Why is my car battery going flat??

Question

Hi, my battery on my tigra 1.6 1995 keeps going flat overnight. It is a brand new battery. I charge it fully, then overnight (without even using the car) it goes flat. I suspect that some component is taking charge when ignition is off. All the lights are off (& radio etc). The car will run with the terminals not connected so i dont think its the alternator. How can i check what is wrong? please help ...thanks

Answer 1

If you have an ammeter (or a multimeter), disconnect the negative terminal and then hook one lead of the ammeter to the negative terminal and the other lead to the frame. If you see current measured, then you know there is a load somewhere. While the car's clock is a very slight drain (maybe up to about 35mA), you might have another light running that you're not aware of -- possible the trunk light or a light in the glove compartment (you might see a draw closer to 1A.)

If you don't have an ammeter or multimeter, disconnect the negative terminal overnight and see if the car starts properly when the terminal is reconnected. By having the battery disconnected in that manner, it will be an open circuit (1), i.e., no current should flow. (In fact, some people will disconnect the negative terminal on their car battery if they are going to park it for a long time, as they know the open circuit will prevent the battery from discharging excessively from having to keep the clock running.) That will test if is failing to hold a charge, but will take overnight to find out, which is why it's preferred that if you have an ammeter you perform the first test. From there, you can narrow it down by pulling all the fuses in the fusebox and checking the drain that occurs each time you replace a fuse.

Also, don't run the engine without the battery hooked up -- it can damage the charging system.

Answer 2

First you could understand in the experience that your battery is broken or expired. If it is not any longer sealed, open it and use a flashlight to work out interior with the front lights on. in case you notice any bubbles, your battery is shot. in keeping with risk you have a quick on your motor vehicle, no longer so massive as to blow a fuse. Disconnect between the battery terminals and in between the battery and the cable, connect a small lightbulb. It shouldn't mild on (no longer even slightly) while each and every little thing's off on your vehicle. If it occurs, you have have been given a quick which desires to be got here upon and caught. yet another decision is that your alternator / regulator are defective. you could learn those with an ammeter on an analogous time as the vehicle is working yet you could understand how massive the can charge could be. Or verify the battery voltage with the engine working. It should not be under 13.5 V. good good fortune!

Answer 3

Take it to a shop. On occassion even new batteries are duds. Have your wiring checked, even though your radio (or other things) may be turned off it may have an open circuit somewhere using your battery.