battery keeps draining

gearbox · 08-28-2009

this has been a constant problem for my car as long as i can remember. if i drive the car every day, its fine and there is enough juice to start the car. if i let it sit for a few days, i need to charge the battery up. usually it settles around 11.4v if i let it sit for a few days. after a week, the car will barely start. something is draining this battery more than normal and i have no idea what it is. obviously ive checked the usual stuff, the amp is off, the alarm is off, everything else ive wired to the car is turned off. how can i even try to see where the drain is coming from? this is a fairly new battery too barely a year old and its an upgrade 500 cca lead acid battery with full electrolyte.

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CraigW · 08-28-2009

You should measure the amount of current that is being drawn.

unTuned · 08-28-2009

when you upgraded to this battery, what was the deal with the old one? was it doing the same thing?

if it was then you know its the car. maybe you just had bad luck and got a faulty battery this time? what kind is it?

gearbox · 08-28-2009

oh its the car for sure. my last battery was an oem type replacement with 450cca and it lasted 2 yrs with daily driving, but it would do the same thing with slight drain over time (unfortunately, it was my own fault that killed the old battery cause i did not think to check the fluid levels, EVER) lol. i will check the current later today. i can do it with multimeter right? also if i unhook the battery from the car, it will stay fully charged for several weeks.

CraigW · 08-28-2009

To measure current you may need to move the input connector pins on the multimeter to read amperage. Also be sure to put the meter in series between the disconnected cable and the open battery post. (the current being read will flow through the meter)

sl33pyriceboi · 08-29-2009

look into the CTEK 3300

http://www.ctek.com/EN-US/Buy-US-Charger.aspx

gearbox · 08-29-2009

already have a trickle charger for when it sits more than a few days.

MidnightCivic · 08-29-2009

gearbox with a problem?

I wouldn't know where to start, i did read up something sort of similar like this on another forum and it ended up being the alternator but it may be different...GL with the fix

04 Honda Civic · 08-29-2009

damn this has got to be a bitch to figure out I hope someone could guide u in the right direction. Ill do some searching if I find anything worth letting you know I will.

gearbox · 08-29-2009

i mean what would drain power without being on, other than the ecu and stuff? i went around and checked all my addons including led foot lights and stereo stuff. everything is totally off and no power leaks. if i wait 2-3 days the car still starts fine. after a week it struggles bad and barely has enough juice to turn the engine. after that i have to charge the battery. electrolytes are all full, battery clamps are tight, i even removed my alarm backup battery which was dead anyway a while back thinking it may be trying to use car battery to charge itself, but that didnt help. my alarm is disarmed too, i just lock the doors when its parked in garage.

04 Honda Civic · 08-29-2009

This is just a quick thought, but check your trunk light might stay on when ur trunk is closed.

gearbox · 08-29-2009

thanks for the idea, but i checked this a while ago when i put the 1w red led in there and it turned off with trunk closed. even then, 1w is almost nothing. do you think its a combination of weird stuff on my car that each use up a lil bit of power? i know the alpine deck needs to keep memory, same with ecu, maybe the alarm too even if its not turned on.

04 Honda Civic · 08-29-2009

I dont know all that much about electronics. But I highly Doubt an aftermarket radio and alarm would cause that. Besides u say u disable the alarm and it still happens. I dont see how and aftermarket stero would use any more then an OEM when off. They are still storing pretty much the same information.

Id try to randomly disconnect things like your amps and aftermarket stuff and see what happens u never know even if it looks dead shit is sometimes defective. This could take awhile to do since u need to wait a few days, but its my best offer.

unTuned · 08-29-2009

theres no way its that stuff. i dont know much about the alarm system, but i highly doubt it. the deck and ecu take next to nothing. do you have an amp? i remember for a while for some reason when i shut the car off my amp would stay on for a while after. i never knew until one day i heard my car slow to start. after some investigation i noticed my amp was staying on for up to an hour after i shut the car off. the problem seemed to have went away when i grounded it better though.

gearbox · 08-29-2009

amp turns off as soon as i take the key out. after driving yesterday i checked the volts today and its 12.1v, so i threw the charger on and got it back to 12.6v. im gonna check again tomorrow. also it seems like even right after driving, the battery voltage is only around 12.2v and doesnt get any higher. i heard thats normal tho and the alt never really should be charging the battery to full. so long as the charge stays around 12v, i have no problems for a few days. daily driving i would never notice. after a week, its down to 11.4v and car really has trouble starting. i know this isnt normal cause other cars we have still start after couple weeks of sitting.