Rd Method: Replacing Your Car Battery
If your car battery is more than 3 years old, its likely time to replace it. A weak or failing battery can cause your car stereo to drain power, even when its turned off. To replace your car battery, youll need to:
- Turn off your car and disconnect the negative terminal from the battery.
- Remove the old battery from your car and dispose of it properly.
- Install the new battery in your car and connect the negative terminal.
- Turn on your car and test your stereo to see if the draining issue has been fixed.
Dealing With Extreme Weather Charging System Problems And Weak Batteries
Extremely hot or cold weather can also spell trouble for your battery, but this will usually only be an issue if the battery is already weak. If you test the battery, and it checks out fine, and the connections are tight and clean, then the weather shouldnt cause it to die repeatedly.
Charging system problems can also cause a battery to die repeatedly, although you will usually notice some level of drivability problems as well. An easy thing that you can check at home is the alternator belt, which should be relatively taut and free of cracks. If the belt seems loose, it may actually prevent the alternator from generating enough power to charge the battery in addition to running everything else.
Poor State Of Battery
If the reason behind your battery drainage is not a human error, then there are high chances that your battery is the problem. The average lifespan of a car battery is about 4 to 5 years. You must follow your owners manual for regular servicing and maintenance as, with time, a poorly maintained or weak battery will lose its power to hold a full charge and hence need a replacement for the vehicles uninterrupted normal functioning.
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How To Start A Car With A Flat Battery
If youve only just come across these tips for how to keep your car battery from dying when its not in use, you may find yourself here because youd like help with how to start your car again. If so, here are some things you can do:
1) Jump-start your car
Jump-starting your car is usually one of the go-to options when your battery goes flat. For this, youll need:
A 2nd vehicle with a charged battery nearby To take your car for a long run afterwards to make sure the battery is able to charge.
2) Get professional assistance
If jump-starting your car hasnt worked, or you dont have the equipment needed to do so, call the RAC who will happily assist you.
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This post was contributed by RAC. The RAC is one of the UK’s most progressive motoring organisations, providing services for both private and business motorists and are committed to making motoring easier, safer, more affordable and more enjoyable for drivers and road users.
Parasitic Draw Or Drain
After switching everything off including your engine, your battery still drains? Then it could be parasitic drain. Axle Addict says A parasitic battery drain is when an abnormal and continuous discharge of power occurs after having shut off the engine.
HOW TO CHECK IF THERES PARASITIC BATTERY DRAIN1.Connect a digital multimeter to the negative battery terminal of your car2.Remove all the fuses one after the other while watching for changes in the multimeter reading.3.Once the reading drops, you have found the problem!
How do you fix a parasitic drain?1.Take off the negative battery terminal2.Connect it between two wires3.Start pulling the fuses4.Turn off the switch on the overhead light
EXCESSIVE SHORT DRIVE
I know this might look outrageous but your car needs as much power as it depletes and short drives cant ever give it that back. You can get any good battery charger to get your battery charged while it is sitting at home.
CORRODED OR LOOSE BATTERY CABLE
This wont actually drain your battery but it will prevent it from charging as the alternator wont recaive a good electricity.
SYMPTOMS OF LOOSE CABLELow voltage car battery
HOW TO FIX A LOOSE CABLETightening a loose positive or negative battery cable is quite easy and can be done in no time so far you know how to turn a wrench. Typically, there is be a nut attached to the battery terminal that you only need to turn to tighten up the connection. Yippee! You have the solution
DEFECTIVE ALTERNATOR
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It’s Extremely Hot Or Cold Outside
Freezing winter weather and hot summer days may cause problems for your vehicle’s battery. Newer batteries tend to have more resistance to extreme seasonal temperatures. But if your battery is older, intense cold or heat could weaken its performance or even cause it to die completely! If you notice your battery having a hard time braving the elements, come into Firestone Complete Auto Care for a free battery check our auto technicians will help diagnose and troubleshoot the issue.
How Do You Stop Your Car Battery From Draining
If youre aware of specific problems that might be causing your cars battery to drain, follow the points mentioned below to keep a check for the draining battery power:
- Ensure that all your cars interior lights are switched off. Keeping any electrical component like the radio or lights on, while not in use or excessive use beyond the batterys capacity will drain its power.
- Keep note to check your car batterys cable connections, and maintain the cleanliness around the battery to ensure that no dirt gets accumulated around those connections for these conditions might cause the battery to drain more power.
- Adhere to your regular maintenance and service schedule. Keeping up with your manufacturers recommendations on routine maintenance will secure the car parts proper functioning and long life.
- Use a portable battery charger or voltmeter for regular testing and charging during its low performances.
Finding out the actual cause behind your cars battery power drain might be a tricky situation. It is always advised to seek professional help in such cases to ensure the right diagnosis of the condition and its proper solution. If youre a resident of the UAE and are looking for the best professional car service providers in the region to get your dead car battery checked, then visit Carcility.
We can, with Carcility!
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Nd Method: Checking For A Short Circuit
If your car stereo is draining your battery even when its turned off, it could be due to a short circuit. A short circuit can happen if the wiring in your car stereo system has been damaged or if there is a loose connection somewhere. To check for a short circuit, youll need to:
- Disconnect the negative terminal from your car battery.
- Use a voltmeter to test the continuity of the wire between the negative terminal and the point where it connects to your car stereo. If there is no continuity, this means there is a break in the wire or a loose connection.
- If you find a break in the wire, youll need to splice the wire and reconnect it.
- If you find a loose connection, youll need to tighten it or replace it.
How To Know When To Replace Your Car Battery
The best time to replace your battery is before you need to. But how do you know its time to replace the battery if its not deadyet? There is no catch-all answer for how long a car battery will last, but there are symptoms that can suggest it’s time for a replacement. Learn the signs of a dying car battery, how climate can affect yours, and when you should have it replaced with this guide.
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Keeping The Lights On
Having the headlights switched on for long has known to be a common reason for the car batterys power drainage. A few of the newer car models come with the feature of automatically switching off the headlights if kept idle for long. Make a point to switch off your headlights when youre keeping your car idle to prevent a dead car battery.
St Method: Disabling Sleep Mode On Your Head Unit
If your car stereo is draining your battery even when its turned off, its likely due to the sleep mode feature. Many head units will go into a low power sleep mode after being turned off, and this can cause a slow drain on your battery. To fix this, youll need to disable the sleep mode feature on your head unit.
To do this, youll need to consult your Owners Manual or the documentation for your specific head unit. Look for a setting that says Sleep Mode or Power Saving Mode and disable it. If you cant find this setting, try doing a Google search for your head unit model + sleep mode.
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How To Check If Your Car Radio Drains Your Battery
The easiest way to check if your car radio is draining your battery is to remove the negative battery terminal. If your car radio is draining your battery, the radio will immediately stop working.
If removing the negative battery terminal does not cause your radio to stop working, then your radio is not draining your battery.
There are a few other ways to check if your car radio is draining your battery:
1. Check the voltage of your battery with a voltmeter. If the voltage of your battery is 12 volts or less, your radio is probably draining your battery.
2. Try starting your car with the radio switched off. If your car starts normally, then your battery is likely being drained by your radio.
3. Check for any accessories connected to the power outlets in your car. If you find any electrical devices that may be draining your battery, try disconnecting them and see if this helps improve the condition of your battery.
Check The Draw Across The Negative Cable And Battery Post
Turn on your multimeter and select the Amps and make sure its set for DC . You should see a symbol like a solid line, with dashes underneath. You Dont want AC , this is for your homes electric. You will probably have the option for Amps or mA , so choose the Amps to start with, preferably 10A or 20A. Make sure your wire leads are in the correct location, on the multimeter. There should be a diagram on the multimeter, showing you where to put the test lead wires.
Youre going to be putting your multimeter in series of the battery drain or current draw. This means the current draw will be passing through the multimeter. In our case, we had a 4.4 Amp draw, so that power was flowing through the multimeter. Be certain your leads and dial are in their correct locations.
Place one of the wire leads from the multimeter on the negative battery post and the other on the disconnected battery cable. You should see the multimeter display the number of Amps that are actively causing your battery drain. Use zip ties or small clamps to keep the multimeter leads connected to the battery terminal and battery wire.
Tip: A normal operating vehicle will have about 50 milliamps of Amp draw on the battery.
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Cause #: Left Components Open
One of the most common causes of a drained car battery is human error. We sometimes forget to turn off a car component as we leave our vehicle since we are already tired from work. There are also episodes when we dont notice that a car light is left turned on especially in broad daylight where it is almost impossible to notice them.
Leaving a car component open overnight while the engine is turned off will cause your car battery loses charge overnight. However, newer production cars tend to come with an alert system that tells you that you have left a component open before leaving your vehicle.
Be sure to turn off all lights before leaving your car.
Check For Other Potential Battery Power Drainers
The problems above are the most common reasons a battery refuses to hold a charge. If you still can’t find the source of the problem, you may have an issue with another system. For example:
- There may be a problem in the starting system. A short circuit may cause excessive current draw and drain your battery.
- Check the charging system for a loose or worn-out alternator belt, problems in the circuit , or a failing alternator.
- Engine operation problems can also cause excessive battery drain during cranking.
- If you recently installed or upgraded equipment, added a new electronic accessory, replaced wires or modified a circuit, start there.
- If your battery seems to fail under extreme weather conditions, either hot or cold, have the battery checked. Old or faulty batteries are more likely to fail under these conditions.
- Too many short trips can finally have a toll on your battery, especially an old one. The battery doesn’t have time to recharge and its lifespan shortens.
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Isolate And Fix The Issue
Once you pull the fuse that is the culprit, then you can fix the issue. In our case, it was the Alternator/Voltage Regulator that was pulling more than 4 Amps continually, which turned out to be a faulty alternator. Once we removed this 30A fuse, the Amp draw dropped to 0.2 Amps, which is still more than typical. We also found a secondary draw with the Interior lamps relay/switch. Removing both fuses dropped our Amp draw down to almost nothing.
We replaced our alternator, and well replace the interior switch another time.
Can A Car Radio Drain Your Battery
One common cause of a car battery dying is when the radio is left on while the vehicle is not in use. Even if your car radio is turned off, it can still drain power from your battery if its left on. To avoid this, make sure to turn off your car radio whenever youre not using it.
If you find that your car battery dies frequently, even when youre not using the radio, there may be another problem. Its possible that your battery is simply old and needs to be replaced. If this is the case, consult a mechanic to have your battery checked and possibly replaced.
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Driving Habits Influence When To Replace A Car Battery
How you use your car over a long period of time can affect how often you need to replace your battery. If you consistently take short trips like daily drives to the office and the grocery store, for instance, your battery doesnt have enough time to get fully charged between trips. This can lead to decreased performance.
Also, if your car sits in the garage or driveway for extended periods of time, its battery continues to drain passively even when the engine isnt on. The good news is that these battery-draining habits make for great excuses to take your ride on a good ole’ fashioned road trip.
Car Battery Drain Preventer
Pro tip: If you suspect your battery is leaking its charge. You can clean it by mixing about 250ml of warm water with a tablespoon of baking soda then dipping a rag into the mix and wiping the battery. If need be, you can also use a soft brush to scrub the battery with the mix. Be extra careful if your battery has removable caps and ensure the cleaning solution does not seep into the battery, as this could damage your battery.
In the case of car batteries, extreme temperature changes refer to temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit and below 10 degrees. Leaving your car in such severe weather conditions for long when it is off will result in a build-up of lead sulfate crystals. This build-up will cause any charge in your battery to be drained and increase the amount of time the dead battery will require to recharge.
The lead sulfate build-up is also responsible for damaging your car battery as well as reducing its life span.
If you can remember, we mentioned in the beginning that if your battery just drained on you for the first time, you dont need to worry. Here is why. A majority of times, realizing that your car battery is dead after your car has been off overnight or off for a number of hours may make you think that there could be a big underlying issue that caused your battery to drain. Right? But sometimes the case isnt so. It could just be a costly consequence from a rookie driver mistake you made. Some of these mistakes include:
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Things That Will Drain Your Car Battery
Almost all electronics on your vehicle can drain your battery. And as you know there are many electric-powered features on your car. Here are the 5 most common things: