![]() Set your multimeter up to the highest AMP setting and connect it to the battery. Turn off all the devices in the car and make sure you have a fully charged battery ready to go. However, it can be much more difficult to find a parasitic drain. A quick inspection can also indicate if you have loose or corroded connections. So, what’s causing your battery to drain and how can you fix it? If you made a mistake and left something running, your cause is fairly obvious. However, if you drive in extreme temperatures or push your vehicle to its limits, you might go through batteries more often. ![]() In normal conditions, the car battery can last between three and five years. Sometimes, the battery simply becomes too weak and old to hold a charge. Ideally, you want to take longer drives, preferably on the highway for a full charge to occur. If you only drive down the street to visit the local grocery store, you aren’t allowing the alternator to work. The alternator needs time to charge the battery. It doesn’t hurt to do a regular inspection of the cables and terminals to ensure everything is clean and connected. Loose or Corroded Battery ConnectionsĮven if the alternator is working correctly, it can be difficult to get a full charge if the battery connections are loose or corroded. RELATED: 6 Symptoms of a Bad Alternator 6. The typical alternator will last about seven years or between 100,000 and 150,000 miles. When the alternator goes bad, the battery cannot recharge. It also helps power the electrical systems in the car. The alternator is responsible for charging the battery. ![]() Plus, this build-up makes it more difficult to charge the battery completely. Lead sulfate crystals begin to build-up, which leads to long-term depletion. If the temperature dips below 10 degrees Fahrenheit or exceeds 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the battery can suffer. Your car battery doesn’t handle extremes well. A faulty door light switch is an especially common culprit – it will let the lights in the car stay on and drain the battery. There could be many more difficult reasons for this. Any aftermarket electrical parts were installed incorrectly.Faulty car stereo or the wirings to it.Faulty Door lock actuator (integrated light switch).These drains occur due to defective fuses or faulty wiring. Here is a list of common causes of a drained car battery by parasitic drain: However, when an electrical problem occurs, the parasitic drain might exceed what is normal. There are some components that are always using battery power, such as the memory for the clock or radio presets. Parasitic DrainĪ parasitic drain occurs when something in the vehicle continues to run even though you have turned the car off. RELATED: 6 Causes of an Alternator Not Charging 3. However, any loose belt to the alternator or worn-out tensioner can cause the system to stop charging, and you wouldn’t even know it’s occurring. When everything is running the way it should, the battery is recharged during the trip. ![]() When the charging system fails to work, the battery drains, even while you drive. If you don’t have one of these, it’s important to remain vigilant against these common errors. Some newer cars have alert systems to remind you when the lights are on or a door is open. That’s why the car won’t turn over in the morning. While these lights run overnight, your car battery drains with nothing to recharge it. You may also have forgotten to close a door or the trunk all the way. You pull into the driveway at the end of a long day and head inside without turning off the headlights. It can also be caused by a broken alternator or human error, like forgetting electric consumers on.Īny one of these issues can cause your car battery to die, leaving you stranded without a ride. Here’s a more detailed list of the possible things that could drain your car battery: 1. The most common reason a car battery is draining is a parasitic drain caused by a faulty electric consumer, like a bad door lock switch or a trunk lock switch. Preventing a Drain on the Car Battery 8 Causes of a Drained Car Battery
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