Battery keeps dying
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Battery keeps dying
So my battery keeps dying. I thought I had a defective battery so I upgraded to an Optima yellow top. But it is still dying when I leave the car sit for more than a day. I measured the current through the positive terminal with the car off, and measure 33 milliamps. That seems a little high, but reasonable to me but does anyone know for sure if that is high?
#4
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33 mA is a little high. i think i read somewhere about the navigation unit causing an amperage draw. do what dannobre said and start pulling fuses one by one and see if the amp reading drops.
*edit* i just noticed you have some aftermarket audio stuff installed. double check with that first. start with the obvious.
*edit* i just noticed you have some aftermarket audio stuff installed. double check with that first. start with the obvious.
Last edited by Im_DANomite; 12-11-2005 at 05:49 PM.
#5
Take your car to the dealer. It's the starter + plugs.
This happened to me and ALL the dealers are aware of this problem.
They will get you a new starter + spark plugs. No battery since this is an aftermarket one you bought.
There is a thread with this issue.
Good luck
Carlos
This happened to me and ALL the dealers are aware of this problem.
They will get you a new starter + spark plugs. No battery since this is an aftermarket one you bought.
There is a thread with this issue.
Good luck
Carlos
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My first thought was it being related to the stereo, so I already tried disconecting it. But it didn't seem to help. I don't have navigation so that can't be it. It is definitely a dead battery, once I charge it up its fine until I let it sit for a couple days. What exactly is the problem with the starter and plugs?
I thought about pulling each fuse and measuring the individual current draws, except a total draw of 33ma doesn't really seem high enough to me to be causing my battery to die after only a couple days. Especially being a larger optima yellow top.
I thought about pulling each fuse and measuring the individual current draws, except a total draw of 33ma doesn't really seem high enough to me to be causing my battery to die after only a couple days. Especially being a larger optima yellow top.
Last edited by rkostolni; 12-11-2005 at 07:12 PM.
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This has been going on for a while, which is why I bought the new battery but the alarm has definitely been arming I always check for the flashing lights, so I don't think its the trunk. I'll go out and double check just to be sure. Keep the ideas coming though.
Last edited by rkostolni; 12-11-2005 at 08:10 PM.
#11
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The baseline battery drain is 20 mA, so your 33mA is a bit higher, but not enough to account for your problem. Make sure you are checking the drain correctly. Check the battery cables and grounding wires also.
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well one thing I'm considering is maybe its not a drain thats killing it, maybe the alternator isn't charging the battery properly. Or maybe the battery terminals aren't making a good connection.
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Originally Posted by rkostolni
well one thing I'm considering is maybe its not a drain thats killing it, maybe the alternator isn't charging the battery properly. Or maybe the battery terminals aren't making a good connection.
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Originally Posted by rkostolni
I thought about pulling each fuse and measuring the individual current draws, except a total draw of 33ma doesn't really seem high enough to me to be causing my battery to die after only a couple days. Especially being a larger optima yellow top.
I agree 33ma should not drain a healthy battery in a day or two. 33ma for 2 days is not quite 1.6 amp-hours. Your battery probably has over 50 amp-hours capacity.
Several possibilities
1 - charging system malfunction (lack of charge, or damages battery with overvoltage)
2 - bad battery
3 - dark current is excessive. You measured at 33ma, but maybe there is a higher draw that is intermittent.
4 - double-check the scale on your meter.
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my battery is dead too, is it okay to charge it when it is hooked up or will I screw up some computer logic? Also I was planning to put it on a trickle charge as it will be off the road till april. We have snow on the road and nasty gravel
#16
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Not a problem charging the battery while it is in the car and connected. Best to use a trickle charge as you mention and if you want to leave the charger connected, get a maintenance charger. Personally, I have a Schumacher maintenance charger that has a quick connect/disconnect pigtail that you can leave connected to the battery. I don't leave the charger connected to the battery, although it is intended for that purpose. Rather, I plug in the charger once a week or so to just top off the charge.
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