cheesecake

Ok here goes (sorry if its on the wrong forum i know that gets on people nerves sorry if i did) so my battery keeps dying ive had the most obvious thing the alternator checked and going through these threads apparently it can also be the hatch motor so i checked that and it clicks shut interior lights are off the first time i found out the stereo was draining my battery disconnected it and i thought I solved it (since it still had charge the next day) but eventually the battery and finds out it was a bad battery so today i finally replaced my battery around 1 and when i went to go drive it around the block at my disappointment the battery was dead so in short what other things might be draining my battery that i can check or disconnect

cheesecake

Also the hood has no bulb so i doubt its that. the only thing connected directly is the fan (i havent fixed it because i have no clue on how to do that lol) but it has no power since I disconnect the power to it (connect it when i drive around) any help

Dr.E

Short answer...
Google: parasitic battery discharge or drain. then determine if you have the tools ie DVOM etc. and patience to follow the directions. otherwise take it to a auto-electric mechanic.

cheesecake

Lol i guess ill have to learn thanks for the tip

NJChris

I know you said you had the alternator tested, but what is the exact voltage the multimeter said when the car is running? If the alternator is working it should be around 13v, a little more or less if lights or things are on or if its at idle or higher rpms. If it only says like 12.4 or 12.5 volts (or less) it means the battery has a charge but the alternator is NOT charging. I'd check the wiring harness for any wires that might be burned or broken. Brittle old wiring can break, be corroded, etc. Check the grounds and clean them if they need, same with the battery terminals

zed-028

Process of elimination

1. disconnect anything non essential from the battery terminals (stereo wiring etc)
2. Pull fuses for all non essential items (accessories, interior lights etc)
3. Charge your battery, drive it around like that for a day or 2 (If it doesnt die beforehand)

If the battery is still holding charge after a day or 2 then your charging system is probably ok. From here you can start adding back fuses and wiring one by one

Add the low risk stuff - interior lighting fuses etc - wait for a day, if she starts and still has charge, add something else, wait for a day, and so on and so forth

cheesecake

Hmm well i think the autoparts place told me it was 12v but ill get my hands on a multimeter soon and double check thanks for the tip

NJChris

You can get one from any hardware store, or probably any auto parts store, for less than 10 dollars. I have one from harbor freight that was about $6. I'd definitely check that yourself instead of trusting the guy at the parts store. Any decent mechanic would probably do it for free to

cheesecake

no one does anything for free out here lol had to get a tire changed dude wanted to charge to clean the rim , but thanks I'll definitely go later today since I finally have time

MSgt Luttrell

Just because the hatch motor closes the hatch doesn't mean it's good. Mine failed and it would close and latch the hatch, but keep running afterward running my battery down. I eliminated my hatch motor by running it down to exactly where the latch needed to be to close it manually and pulled the power plug to it so it would stay in that position.

cardo0

You should search U-tube for a video on how to find battery drains. I know I've seen at least one.

cheesecake

ok so i got a multimeter and checked running it was approximately 14.5 then 12.4 when off(cant recall exact volts) and as for wiring harness ill doible check that

cheesecake

No tags So i cant really drive it around but i basically did that with a few fuses such as the dome lights ,windows, radio, and hatch fuses but its still dying

Yeah i tried following https://youtu.be/KF1gijj03_0 this videos steps but end of the day now and the battery died i think i may have solbed it but the battery might be bad from all the recharging

cardo0

Yes once you fully discharge a lead acid battery it will never recover. Something about plating inside the cells. You can buy a nice little battery load tester from Hobo Fake for $20 and that will tell you if the battery can handle a load.

cheesecake

Well usually once its too weak to turn over ill disconnect it

cheesecake

Ok this might sound a little stupid but can the way it's connected to the battery make a difference? I thought that was stupid but after moving the positive around (and finding out the previous owner has a few things connected directly) just leaving it touching the post it didn't completely die on me after 3 days just stayed at alittle below 10v for those 3 days

dmm3369

You mentioned stereo. Do you have an amp installed? My sons car did this and the remote wire was staying powered from a defective radio converter and the amp was draining the battery.

David

cheesecake

nope just the wires connected to nothing lol

cheesecake

i think i found the problem (a couple of days ago) after following the leads to the battery I realized i should of checked it earlier because i seen the previous owner had the starter and a few other thing(well almost half) of the power connected directly so i guess i better learn to rewire lol thanks for the help everyone