Battery Keeps Dying, but no excess drain... ideas?

I cannot figure it out.

If I let the Jeep sit for a few days, the battery is dead. I have replaced it twice now. I cannot figure out what is happening.

Almost seems like defective batteries, as even when brand new, still doesn't seem very powerful (dim lights).

I have tested the amperage draw and I am only pulling .3 amps. Could this be enough to kill the battery? I would think this is a normal amount to draw when it is sitting.

This new battery has only been in two weeks. After 4 days of sitting, voltage dropped to 1.5v!

A 1.5amp trickle charge seems to bring it up fine, but obviously the battery is not going to last.

I am using the Costco Kirkland batteries which are supposed to be good, but I have had terrible luck.

Any ideas?!?!?!

sounds like a short somewhere draining the battery. you mention it doesn't seem to show the proper power when a new battery is installed so im leaning toward the alternator, tho cud easily be something else shorting or possibly shorted "on" when your ignition switch is "off". i've seen a bad radio do that very thing.

mite wanna have the alternator run on a bench to check it.

Sorry, I typed the thread 3 times because the server kept losing it.

Alternator is fine, matching up to about 80 amp load.

If there was a short, I would think I would see more than .3 amp drain with everything off.

Is .3 too much of a standby draw? I don't think so, but maybe I am wrong.

RickyN29 said:

Sorry, I typed the thread 3 times because the server kept losing it.

Alternator is fine, matching up to about 80 amp load.

If there was a short, I would think I would see more than .3 amp drain with everything off.

Is .3 too much of a standby draw? I don't think so, but maybe I am wrong.

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I think .3 sounds a bit high. Think about how much that adds up to over time. That's approximately an amp hour every three hours. If you let the car sit for five days, it's the same as leaving a 36 amp load on for an hour.

Next time you want to let it sit for a few days, unhook the battery. If it's still dead when you go to try it (after you remember to hook it back up, of course) it's the battery, if not then you have a wiring/electrical issue.

I was having some of the same problems with my exhide orbital battery. This is what my draw is with everything off.


For me it was the battery giving me problems. I did eventually get checker to warranty the battery but not before I went over the jeep several times.

With your amp meter hooked up start pulling fuses.
Try pulling this one. It goes to all of the accessories and interior draws such as gauges radio and interior lighting. (I have since figured that out)


Good luck with it.

chances are there is something in ur fuse or vehicle pulling power when the key is off. Have fun finding it.

Matthew Currie said:

I think .3 sounds a bit high. Think about how much that adds up to over time. That's approximately an amp hour every three hours. If you let the car sit for five days, it's the same as leaving a 36 amp load on for an hour.

Click to expand...

It may be easier to amps X volts = watts and try to guess what could be drawing 4 watts. An AMP in standby? Possibly partially contacting door switch, not passing enough juice to light the light, but enough to make a difference. Maybe a line leak through moisture at a connector or even a wet carpet and a wet splice under there.

If you've had a radiator spew anytime recently. clean the coolant off of everything, coolant is a decent conductor.

Try parking someplace really dark, give your eyes a few minutes to adjust and look closely at all the interior lights, they can illuminate really low, hard to see.

One of my kids had a beater Volvo 760 (really complicated 80;'s luxo barge with every imaginable accessory) that drew current. We NEVER found it. I pulled every fuse I could find, but it had a fuse box that would do justice to a helicopter or a telephone substation, and I might have missed something. I think he finally abandoned the car, finding that it was too expensive to keep feeding it batteries, and too much hassle to disconnect the battery every night, especially on a vehicle with a theft-prevention radio code.