Why does the Battery keep draining (camry)?
maml
04-06-2006, 08:31 AM
Hello all,
Every few months or so, the battery will drain on my 1997 v6 3.0 camry for no apparent reason. I bring it to the shop to get recharged and it will work fine. The mechanic can not find anything that is draining the battery. He thinks it might be intermitent.
The battery is only 2 years old.
The only clue I have is a light on the dash (when the lights are turned on) that says the tail light is out even though it is not. I also have a car alarm that I shut off.
Does anyone have any clues. Other than this issue, the car is great and I would like to keep it. But, I need it to be dependable.
Every few months or so, the battery will drain on my 1997 v6 3.0 camry for no apparent reason. I bring it to the shop to get recharged and it will work fine. The mechanic can not find anything that is draining the battery. He thinks it might be intermitent.
The battery is only 2 years old.
The only clue I have is a light on the dash (when the lights are turned on) that says the tail light is out even though it is not. I also have a car alarm that I shut off.
Does anyone have any clues. Other than this issue, the car is great and I would like to keep it. But, I need it to be dependable.
RIP
04-06-2006, 09:30 PM
If you want to troubleshoot yourself you'll need a multimeter. Disconnect the positive battery cable. Select DC ampres on the multimeter. Connect one lead of the meter to the disconnected cable and the other to the positive battery post. The meter should read 50-80 milliampres. (check with the dealer to make sure that's correct) If it reads higher, watch the meter as you remove fuses one at a time. When you see a marked decrease the system that fuse protects is the problem area. It's a matter of tracking it down from there.
Batteries don't like to be drained and recharged over and over. I would have a shop do a load test on the battery before anything else. Keep in touch
Batteries don't like to be drained and recharged over and over. I would have a shop do a load test on the battery before anything else. Keep in touch
Mike Gerber
04-07-2006, 05:43 PM
If you want to troubleshoot yourself you'll need a multimeter. Disconnect the positive battery cable. Select DC ampres on the multimeter. Connect one lead of the meter to the disconnected cable and the other to the positive battery post. The meter should read 50-80 milliampres. (check with the dealer to make sure that's correct) If it reads higher, watch the meter as you remove fuses one at a time. When you see a marked decrease the system that fuse protects is the problem area. It's a matter of tracking it down from there.
Batteries don't like to be drained and recharged over and over. I would have a shop do a load test on the battery before anything else. Keep in touch
Most cars have a dark current draw of around 20-25 millamps.
I would check the alarm system circuit first, especially if it is an aftermarket alarm. They have a tendancy to cause problems like excessive dark current draw.
Mike
Batteries don't like to be drained and recharged over and over. I would have a shop do a load test on the battery before anything else. Keep in touch
Most cars have a dark current draw of around 20-25 millamps.
I would check the alarm system circuit first, especially if it is an aftermarket alarm. They have a tendancy to cause problems like excessive dark current draw.
Mike
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