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Thread: Help with dead car battery

  1. #1

    Help with dead car battery

    So my car sat for 11 days after my knee replacement. yesterday I thought I could get out and strt the car, well the battery was dead. So I put the charger on for about 5 hrs and it started fine, shut it off and left it on charge till almost dark another 3 hrs. This morning I went out and the battery is dead again.

    So my question is .....is there a meter or a way to test and see if their is a draw on the battery when all is shut off??
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  2. #2
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    You can have an auto parts store check the battery charge it up before you go and they will test it under load to see if any cells are bad.

  3. #3
    IN today's cars there is always something requiring the battery. Most likely it would be better to buy a new battery.

  4. #4
    the battery is less then a year old was bran new last July, Thats why I'm thinking I have a draw someplace.Is there a way to check that. I mean sure theres alway some draw but would take more then whats natural to drain the battery over night.
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  5. #5
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    Assuming it isn't an ancient model, you would get a dash warning if the alternator wasn't delivering current (charging the battery). The exact warning varies from model to model and year to year, but if you have no warning indicators lit when the engine is running, then you either have something drawing a lot of power when the engine isn't running (unlikely assuming you didn't leave lights on or similar) or a bad battery, most likely a dead cell. As Jerome mentioned, any auto parts store will be happy to test it for you and most will install the new battery, if required, for free. Automakers are using smaller batteries these days to save weight, and will all the power needs of modern cars they just don't seem to last as long as they used to.

  6. #6

    Checking battery draw.

    Quote Originally Posted by Paul F Franklin View Post
    Assuming it isn't an ancient model, you would get a dash warning if the alternator wasn't delivering current (charging the battery). The exact warning varies from model to model and year to year, but if you have no warning indicators lit when the engine is running, then you either have something drawing a lot of power when the engine isn't running (unlikely assuming you didn't leave lights on or similar) or a bad battery, most likely a dead cell. As Jerome mentioned, any auto parts store will be happy to test it for you and most will install the new battery, if required, for free. Automakers are using smaller batteries these days to save weight, and will all the power needs of modern cars they just don't seem to last as long as they used to.
    You can connect an amp meter in series with either battery cable or using and inductive amp clamp. Draw should be under 75 milliamps after all modules go to sleep, (may take up to 45 minutes on some models). If there is a excessive draw now the hard part is next. You must determine which circuit is the problem. This is not a task for the average person or unskilled mechanic.

  7. #7
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    I had a battery that was less than a year old and when I had my car serviced they found the battery was bad, not dead but unde rthe spec cranking amps of the battery. Replaced under the battery warranty. Get it checked at a parts store. They can also check it in the car.
    George

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  8. #8
    That happened to my daughter's car over the summer. We put a new battery in her car, it died after 24 hours. There was a switch somewhere that failed and her rear lights stayed on all the time and that just drained the battery. It was a $200 repair. Get the battery checked out to make sure it holds a charge, then look deeper if necessary.

  9. #9
    I'll have it checked at Oreilys here but I bought it at batteries plus in AZ won't be back there for a few weeks yet, if it needs replacing I guess I'll have to eat it LOL ahhhaaa just checked and see theres a batteries plus here in NH. its 50 miles but if the battery is dead its worth the drive for a free or prorated replacement.
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  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Paul F Franklin View Post
    Assuming it isn't an ancient model, you would get a dash warning if the alternator wasn't delivering current (charging the battery). The exact warning varies from model to model and year to year, but if you have no warning indicators lit when the engine is running, then you either have something drawing a lot of power when the engine isn't running (unlikely assuming you didn't leave lights on or similar) or a bad battery, most likely a dead cell. As Jerome mentioned, any auto parts store will be happy to test it for you and most will install the new battery, if required, for free. Automakers are using smaller batteries these days to save weight, and will all the power needs of modern cars they just don't seem to last as long as they used to.
    I just had an alternator go out and there was no warning. It just died on the road Luckly I was near a church that had some people working and they charged my battery enough to get me home I was just about to call road side assistance. I changed the alternator and charged the battery and have not had any more trouble that was about a month ago.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by JERRY BRINKMAN View Post
    You can connect an amp meter in series with either battery cable or using and inductive amp clamp. Draw should be under 75 milliamps after all modules go to sleep, (may take up to 45 minutes on some models). If there is a excessive draw now the hard part is next. You must determine which circuit is the problem. This is not a task for the average person or unskilled mechanic.
    Be careful with the amp clamp - the cheap ones usually only measure AC.

    But otherwise, yes. Put the meter in series with the battery and measure draw. Pull fuses until you've found something drawing too much...

  12. #12
    Disconnect battery. After it's fully charged, check voltage later(next day) after first reading and compare. If significant voltage drop, battery is likely bad. If good voltage, something on the vehicle is likely draining battery. This is just very simple basic if you not have the tools.

  13. #13
    thanks I'll try this as Im not good with meters I have a voltage meter but not sure what they mean by meter in series with battery?
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  14. #14
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    Batteries can and do fail even when they are not very old. However get it tested. The newer digital battery testers are very good at identifying battery issues. They dial in the CC Amps and let it cycle. Sometimes it will just say charge and restest. If you pull the negative cable off after you have fully charged it and wait until the next morning to reconnect it that also will confirm if it's an unacceptable current draw. If it is a battery issue it will still go dead or at least lose charge. As Dan says you will be hard pressed to find a clamp on meter with DC current measuring capabilities that won't set you back well over the cost of the battery. Keep us posted on what you find.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bert Kemp View Post
    So my question is .....is there a meter or a way to test and see if their is a draw on the battery when all is shut off??
    Not sure this was answered, but what he meant by connecting a meter "in series" was to disconnect one terminal and touch one probe of the amp meter to the disconnected clamp and the other to the battery post. If using a multimeter be sure to first switch to the amperage mode and use the highest amp range first to avoid blowing the internal fuse - for many meters this requires plugging one probe into a different socket on the meter. Sir Google will gladly provide instructions, diagrams, and videos on how to do all this.

    If you get no reading in the highest amperage range on the meter, check at successively lower ranges. However, be advised that most cars will draw some small amount of current at all times even when the switch is turned off. The key is how much current. If you do this someone would have to check the typical draw.

    All that said, the first thing I would do is remove both battery clamps and clean the inside of each and the both battery posts. A wire brush tool available at Walmart or any auto place makes this easy but I have cleaned them with coarse sandpaper or scraped with a screwdriver or pocket knife. A tiny bit of corrosion in the connection can keep even a good charging system from fully charging a good battery. I did this recently and "revived" a 15 year-old battery in my tractor.

    I would personally clean the connections even if I planned to take the car to an auto parts store for testing.

    JKJ

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