keep draining the battery?

I have seen the A/C compressor clutch relay stick on which can drain the battery here is the location so you can check it out.

This guide can help as well.


https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-dead-overnight


Check out the images (Below). Please let us know what happens.

Im going to try the parasitic draw test tomorrow evening. I put a new belt on and it was fine, not since the battery started draining it has started to squeal a lot.

If the belt is squealing did you check the belt tenisor?

I replaced the pulley for the tensioner, should i replace it all?

The pulley only spins the arm is spring loaded thats what keeps the belt tight.Does the belt still squeal?

needed a new water pump and belt tensioner, so that is fixed. Now the battery is still draining, and the turn signals have quit working. I have yet to find anything that is draining the battery.

Have you performed a parastic draw test yet?

Yes, I found that it may be the door switch. The extended door on the drivers side does not latch. Would that cause it to drain the battery.

If it was keeping the dome light on etc then yes it could.

Fixed the battery drain, disconnected the bottom door latch. Now I need to find a new one. Thanks for your help.

Try www.rockauto.com or www.oewherehouse.com glad to hear you found it.

I have replaced voltage regulator, battery, and alternaer There seems to be some sort of drain on the battery. I can jump start it or charge the battery, and the thing will run untill you shut it off and than it will not start.

If the battery is new and the only way to get it started is with a jump start then you most likely have a connection issue or high resistance in the wiring.

We need to do what is called a voltage drop from the battery to the starter.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-wiring

Basically this is measuring the voltage that the wiring is using and it should be very little.

So by adding the jump box to it, all you are doing is increasing the amperage so it can overcome any resistance in the circuit.

I suspect we are going to find wiring issues so let's review the wiring diagram below and go from there. Thanks

I have cleaned the terminals. When I hooked the new battery up there was a small spark. I think there must be an open circuit or something like that. is there anyway to trace that.

BATTERY DRAIN TEST
NOTE: Amperage draw will vary from vehicle to vehicle depending on equipment package.
No production vehicle should have more than a 50 mA (0.050 amp) draw.
BATTERY DRAIN TEST
1.Ensure junction box/fuse panels are accessible without turning on interior and hood lights. Drive vehicle over 30 MPH for at least 5 minutes. Park vehicle and allow to sit with ignition off for at least 40 minutes to allow electronic modules to power down.

2.Connect a fused jumper wire between negative battery cable and negative battery post. Disconnect negative battery cable from negative battery post, without breaking the jumper wire connection to prevent modules from resetting.

NOTE: It is very important that continuity is not broken between negative battery post and negative battery cable when disconnecting battery cable or connecting ammeter. If continuity is broken, go to step 1 .
3.Ensure ammeter is set to read milliamps with at least a 10 amp capability. Connect ammeter between negative battery cable and negative battery post. Remove fused jumper wire.

4.If excessive current draw is present (50 mA or more), pull fuses from battery/central junction box one at a time and note any current drop when each fuse is removed. DO NOT reinstall fuses until test is complete.

5.Check wiring diagrams for any circuits that run from battery without passing through battery/central junction box. Disconnect these circuits if current draw still exists. Repair appropriate circuits as necessary.

killing a battery within minutes of running? check for a battery wire thats rubbed the frame, focus on pos cable. is the car equiped with an amp? start the truck and trun on lights ,is the belt squealing? is there a squeaking noise? i had an idler pully bearing seizing and about stopped the belt. also seen alt seize and kill the motor.

Hello,

I recently purchased a 90 Ford Ranger for back and forth to work. I needed to bost the truck to take it for a test drive and we all thought it would just require a new battery. So I put in a new battery and it was dead the next day. I charged the battery and then put my meter on it and noticed the volts dropping 0.01 every second. There was/is nothing on in the car and it was not running. What could cause such a rapid voltage drop with apparently no draw? (Grounding problem?). Any help would be appreciated.

Hi there,

Place an Amp meter between Battery Pos(+) and the cable, this will show the true current draw, check with doors closed & key out, allow a small draw for clock radio & ecu memory about .15 Amps if more start pulling fuses & fusible links one at a time , and also disconnect the alternator to check for a faulty diode back feeding, start here.

mark (mhpautos)

My sons truck keeps draining the battery, even when it is turned off. It was jumped started about a month ago, and has had to be jumped several times since. We put a new battery in it, drove it to town(about 15 miles), it sat in a parking lot for 8 hours and drained that battery too! I do not know much in auto repair. I can not afford to, not do I want to be "taken" on these repairs. Thanks, MOM

try this simple test first .. to make sure alternator is charging the battery .. if alternator is charging then we will need to trace what is draining the battery ..something left on ?? radio/interior/exterior lights ..etc. etc.

TESTING
CHARGING SYSTEM TESTING
NOTE:Ensure that battery is fully charged and battery connections are clean and secure. Check that alternator drive belt is adjusted to proper tension.

NOTE:When charging battery, remove ground cable before connecting charger. If booster battery is used to start engine, negative cable of booster must be connected to vehicle frame. Disconnect negative booster cable first.

Ensure that all accessories are turned off. Connect voltmeter to battery. Attach tachometer and start engine. Operate at 1500 RPM with no electrical load. Voltmeter reading should increase, but it should not exceed 2 volts above battery voltage. Reading should be taken when voltmeter stabilizes.
With engine operating, turn heater or A/C blower motor to HIGH position. Turn on headlights to high beam. Increase engine speed to 2000 RPM. Voltmeter should indicate a minimum of .5 volt above battery voltage.

could this be something electrical. I'm pretty sure they guy who jumped started it the first time had the cable ends reversed. I was in the truck, so can't say for sure, but the cables looked a little melted to me.

this is definately an electrical fault .. if the guy who jumped the car had the cables reversed then he could have fried the battery insides .. your first port of call should be an autoparts store to have the battery checked ... or if you have got a volt meter .. put red to+ and black to - on battery with engine not running .. if your battery is holding @ 12.5 volts then it's ok ...leave the volt meter on for a few minutes to check it is holding there and make sure nothing is turned on in the vehicle.. if it's holding the battery is fine .. now with the volt meter still on start the car and the battery should now be showing between 13 and 14 volts .. if that is the case the alternator is charging .. and we need to trace the drain .. ??

I had a brand new battery put in, and it started and ran, went about 15 miles. Parked it for the day, went to leave work and the new battery was dead. I sure there was nothing left on. How hard is it to trace back electircal problems?

it's very hard to trace electrical faults .. they could be anywhere on the cars wiring which is miles of it ? it could be that your alternator is not charging and the car is running on the battery all the time .. if it is not getting recharged it will keep dying ..

I have printed off all of the information you have given me. I will see if we can narrow down the problem. Thanks for the advice. I'll let you know how it goes.
Davesmom

no problem .. let me know if ya need more info/help

Dave H

it is definatly electrical. is there a good method to finding what is shorted? would I be better off taking it somewhere to find this problem? If so, is there certain questions I should ask a mech. to see if they are the best person for the job. Like I said, dealing with very limited funds. Thanks ,Davesmom

try this first ... it's going to be difficult to trace the actual drain ... unless you have noticed something that is not working ?

CURRENT DRAIN CHECK (WITHOUT TRIP COMPUTER)
Ensure all accessories are turned off. Disconnect either battery cable. Connect a test light between the battery cable and battery post. If light does not come on, no current drain exists. If light does come on, check individual circuits to find source of current drain.
CURRENT DRAIN CHECK (WITH TRIP COMPUTER)
Ensure all accessories are turned off. Disconnect either battery cable. Connect an ammeter between either battery cable and battery post. Allow one minute for system stabilization. If current drain is .05 amp or less, system is okay. If current drain is more than .05 amp, check individual circuits to find source of current drain.