![]() ![]() Always keep the battery fully charged and the electrical connections clean. A continuously weak electrolyte is an indicator that the battery is dying or has reached its retirement age. ![]() Always check the strength of the electrolyte using a refractometer or hydrometer. Low level of the electrolyte has a negative effect on the performance of the battery.Ģ. The electrolyte in a battery has a tendency to evaporate because of heat. During the hot summer months, keep the electrolyte topped off. If the cause of the drain is not human error, you will need the help of a mechanic to determine the cause.ġ. If your battery is dead most of the time and your car won’t start, maybe you should look into getting a replacement for your battery.Ī battery that won’t hold a charge is a pain in the neck, and assessing the cause of the problem can be difficult. Customarily, batteries should be replaced after every 4 or 5 years. If you consistently have a dead battery, it could be that it is worn out. Old BatteryĪn old battery normally could no longer hold a full charge. The defective diode can continue to charge the circuit even when the engine is off, resulting in a dead battery in the morning. If the alternator has a defective diode, the battery is drained, and it will die. IN so doing, it also recharges the battery. Damaged Alternator DiodeĪlternators provide power to run the electrical systems of a car such as the ignition, starter, and all the other electronic devices in a car. You will need a mechanic to solve this problem for you. Even if you give your battery a boost, the drain will persist because of bad charging. What makes the drain problem worse is when car electrical systems such as the sound and lighting system and other electronic devices draw power from the alternator. When the battery is not charged properly because of a faulty charging system, your battery can be discharged even when you are driving. When, however, there is an electrical problem, the drain on the battery can be excessive thus the battery dies. Some parasitic drain, however, is normal such as when the battery provides power to keep some electronic devices running continuously, such as radio presets, clock and security alarm. Frequently, this is due to a short circuit or an electrical device that has not been turned off such as the headlights or an open trunk, both of which could be due to human error. Parasitic drain is defined as a continuous abnormal power discharge even after the engine is turned off. Modern cars give out an alarm when you leave the lights on, but maybe not so for other electronic systems or components. The battery is drained overnight, and when you start the car in the morning, it won’t start. You park the car and forget to turn off the headlights or maybe left the trunk not completely closed. Many of us are guilty of this, not only once, but maybe even several times - you arrive home from work exhausted. Some of these issues are easy to remedy and can be done on your own, but some might need the help of a mechanic. I had to use this method last year and the culprit was the remote locking system picking up my wife's keys somehow and activating the lock solenoid all night long.The reasons why a battery is drained even if the engine is off are numerous. It's going to take some testing with a multimeter to tell how much voltage will develop during small current draws, but it's probably at least 10 watts to drain a healthy battery overnight during the summer. It will always register a few milliamps to keep the radio stations set but if it goes up, you will know. A multimeter is more sensitive, but you have to watch it carefully. If you don't have a relay, a flashlight lightbulb wired in series with the ground cable will do the same thing, show when current is flowing. Use the relay to turn on an alarm so you can go see what's causing the draining. Even a small current from an activated circuit (like the door light) should cause the relay to trip. ![]() You could set up a low voltage relay in-line on the battery ground cable (obviously only for when parked at night). ![]()
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