somewhere in the electrical system. and something is staying on that shouldnt be. Finding this can be a pain, you would take the battery out and check the resistence between the - + with a meter. you would then remove each fuse one my one till you see a sudden drop. and then purcede from there.
2006-12-20 05:09:14 · answer #5 · answered by mr.folger 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Is it flat even if its not connected to the car?
If it is, then its a fault with the battery.
But if not, check that its not your stereo or something. It could be that something is short circuiting in your car, this will drain a constant amount overtime. Check all cables, inside the car and under the bonnet, make sure there's no bare wires touching metal etc. Make sure its not any new features such as ipod adapter or anything plugged into the cigarette lighter.
Hope this helps
2006-12-20 04:58:37 · answer #6 · answered by ricerfuel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds to me that there is a shortcircuit somewhere ( a minor one) in the electrical circuits. A good mechanic should be able to locate which component in the car. So there is a leakage current flowing through, even when u think that everything is off. Dont know if u know how to use a fluke to test individual components and wire by wire..... ( fluke = multimeter, the better and expensive kind...). No idea if you have a fluke either...get the mechanic.....
2006-12-20 05:06:37 · answer #7 · answered by moss010 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could be a number of things, most likely though, you probably have either a blown fuse or bulb (interior) and it is draining the battery, in either case you would need to replace the battery. Check all your fuses. If you find this is not the problem, than it is probably the alternator.
2006-12-20 04:58:24 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
check the cells of the battery and make sure they are not low or possibly one empty.if that doesnt help,have a parts store check the battery then resort to having a garage hook it up to a computer.that usually cost a little bit but it's cheaper than replacing several wrong things before finding the problem,and defintly cheaper than losing your sanity over it in the mean time
2006-12-20 04:59:39 · answer #9 · answered by Kim C 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
disconnect bat cable,hook test light between cable and bat ,light will be on iif something is draining it,pull fuses one at atime till it goes out,remember if your door is open or you have a under the hood light that wiil light the test light, once you know what the fuse goes with find the problem,look for trunk light or glove box light or something you cant see. just takes time good luck merry christmas
2006-12-20 05:05:06 · answer #10 · answered by vincent c 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋