skydrifter

I am having a problem with my battery draining and going dead .At first I thaught my wife had left the lights on. I charged the battery and two days later it's dead again. So I check to make sure all lights are turning off I couldn't see any lights staying on.I have plug the car into the charger every night so my wife can go to work. It has drained 4 or 5 times in the last week .I had the battery and the alternator checked at a parts house both are fine. Any suggestions? I am going to dive into this weekend I don't want to have to bring it into the stealer .

HimSelf

check any after market electronic parts you have put on the car (remote starter, alarm, stereo, ect) and make sure the wiring is right, grounding is very important.

Also maybe the battery is just lived up its time and you need a new battery.

jgr7

iTrader: (1)

Make sure you check for the light on in the back cargo area, if the cover is pulled you might not see it on.
Jeff

salimshah

How old is the battery?

Modern vehicles draw less than an amp (my guess about 0.28amps) all the time. So a charged battery can pass the load test but left in the vehicle for a day or two it does not have enough power to start. The other thing the overnight charge does it to warm up the battery.

If you have had the battery for about 3 years and are willing to gamble about $40 or so, go for a new battery.

Salim

metal

I would agree whith above...3 years are about a normal life span on these cars.

kiwi

sounds like you are going to have to perform a parasitic draw test. you will need to be familiar with a good multimeter. this test will allow you to see just how many milliamps the car is drawing when it is off. if it is too high, then something is being left on. i have seen things like door lock switches draw enough amps to kill a battery over night, only fix was to replace it.

if you dont do this draw test yourself, the "stealer" will do it for you and charge you alot for it, it is time consuming.

you should be able to find all the details about it just by google ing parasitic draw test.

good luck

mandyfig

Salim!
What was our battery test? While charging it should show 14.+ volts and if not, should show at least 12.6+ volts?

Sorry to hijack this thread but it is the 1st time I have seen my Xmas lights (VSC Traction Tire Pressure, etc were lit up) were all on...and it has been on and off...what is this indication again? I have always read that this means the battery is on its way out...

I did a battery voltage check and I see 12.8 volts right after I shut the engine down.

mandyfig

The wife was going to the gym and shortly after the lights lit and she headed back home. I re-started the RX and let it run for 10 minutes but the lights never turned lit again...?

EvilNCarna

Most of the time when any complimentary systems (traction, ABS, etc) light up it is a voltage issue. However its doesnt mean specifically your battery. More common is an alternator, because a properly functioning alternator will keep power to the whole system. The battery is just a capacitor and there for starting the vehicle. During normal operation the vehicle will draw most power from the constant source of the alternator.
Take it to a local autoparts store, most will test your charging system for free and tell you if its a battery or alternator, then you can take it in for service with the knowledge of what is wrong.

mandyfig

Thanks, I will do a live voltage measurement and see if it shows 14.+ volts. It is just so freeking cold, there's not much you can do with cars!

salimshah

The voltage tests are fine ... [14+ for charging and 12+fraction on standby].

The issue at hand is failure to starts as the battery is not putting out enough current to start.

My observation was that on standby the battery needs to provide current (non measured approx 0.28amps swag). When a old battery is subjected to this draw for couple of days without getting a charge boost, it can no longer provide starting current to the starter. If on the other hand it gets charged overnight and warmed up in the process, it can start the vehicle.

There is a possibility that the standby draw is much larger and in that case even a healthy fresh battery will fail to start after a few hours of drain.

In both cases the alternator may be good and can provide the 14+ volt to charge the system.

Salim

mandyfig

It has been freeking cold here in ATL, might be a contributor?