9964runner

All was well, until a month ago when I had the battery replaced, now its dead by morning!! Battery tests OK, power drain is within range at 0.4. The drain seems to be much higher when left unlocked.

Anyone have a list of draw items locked/unlocked. Suggestions on where to start I'm lost on the one as I don't know this electrical system.

tks

C4CRNA

It it getting a charge from the alternator?
Is a weak alternator the reason the previous battery died?

Macster

Maurice asks the right questions.

A new battery can be bad from right out of the box to any time so that has to be considered. But you can't blame the battery without making sure the charging system -- alternator but wiring too -- is up to snuff.

At the risk of telling you what you already know, the battery just stores electricity to have at hand to start the engine. Once running the alternator is responsible for supplying the car's electrical power needs and this includes enough power to recharge the battery.

A battery can supply power for a while and new battery has some remarkable reserve, but once it is run down this hurts the battery in ways it can't recover from. Thus a subpar charging system can ruin even a new battery.

You have to ensure the charging system is in 100% working order and then deal with the possibility the new battery has been compromised.

Sincerely,

Macster.

9964runner

Yes, alternator is good.
No, previous battery was replaced as preventative maintenance (I know, should of left it alone).

Ruling out the charging system for the moment anyways. Had the battery on charge yesterday, off the charger last night 12.6v, by morning was 11.4v this evening 5.4v. (trunk open, car locked)

I would of thought a drain that high would be obvious like headlights , but a drain test was only 0.04amps.

Any ideas on what to check next??? any fuses I can pull to eliminate draw items???

C4CRNA

I am honored by this complement from you.

I think the OP has a bad battery "unable to hold a charge",bring it back to the seller and describe this problem.They should replace it

aviography

To isolate if it's a bad battery, charge it with an external charger, then measure the voltage after the charger has been removed, leave the battery UN-CONNECTED to the rest of car overnight and check the voltage again to see if there is a significant drop in the voltage value, if so then you may very weill have a new dead batteryy.

9964runner

Thanks all...will charge then disconnect the battery over night to check for a drop. I'm hoping its the battery, but suspect there's more to it.
This is the 3rd new battery since this problem started 2 months back. First had 3 dead cells, second couldn't get any cells to register on a hydrometer, current battery is a sealed maintenance free so I can't check fluid, and they seem to be dieing at a faster rate every day. All are interstate batteries installed a highly respected shop.

9964runner

OK, charger the battery disconnected the charger at 2:00 Saturday-12.20v. 5:30 Sat-12.32v, Mon morn 12.21v(I think)
Put the meter on Mon and get 0.04 draw.No sparks with the meter but when I put the neg cable to the battery there are definite sparks!?!
Don't know if this is related, there is a rapid clicking coming from what looks like the alarm horn on the drivers side of the battery. Could the alarm be causing a major draw on the battery?

C4CRNA

Now you tell us it's the THIRD battery for this car!!!

9964runner

Apologies... I've been banging my head against the wall so much I've be come fixated on the drain and forgot about the other batteries. Think part of the reason was because they both tested bad although looking back at it maybe the car damaged them.

C4CRNA

It makes it hard to help when you don't have the whole story.
Did you add any aftermarket stuff before? like when the first battery went.
If the first battery went was it because it was old? Or was the drain killing it each night?
What changed since then?
Did the alarm work before or did it beep the horn when you locked it?

9964runner

Here's a little recap For what I may have missed in previous posts...

1. Only aftermarket was installed 3 years ago- Sprint Booster. no other changes beyond the new battery.

2. No issues with the old battery (would start after weeks of sitting) Battery was replaced strictly as a pro-active measure.

3. since the battery swap I'm having this high drain issue.

4. alarm was good prior, wold only beep after two button clicks or if something open.

The frustrating part is on paper there shouldn't be a problem; disconnected battery held a charge for the weekend, drain test is good at 0.04, and the alternator is charging the battery.

I don't have a logical step to take next....If I get a chance tomorrow, may source a different battery install it engine off to check the drain and see if somehow the charging system is destroying batteries....

9964runner

Arrrrg ... I think its getting worse!!! back from a drive an hour ago it was 12.50v, now its 12.17v

Macster

Aftermarket anything is always suspect. Alarms especially. Not so common here but in the UK aftermarket alarms are quite common and for every 10 cars with one installed it seems 9 of them have problems at some point.

There may be some alarm related wiring that is intended to detect an attempt to tamper with the battery to get around the alarm.

If I'm right you may have damaged this or connected it incorrectly.

You need to get the wiring diagram of this system out of your files and review the connections and if there is a trouble shooting guide run through it to see if it leads you to a solution.

Also, if the new battery has been discharged it may have suffered damage to the point the battery is no longer viable. Thus you may not be able to rely upon this battery. My intent is to make you aware even if you do find and fix the problem a bad battery may send you on a wild goose chase.

Sincerely,

Macster.

C4CRNA

What does the voltmeter on the left side of the dash read when you first start the car and the motor is running? It should say 13.5-14V if not then the alternator is suspect.
It will drop to 12+V after it makes up the drain(to the battery) of starting the car.
It should always be above 12V when running.