Battery drains quickly, New battery,Heavy drain, Replaced alternator , drain still there,goes away when bat. main 2 fuse is pulled
2002 Grand Prix. Heavy drain on new battery. Pulled the power wire off the back of alternator, drain went away. Alternator tested bad, replaced. Still heavy drain. Goes away when I pull the 60 amp battery main #2 fuse. All other fuses does not effect the drain. What circuits does the battery main number 2 protect?
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hi there. It’s quite possible that you have one of two things causing the drain to the battery. First, you have a bad ground somewhere in the main relay or fuse box or an exposed wire somewhere that is not allowing the circuit to complete from the alternator to the battery. This can cause a battery draining issue as you’re describing, but it could also be one of multiple other electrical problems. The best way to pinpoint the exact source is to have a professional mobile mechanic come to your location and complete a battery will not hold a charge inspection.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
The batteries connectors can jostle loose sometimes or terminals might corrode. This will either cause the engine to shut down completely or the battery won`t fully transmit power. To solve this problem tighten your connectors. However, corrosion related problems require you to clean the battery regularly.
Some of the most common reasons for a car battery to die repeatedly include loose or corroded battery connections, persistent electrical drains, charging problems, constantly demanding more power than the alternator can provide, and even extreme weather.
“Electrical devices or lights left running, a defective charging system or alternator, and extreme weather are some common reasons but maybe it`s just time to get a new battery.”
Issues such as faulty wiring, bad fuses or interior lights that fail to shut off will continue to drain your battery while it`s idle.
Contrary to its purpose, an alternator can drain a battery. It`s rare, but it`s possible. A draw on the battery only occurs if there`s a problem with either a component in the alternator itself or connections to it.
The question is, can a faulty alternator destroy a new car battery? The answer is that a bad alternator, does not always affect the car battery, especially if the battery is new. However, there are chances that the faulty alternator can kill your new battery.
If your wire connection to the battery is loose. Your batter will drain over a period of time. I have personally experience it. If the ground wire was touching the metal then it would have drained the battery.
What may drain a car battery when it`s off are things such as interior lights, door lights, or even bad relays. While your engine runs, the alternator recharges the battery — which is why you typically don`t have to worry about the battery dying while you`re blasting the radio on your drive to work!
The most common causes of excessive parasitic drain include faulty relay switches, malfunctioning alternators, damaged wiring or connections, and electronic devices left connected or powered on when the vehicle is off.
A corroded or defective alternator diode will faultily continue charging the circuit even when the car off. This, in turn, will drain your car battery and cause the car not to start.
A bad starter can, and will drain your battery if you don`t take care of your vehicle regularly. With these tips, however, you can prevent this from happening.
Like all other rotating machines, the bearings in the alternator have a limited life and are eventually going to go bad. You can choose to minimize the chances of your bearing going bad prematurely but keeping the tensioner and the drive belt in proper working condition.
There are many reasons your car`s battery might be dead, and one of them happens to be a broken voltage regulator. This is because when this part burns out, the battery will no longer charge, meaning it will eventually die.
Probably, the most common symptom associated with a bad regulator is flickering, dimming, or pulsing lights. To be more specific, you may notice that the vehicle`s: Headlights fluctuate between bright and dim, without you doing anything. High beam isn`t working as expected.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Battery drains quickly, New battery,Heavy drain, Replaced alternator , drain still there,goes away when bat. main 2 fuse is pulled
ANSWER : Hi there. It’s quite possible that you have one of two things causing the drain to the battery. First, you have a bad ground somewhere in the main relay or fuse box or an exposed wire somewhere that is not allowing the circuit to complete from the alternator to the battery. This can cause a battery draining issue as you’re describing, but it could also be one of multiple other electrical problems. The best way to pinpoint the exact source is to have a professional mobile mechanic come to your location and complete a battery will not hold a charge inspection.
my battery kept draining until i bought a new alternator and battery. i have tightened the belt on the alternator but it still die
ANSWER : Hi there. The best way to diagnose why a battery would constantly drain is to review it’s job and how it is recharged. The battery is responsible for powering all electrical systems until the vehicle is started. At this point, the alternator takes over and also continually charges the battery while the vehicle is in use. A battery will drain when one of two things occurs. First, a battery will drain if it is constantly in use; supplying power to an electrical component even if the key is not in the ignition. Second, the battery will eventually die if the battery is not being charged frequently. However, since this is happening every two days, my initial thought would be that some electrical component on your 86 Olds is continuing to draw power from the battery. This is known as a parasitic drain. The best way to determine the source of this battery issue is to have one of our professional mobile mechanics come to your location and complete a battery will not hold a charge inspection.
We have a new battery, new alternator, new coil pk, new master fuse and the car still won’t hold power.
ANSWER : Hi there. The only thing that I could think possible is causing your problem is that something may not have been correctly installed while your son was completing this maintenance. However, if your engine was difficult to start before this service, it’s possible there are different components that are damaged that simply didn’t resolve the issue. The only way of knowing what is going on with your Trailblazer would be to have one of our mobile mechanics in your area come to your location and complete a car is hard to start inspection.
I got a new battery new alternator put in but my battery just gets drained I keep having to buy new batterys
ANSWER : This may be a sign of a failing voltage regulator or potentially a bad grounding problem causing a draw on the system. The voltage regulator is a unit that regulates the charging of the battery by the alternator. Often times this will result in the alternator allowing too much power to be delivered to the battery resulting in damaging wires and prematurely sometimes destroying the battery. In other cases it may result in the alternator not supplying enough power to the battery, resulting in undercharging the battery or not charging it at all. In either case, I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose your vehicle’s charging system.
I have Chrysler 300c. Battery light came on, changed battery and alternator but power still getting drained and battery light still comes on.
ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in. This may be a sign of a failing starter relay. The starter relay is a small unit near the starter that directs power to the starter from the battery. When this fails, it may cause a clicking sound and will not allow the starter to engage the flywheel when you turn the key. I would suggest having a professional from YourMechanic come to your home to diagnose your starting issue to determine the solution to get you back on the road.
Dashboard lights out and something draining new battery
ANSWER : Hello there, thank you for asking about your 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air. Checking for parasitic draw on a battery can be done by inserting an ammeter in series with the negative battery cable, then removing the fuses one by one until the draw drops. Once this happens, you have found your problem circuit. A professional, such as one from YourMechanic, can [find the problematic fuse and replace it for you](https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/fuse-replacement]. In regard to your instrument panel, unfortunately, I do not have the wiring diagram for your vehicle due to the age. The instrument panel will need to be checked for both power and ground to determine where the problem is. Once again, a technician from YourMechanic can inspect your electric problems.
Car not starting, replaced battery and alternator fuse but now inside fuses are blowing and still not starting
ANSWER : Hi there. It is quite possible that you have an exposed electrical wire or a short somewhere in the electrical system that is the root source of your starting issue. A fuse or relay will continue to break when the circuit is unable to complete. This is typically due to a wire that is pinched, frayed or a ground wire connection that is faulty. Due to the multiple possible sources of this problem, I would recommend having one of our experienced mobile mechanics come to your location to complete an electrical problems inspection, so they can determine the root source of this issue and recommend the right repairs.
New battery and alternator but there is still no power in my 204 Xterra onve I turn it off.
ANSWER : Hi there. It sounds like you either have a defective alternator or there is another issue within the circuit for the charging system. I usually start by checking the output of the alternator. If it is not putting out the right voltage or amperage then it needs to be replaced. I would then check to see if the alternator is getting the correct signal to turn on. These would tell me if the output if correct. If the alternator is putting out the right voltage then the positive battery cable may have failed and may have high internal resistance. If you need to have this checked out, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to you to [diagnose why the vehicle is losing electrical power] https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/electric-problems-inspection
