battery dischrage

maxassassin · #1 01-28-2005, 06:57 PM

well lastn ight i got a brand new battery and last weekend i got a new batter yand well after school today the battery was almost completely dischraged but when it runs its hodl a charge ect. what could this be

5gcivic · #2 01-28-2005, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxassassin

well lastn ight i got a brand new battery and last weekend i got a new batter yand well after school today the battery was almost completely dischraged but when it runs its hodl a charge ect. what could this be

Maybe you need a new alternator, take it to an auto parts store and they usually test them for free. Or maybe you have a short to ground somewhere that is draining your battery completely that means youll have to get out the voltmeter and start testing all your wiring(can be a very long and boring process)but if you want to keep from getting new batteries everyweek its gotta be done.

bambam89lx · #3 01-28-2005, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5gcivic

Maybe you need a new alternator, take it to an auto parts store and they usually test them for free. Or maybe you have a short to ground somewhere that is draining your battery completely that means youll have to get out the voltmeter and start testing all your wiring(can be a very long and boring process)but if you want to keep from getting new batteries everyweek its gotta be done.

bambam89lx · #4 01-28-2005, 07:48 PM

a quick trick to check to see if your alternator is bad is to temporarily remove the negative battery cable...if the car dies then ur alternator has crapped the bed.
(i know some people are gonna flame me on this...but it hasn't caused me any problems yet)

civickiller · #5 01-28-2005, 08:01 PM

it could be your alt wire. because of the wire, the battery wouldnt get charged. i went through 2 batteries in like 3 weeks. i finally put a new alt wire on it, fuka cherry now.

but then it could also be a ground or a bad alt

midrange · #6 01-28-2005, 08:07 PM

take a volt meter.. get the car running, while its running, turn on every thing you can think of, stereo, amps, subs, a/c, heater fan, and then take volt meter and test battery.. even with all the load on the battery, it still should read anywhere from 13-14 volts.. if its anywhere 12 or under, replace alternator as your bushing are geting weak.. although you say it holds charge when running and if electrical system works, sounds like you may have a leak somewhere.. could be anything as a small bulb. When something was draining my battery, it turned out to be my interior light EVEN THOUGH the light wasn't on.. something about it was using power, removed bulb and no more dead battery.

1PhatCX · #7 01-28-2005, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bambam89lx

a quick trick to check to see if your alternator is bad is to temporarily remove the negative battery cable...if the car dies then ur alternator has crapped the bed.
(i know some people are gonna flame me on this...but it hasn't caused me any problems yet)

actually this is a VERY smart idea, instead of taking a car to a garage for a diagnostic u can do ur own with this method. however i doubt that the alts bad since he can drive around for a week before it dies, it sounds like it MIGHT be on its way out which happened to me, i had a volt guage in my car and as i was driving i kept an eye on it, it would start draining and then when i hit a bump it would start working again for awhile. this could be the case.... but if the alt was completely shot then you would be running on battery power and you wouldnt make it far, i was able to drive for 5 hours on a gel cell with the stereo cranked (started the car a few times) and had the heater on all in one night before lights started going dim, in those 5 hours, your battery would have been completely drained. i'd suggest looking for a short somewhere, maybe u accidentally left a light on like in the hatch or something? or a doors not completely closed causing the interior light to stay on?

does the car struggle to start? how often do u let the car sit for long periods of time (like a couple days constantly) and how cold is it outside?
yes u may all laugh about that but if its truely cold enough and u let the vehicle sit for a few days your battery WILL freeze because the charge in the electrolites dies making it just water pretty much. and as we all know.... water tends to freeze in cold weather

midrange · #8 01-28-2005, 08:59 PM

^^^ oh yeah cold weather will hurt a battery.. It was -40 degrees here, took my car 15 minutes to boost.. And the cold weather i think has shot my battery.. Damn winter!!!!!

1PhatCX · #9 01-28-2005, 09:00 PM

huge possibility man
thats why i love my Gel battery

even in the coldest of weather it works like a charm

maxassassin · #10 01-29-2005, 12:06 AM

ok so hears the thing i got a new alternator last weekend and new battery lastn ight. but after about 4 or 5 horus the system discharges. and there were some thigns like my eld that didnt test so hot.

midrange · #11 01-29-2005, 11:56 PM

is that 4-5 hours sitting, or driving it around a bit too.. Like i said in my earlier post, it could be something as dumb as a faulty light in the car.. it also sounds like a bad main ground. with out that good ground, your batt won't get a good charge.. Also check your positive wiring at starter motor.. maybe some corrosion there. who knows.. do the search!

maxassassin · #12 01-30-2005, 01:02 PM

well i replaced my starter cable cause well it was kidna crappy and i rewired my deck ebcuase the red wire had constant and the yellow didnt so i think that was it. if not then its my led relay or my ecu or both

midrange · #13 01-30-2005, 02:33 PM

hmm, changing the stereo wires shouldn't fix the leak. All that means is your deck wasn't keeping its memory.. it wouldn't be using power unless your key was on.

maxassassin · #14 01-30-2005, 11:16 PM

well it seems to work alot better now but im going for diagnostics tomorrow morning to make sure shit isnt broken

slammedcivicsi · #15 01-31-2005, 03:25 AM

First off its either a bad Alternator or a drain in your electrical.....

Second, dont pull your cables off your battery while the car is running. Your engine runs off gasoline, not 14.4v alternator output. Your electronics are powered by your alternator, your engine isnt.

Third, 90% of the reputable shops will test your alternator for free....so just go get it tested....Then you have a licenced mechanic tell you your problem.

I work at a battery shop and I get so frustrated when people come into my shop and buy a battery because they "Assume" its their problem. I always tell them that if they bring their dead one to me I'll test it for FREE.....so why not do that first ?

Thats just common sense to me.

-Brad

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