A QUESTION FOR AUTO MECHANICS! Battery keeps going dead, over time, repeatedly.

HAHA CARVID

God you people are something else! I am not even a mechanic and I know enough to tell the OP to try the EASIEST thing FIRST! FFS.

OP, look for caps on the top of your battery. If you see caps, remove them and check the level of the liquid inside the hole. If low, fill them up with DISTILLED WATER. You may simply just need to add water and be good to go without all the other time consuming ideas being offered here. CHECK THE BATTERY CELL LEVELS FIRST its free and quick. And if low, use DISTILLED WATER to fill. NOT tap water, but DISTILLED WATER.

Good luck OP.

But I installed TWO new batteries over the last year.

Thanks for the idea though!

He said he put a new battery in it and still has the problem.
So that would tend to rule out what you suggest. (although never hurts to check anyway. Even on a maintenance free battery, you can tear the paper sticker off the top and pull the little plugs to check the electrolyte levels. )

How often do you drive it?


Almost never. Once a month or so.
However, the alternator should charge the battery, right?


How long do you drive, when you take a ride once a month? I think you are not driving enough to charge the battery. Wait for the cold temps in a few weeks, the battery will be dead sooner. Get a battery charger or better still run a poll and pin you own poll thread.

I would check the levels. I have heard of low levels from the factory. Quality control is not very good with these piss-poor Chinese products that we have no choice but to buy.

Are you wearing a mask?

Well, I put in two new batteries over the last year, HOWEVER....the car sits a long time without running, weeks at a time.......so a small electrical draw could both weaken the battery, and also create another problem once you start the car and drive it...

Almost never. Once a month or so.
However, the alternator should charge the battery, right?


How long do you drive, when you take a ride once a month? I think you are not driving enough to charge the battery. Wait for the cold temps in a few weeks, the battery will be dead sooner. Get a battery charger or better still run a poll and pin you own poll thread.



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You know what I SHOULD put in the car? A big disconnect switch that disconnects the entire battery from the entire car, when not using it.

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Last Edited by Butch DeFeo on 10/13/2021 12:14 AM

You'd be better off going to a decent mechanic instead of asking GLP.

If I only drove it once a month I'd just pull the neg cable and forget about it.

Just follow this video.

THIS IS A GOOD IDEA!

I am not a mechanic but have had new batteries go bad - and found out why after two of them losing charges for no obvious reason.

Was your battery set on concrete before install? Or taken out for some reason and set on concrete? It will screw up the battery. I don't recall the reason, but experience says it's true.

Thanks!

You should ALWAYS start and run your car once a week to keep everything lubed. Also helps keep the battery charged.

If you are buying nEverstart batteries from China/ghetto/mart, that could be the problem. Get a better battery.

Replace the grounding cable.

All the other ideas were good too.

A trickle charger/battery maintainer for about $30 is the better idea when it comes to this. a disconnected battery will still go weak over a period of time

Unplug the radio memory fuse. Anything else that has a light or any draw on the battery.

They make cutoff battery connectors that can help.


[link to www.harborfreight.com (secure)]

I know never to store a car battery on concrete.

YES IT DOES DESTROY A CAR BATTERY SOMEHOW!

However, the batteries I bought this last year were not placed onto concrete.

I had this problem with a 1984 Subaru long ago and it turned out to be the voltage regulator, causing the battery to be OVER-charged and leading to quick battery failure. Don't know if newer cars have this component.

HMM I guess it is possible that my main problem is that I very rarely start and drive this car. Maybe even once every few months recently.

Not necessarily. lol

loose ground

bad connections

bad alternator

Interesting!

Thanks

Since you've replace the battery and alternator, they are probably good. Can the car sit for a month and then crank? If it only goes dead when driving (especially at night with headlight use),check to see if it has a relay between the alternator and battery.
If the relay (or fuse) is bad, the Alt could be putting out power but it not getting into battery to keep it charged. Used to get several cars come in every year at the dealership with this problem.
Next, wire a test light in line with battery to check for a short. If it lights up even dimly, start pulling fuses one at a time till light goes out. Identify what fuse protects to start looking for a short in that area.
For a few bucks you can pick up a battery isolater switch that disconnects battery after each use so it doesn't run down just sitting over time.
Good luck

it is a loose connection at the battery. Positive.

Wow! This is excellent detailed information! THANKS!