battery drain continues...

[miracleboi123]

ok, so basically i got this huge bosch battery for my s13 a couple of days ago and i never relocated anything. when i bought the car i had no idea it had a battery drainage. so anyways, im asking you what could make a 80 % charged battery die in a matter of 3 days if it is not active?

1. any ideas what it could be? BTW my alternator and battery are fine. it charges up nice. but im thinking if i cant find this gay *** parasatic drain id either sell my car/trade/ or simply take out the negative cable before everynight.

2. does that method of pulling out fuses while the car is running really work to tell you where the short circuit is?

[OutToWinPAHC]

Oh you have whats called parasitic battery drain, low current constant.

Could be a lot of things. Most common are a leaky battery to ground. Current flow to ground via the electrolyte traces from a leaky battery. If that's not it, its something that is staying on in the car ie radio that doesn't shut off with ignition off, boost controller, piggyback whatever you may have. Or just a breaking down component or device.

Try cleaning the battery and the battery tray then putting something under the battery so its off the metal tray. Then check your electronics. If ots not of those you need a current meter and I can walk yo though that.

[miracleboi123]

^^ the first thing you suggested: are you saying i should upgrade my worn oem grounding wires? thanks for the feedback!

[OutToWinPAHC]

No it wont be the ground wire but the chassis is grounded so if the battery is leaking a little (like a single drip that run down the side of the battery) it will make almost a trace to ground. Kinda like a tiny solder trace on a board.

I would first remove the battery. Clean the battery tray (ammonia and water, or baking soda and water), and then clean the battery top bottom side. Then get a piece of rubber, plastic or cardboard put it under the battery. This way there is an isolator between the battery and chassis.

If that work then get a new battery because its leaky.

Replacing cables due to age doesn't hurt but its not your problem.

[miracleboi123]

does anyone know if the parasitic battery drain problem can always be solved by the method of removing the fuses until you find the circuit that is short? or find the one that is using too much juice??

[Steady_One_S13]

My Mr2 had the same problem. I Found out it was the alarm making the electrical system screwy. It made my battery leak a little bit, but no major battery drain or loss. Took out the the alarm and all has been good ever since.

Or just, maybe, your battery is ready to take a crap.

[steve s14]

Turn off everything in the car and remove the key from the ignition, make sure that the doors are all closed and the dome light is off.Remove the negative battery cable and hook up a test light to it by clipping the wire lead to the negative cable and the other end to the negative battery terminal. If it lights up, you have a parasitic draw.At that point you have to figure out which circuit has the draw.The easiest way to do this is to remove a fuse and see if the light goes out and reinstall it if it stays on one at a time while the above conditions are met until you find the one that makes the light go out.Once you found which circuit it is, then you need to see what that circuit powers and go to each component and disconnect it to see if that removes the draw. Usually it's aftermarket items like alarms or radio and things that usually causes parasitic draws so i would recommend checking those items first.Good luck!

[miracleboi123]

easy for you =/, its a new battery, alternator, ignition system, and my car doesnt have an alarm. it has manual locking doors/window. and a cd player. what could possibly be using all this crap up. i hate this car. someone take it from me. i posted it up on craigslist. i live in conyers GA

[miracleboi123]

thanks! ill definitely get a test light. how much do those cost?

[steve s14]

They are really cheap. You can also use a small bulb such as a corner light bulb like the ones on the sides of the front bumper. All you have to do is get one of those bulbs and hook up wires to the bulb and you have an instant test light.