batteries are draining....not sure why?

[brother chris]

I just bought an automatic 1989 Toyota Corolla a couple weeks ago. <br />I could not start the car last Thursday, but jump start worked. Then the car would start during the day...no problem. <br />Friday I had to jump start it as well. <br />Same thing Saturday, so I put my battery from my truck in the Toyota and it Started on Sunday morning, no problem. <br />This morning, I had to jump start the car AGAIN!<br /><br />Is this an alternator problem? <br />The lights do not go dim while driving it.<br />The only thing is....the door ajar light stays on..all the time....even if the car is turned off.<br />The clock stays on too.<br />The radio has to be turned off when you turn the car off.<br />I am wondering if the radio has something to do with it?<br />Or can I just take the positive terminal off, while the car is running, to see if it is the alternator that is the problem?<br />The starter starts the car, without any problems, so it is not a "starter" problem.<br />What else could be the problem???<br /><br />Thanks for any input.<br />B.C.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

Hmmm, for openers, find out if the alternator is charging the battery when it is running. Place the leads of a voltmeter across the battery terminals with the motor running. If you only read battery voltage (in the 12 volt range), your alternator is suspect. If the charge voltage is in the 13.8 plus range, start looking for excessive current draw when the motor is off. Disconnect the positive battery lead. Place meter (in the AMPs mode) Red probe to battery positive post, Black probe to positive battery cable end, just removed. Note the current draw in amps. If you see a high current draw, something is drawing down the battery. Start pulling/replacing fuses, one at a time, until you see the current drop. That will be the circuit to look at for the source of the excessive current draw.

 

[brother chris]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

Thanks Xcusme.<br />i just checked the volts before I started it and it was 11.51volts.<br />then I started the vehicle and checked it and it was 13.80volts<br />So, I guess it is not the alternator.<br />Maybe it is the radio that is draining it?<br />There is also an amplifier in the glove box, and I took out the "screw in fuse", that it had. (I did that on Saturday night, just in case it was the amp that was draining the power, but I still had to jump start it on Sunday am).<br />The battery is not draining while the car is off, but I will check it now and then again in 10min, just to compare the volts<br />Thanks,<br />B.C.

 

[briannh1234]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

Even the little door ajar light can run down a battery that wasn't fully charged. Try the alternator thing first, and charge the battery with a automatic smart charger, then try leaving the battery cable disconnected to see if the battery holds a charge. Clean your connections and make sure their tight while you there.<br /><br />If those things check out OK and you still have a problem, remove the door ajar bulb and remove the fuse going to the clock. Charge up with the smart charger and try again...

 

[brother chris]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

briannh, thanks for the info. <br />I already removed the clock fuse a couple hours ago.<br />I am going to find the bulb for the door ajar and pull it out of there.

 

[brother chris]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

I can't get to the bulb to pull it out. I think I have to remove the dash <br />I checked the voltage just now and it is at 12.10volts, so it is going down....slowly.<br />Maybe it is the radio?

 

[Bondo]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

You Need a New Battery,...........<br /><br />Have you Tested it other than checking the Voltage,..???.....<br /><br />A Load Test will tell you in Seconds.......

 

[craze1cars]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

11.51v, then 12.10v. Both too low. Most healthy 12 volt batteries should be reading at least 12.6 when fully charged after they're given time to settle down from a charge sequence...and some read higher than that.<br /><br />Like Bondo said, you may just need a battery, but apparently you have a meter so you can use it to easily identify whether you have a draw or not, even with the low battery. Hook it up in series with the battery while everything is shut off, see how many amps it's pulling. Should be zero, or maybe VERY, very small...milliamps (mA)...so there's just enough for a clock's memory. Then pull fuses one at a time 'till you find the one that brings your mA reading down to ZERO. That's the circuit with the draw. Now you know which circuit needs to be fixed. As for trying to pull the door ajar lightbulb, howabout just pulling the door ajar FUSE instead?...it'd be a heckuva lot easier for troubleshooting this than tearing the dash apart chasing a bulb. It probably shares a fuse with the interior lights...do they work?<br /><br />As for testing the battery, drive it to any major auto parts store, they'll put your battery on a tester for free and answer that question real quick.<br /><br />I betcha you got a bad door switch somewhere...or a switch that's not making proper contact with the door cuz the door's rusty or hinges sagging or something.

 

[JB]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

You tried a good battery and the trouble is still there, Chris. I don't think it is the battery. I also doubt that the radio is your cause.<br /><br />When you say the "door ajar" light, do you mean the interior light in the car, or do you mean a small warning light in the dash? Either way, it is doing what it shouldn't and is probably your best clue.<br /><br />That warning light, if that is what you mean, probably indicates a current drain in the interior lighting circuit, even if no interior light is on. I suspect that is your cause.<br /><br />Check the switches that sense a door ajar and the interior lighting. Get a manual and pull the fuse(s) for interior lighting. Then see if your symptoms go away.<br /><br />Let us know what you find, and good luck.

 

[brother chris]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

the interior lights work fine.<br />It is the light on the dash that stays on.<br />JB: the warning light I am talking about is the one, if your door is open, not the one for the interior light. But I just went back to check if the button was not being depressed enough when the door is closed....that was the culprit, but it is fixed now.<br />Both batteries are just about brand new. <br />I put the original battery(the one that came with the car), on the charger. It now reads 12.64...so it is fine.<br />The one in the car now, is at 12.51, but was at 12.55, just 20 minutes ago. <br />I am confused!<br />I took the amplifier and pulled the power wires off of it, so there is no power to it whatsoever.<br />I also pulled out the fuse for the clock.<br />But there is still power being drained.

 

[one more cast]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

The drop in outside temp may be the cause of that 12.55 to 12.51 drop in 20 minutes.

 

[eurolarva]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

So this radio must be aftermarket. Typically a radio will not work when the key is in the off position. Check under the dash and see if it is easy to disconnect the radio and check the wiring near where the radio is wired. Could be a low power wire shorting to ground. Xcusme suggested using your amp function on your DVM. This is going to be your best bet to find the problem. Slow shorts in automobile electronics can be a real bear because most of the wires are bundled or invisible and hard to find.<br /><br />Oh yeah if you use the amp feature on your DVM make sure you do not start the car or turn on the lights. Some meters are only rated for 2 amps which will fry the fuse in the DVM if you try and start it.

 

[brother chris]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

I just checked it again...it is at 12.45v now.<br />That was another 20 minute check.<br />Batteries don't loose that much power in that time.

 

[brother chris]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

eurolarva,<br />I just tore the dash apart and it is a mess behind the radio(yes, it is an aftermarket radio). <br />There so much electrical tape over the wires, I could unravel it and make a whole role...well there is not that much...but you get the picture.<br />And now darkness and fog has befallen me, so I cannot check this problem until tomorrow morning.<br />Thanks for the input fellas.<br />B.C.

 

[rattana]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

You can use one of those 12 volt testers that has a light in it for this test. It can tell you if there is current draw.<br />Disconnect the positive cable from your battery, put the tester between the positive on your battery and the positive cable.<br />If the lamp lights with this test you have current draw. The clock can draw a little which would show a dimly lit light.<br />The best thing is a DC clampon ammeter. It would tell you what the actual current draw is.

 

[Paul Moir]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

Do rattana's test. If you don't have a 12v light tester we can probably use your digital meter. Set it to "DC A" or "DC Current" or "DC Amps". If it has ranges, set it for the highest - probably 10A (amps). Some meters will require you to take the positive lead out of one hole on the meter and stick it in another for "unfused" or "10 A" measurements. Do this.<br /><br />Then use it like the light bulb tester but write down the number you get. It doesn't matter to us which way you put the wires on. Now, immediately put the positive lead back into the hole it was in, especially before you go testing the voltage again.

 

[whywhyzed]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

Volts? what's all this Volts stuff? If youre looking for parasitic loads, follow Paul's advice. AMPS!!!<br />Get a 10A meter (CAUTION they're not all fused- get a fused one), put it in series between the battery and a disconnected lead (either + or -, it doesn't matter which you do)<br /><br />NOW, start pulling fuses until TADA!, the amp reading drops to near zero or <100milliamps<br />There's the circuit with the draw!

 

[Reel Poor]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

Make sure the brake lights are not staying on. Could be an alternator problem. Disconect the main 12 volt supply wire on the back of the alternator. Could be a bad diod in the alternator causing voltage draw.<br /><br />You can also check for draw by disconecting pos battery cable from battery and lightly touching it back to the batt post and look for arching. A large amp draw will spark pretty good and a low amp draw will spark a small spark. But the amp meter or test light test is safer.

 

[ZodFutMk2]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

Check the positive wire to the aftermarket radio...it may be fused separately...and it may be making contact with something metal under the dash...that will cause battery drain, like you mention. <br /><br />It could also be that instead of hooking into the fuse panel, the positive wire might have been run through the firewall to the battery or power source under the hood, without a grommet.<br /><br />Just my unfortunate experience babbling.

 

[dolluper]

Re: batteries are draining....not sure why?

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