Battery keeps dying
 

Hi guys,

Another battery thread, I know ! However my battery is less than a year old and if I don't drive the 8 for a week, it's completely dead, I get the classic clicking noise of the starter.

So I'm thinking that there's something that drains my battery. I believe it might be my speakers which never turn off. Once I start the car (with the radio off), I can hear this static noise coming and by "hearing" around I discovered the noise comes out of the speakers.
To give you a better idea of the noise, it sounds like an AM channel that doesn't get reception but it's not as loud.
Concerning this problem, I took the car to two seperate dealers and got a mechanic to sit in the car with me to try to make him hear the static. None of them ever heard it, they make me look crazy ! :banghead:
I had atleast 4-5 people sit in the car and asked them if they heard anything and they all told me static.
I should also mention that the static is still hearable once I start the radio or a CD, but then it becomes a background noise.

Any input on this would be greatly appreciated !

Thanks a lot.

Tib

P.S. After I had my starter replaced (the old one died), last summer, the mechanics also added a piece of metal under the battery connector, saying that it was a loose connection and that way the car would start better.

try disconnecting your speakers & see if the noise dissappears .

You could check what the current draw is on the battery with the key off......

If it is excessive...you can pull fuses until it goes way down...that will be your culprit.

Do you have aftermarket stereo components installed? if they wired your amp the wrong way...it might stay on all the time.......that would drain the system real quick

That's where I'd start...

when you set the alarm for your car do the blinkers blink??? if they do not then your trunk is open (and that means your trunk light will stay on, key's in or not)

there are devises that can be attached between the battery and the cable that will automatically disconnect before allowing the battery to drain or you can install a manual disconnect too, this will save you from many things such as open trunk/door, lights left on, etc.

http://www.prioritystart.com/

Thanks for all the feedback,

I've been thinking about disconnecting the seakers, but I haven't time to get around to it. I'll also try to see what the current draw is on the battery.

I haven't installed any aftermarket speakers/sub, and my blinkers do go on when I set the alarm.

I guess no one has ever heard of static noise coming out of an 8 with it's radio off?

could it be your trunk is popped open and the light is draining the battery?

It sounds like your battery is having problems. Batteries, after they get completely discharged once, tend to self discharge. I would replace the battery and see what happens.

I find that dealer mechanics are invariably hearing-impaired. They also have a hard time determining when a car is pulling to one side, or when the AC is blowing mostly warm air. They are remarkly insensitive to various smells such as coolant, burning oil and sulfur. The also have a hard time seeing scratches and dents that are caused by their service department. Shaking, vibration and other sensory stimuli are significantly attenuated.

This is all due to sensory-deprivation electronics that are built into the ASE patch on their jumpsuits.

I also have the dead battery problem. I have a January 2004. It's been a great car. Just one problem: if I leave it parked for two weeks, the battery is dead. I was away for three weeks and it was so dead that I couldn't even jump start it. The dealer, Wellesley Mazda, Massachusetts, can't find any unusual draw and I checked the trunk light. Although they did not find any draw, they thought that it could be the Guidepoint antitheft system that they sold me when I bought it, so I had them disconnect it. I have a new battery-- number 4 --- and am thinking about leaving it for two weeks again and then when it doesn't start again, have it towed back to the dealer while it's still under warranty. I am pissed that they cannot figure it out, and they actually charged me $99 for a diagnosis fee.

They actually told me that they had other customers with this issue, so I'm wondering if it's a bigger issue than you would guess from the number of posts on the topic.

Anyone else?

Should I keep fighting this, or just buy a "green knob" cut-off switch that disconnects the battery for when I know it will be not used for a couple of weeks(cut-off switch referenced in another thread)?

i got the power protector from braille when i ordered my battery through them. works great. ive never had to jump my battery since.

-hS

Jack you need a new battery it's 4 yrs. old.

Unplugging speakers ain't gonna do a thing Tangur. It's the aftermarket stereo system that's drawing too much power by being wired incorrectly.

That's my bet.

Razz : no It is new - re-read his post .

The thing is, I DO NOT have an aftermarket system !

Tangur you definitely have a drain on the battery. Dannobre is 100% correct in the 3rd post and you should hook a volt/ohms meter to the battery and check the amperage. Certain cars you have to wait a while before you check amperage and you may have to have the car locked because certain control units will take a while to power down. There should be a spec on what max current draw should be. You def need to pull fuses to figure out which compnent(s) is drawing the current. The DEALER should have done this for you when you brought it in. It could be something as simple as a defective control unit or more complicated as a wiring issue. Complain straight to the service manager and I'm sure it will get fixed. If the current draw is still present after all fuses are pulled, disconnect your alternator and check current draw between the pos lead and the alt(be very careful not to touch the pos lead to a ground)....I've seen defective alternators drain batteries very rapidly. Good luck ;-)

Just checked the spec for maximum current draw and it is 20mA or .2 amps max.

Use Ammeter test Alternator!!!!!
 

I have the same exact issue to the T! I have the house in the speakers, dead battery after a day, power steering turns on and off while driving whole system acting erratic. Alternator wire over heating fuse box getting crispy on one of the leads.
Long story short my alternator has an internal short, first time I've ever seen this and I have been working on cars my whole life. When my car is on I get 13.6-14.0 dcv so I thought alternator but after using a Mulitmeter/Ammeter and tracing from the battery on i found that my alternator has a 5.25 Amp draw continuously while the car is off. It makes perfect sense to the symptoms we are getting from the car. I haven't replaced my alternator yet because I just figured this out yesterday, but I will update after I install a new alternator and let you know how it went.
Almost forgot to test your alternator for amp draw use Ammeter or Mulitmeter and put the test leads to 15A or 10A with car off remove the alternator + nut and wire. Put 1 of your leads to the wire and the other to the + post of the ALTERNATOR check your reading should be minimal maybe .003 or something close. The alternator should not have a amp draw the battery but you might read some static.

I had this problem most of this past winter/spring. I initially thought it was due to infrequent driving habits and cold weather. I was using AutoZone Duralast Gold batteries and took the plunge and purchased an Optima red top battery.

It didn't last a week.

I thought I had dark current issues and was ready to start checking alternator outputs and other electrical current draws. What actually resolved my issue was the replacement of a previously hacked up positive battery terminal cable (with the built in fuse).

I've had no problems since replacing this part of the battery wiring harness. The old one was probably not making a secure enough connection to the battery post to ensure proper battery charging.