Car battery sometimes gets drained - Automotive Wiring and Electrical


	Auto Repair Home	SEARCH POSTS	WHO'S ONLINE	LOG IN

Automotive Repair

Car Troubleshooting Topics
  Car Troubleshooting
  Engine Troubleshooting
  Engine Fault Codes
  Electrical and Wiring
  Transmission Problems

Car Repair Topics
  Car Making Noises
  Car Stereo Repair
  Heating or AC Issues
  Motorcycles and ATVs
  Tricks of the Trade
  Truck Repair Advice

Site Options:
  Login
  Sign up here!

Latest Forum Post

mdma pills for sale : WhatsApp +33758633852

ketamine, 4-MMC, MDPV, methylone, amphet...

Buy Nembutal Oral Solution Pentobarbital.. WhatsApp +33758633852

order nembutal online in Germany (WhatsA...

Drive Shaft Repair

I have a 2015 Chevy Traverse AWD. The fr...

2006 Toyoto Camry XLE Driver Side Electric Window Trouble

Hello, Looking for a little brain help ...

Tierod end change caused some kind of leak

Hello so I just took my car to the nearb...

2011 Dodge Nitro OBD scanner seems to drain battery in 10-20 minutes

When I bought this car in summer 2023, a...

Grounding Cable, 2017 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk

The Cable that connects my negative batt...

Rough Idle (Found new thing)

Hi everyone. First of all sorry for bad ...

equipment

hey yall. im a first year engineering st...

HELP

I have a 1956 1/2 ton panel truck, 69 35...

Car battery sometimes gets drained

Sign up here!

Email This Post

Auto Repair Home>> Automotive Repair>> Automotive Wiring and Electrical

dorpus
New User

Jan 22, 2013, 2:12 PM

Post #1 of 3 (1551 views)

Car battery sometimes gets drained	Sign In

Three times now, I've had the car battery get so low that I could not start. The first time, I had it towed to the shop. They couldn't find anything wrong with it, and just recharged the battery. The second and third times, I waited 15 minutes and the battery charged itself and the engine was able to start.

Apparently, something is causing a parasitic drain on the battery, but it only happens sometimes?? What could it be? I have a 2010 Kia Forte. I know my door was not ajar or anything like that.

Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Hammer Time profile image

Jan 22, 2013, 4:28 PM

Post #2 of 3 (1505 views)

Re: Car battery sometimes gets drained	Sign In

There is a procedure for finding a battery draw like that.

You will need a digital ammeter and a jumper wire with clips on the ends to do this.
First rig any door switches so you can have a door open without triggering the interior lights and unplug the hood light. Remove one battery cable and attach the meter in series between the battery cable and battery post. Take the jumper wire and also attach it the same way. Leave the jumper wire on for at least 10 minutes to expire all the automatic timers. Now remove the jumper wire and read the meter. Anything over 50ma is too much draw. The way you locate this is to start removing fuses one at a time until the meter drops to normal level. This will be the circuit with something staying on. Determine what components are part of that circuit and check them individually until the problem is isolated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.

Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Jan 22, 2013, 4:28 PM

Post #3 of 3 (1501 views)

Re: Car battery sometimes gets drained	Sign In

No problem - you have a parasitic drain. Battery is now junk and you dang well should have a warranty from Kia.

Go that route and if not we are here to help.............. Tom

Email This Post

Search for (options) Privacy Sitemap