Battery power problems

[merlin]

the staz clock draws about 20mA, dont remember what circuit it is on though.
100mA drain will definately get the battery in trouble after a week.

[skymefun]

hey fr335tyl3r, any progress with your problem?

anyone have any information with reguard to normal, car off, current draw?

fyi I have a turbo timer and CD player.

i ask because my car is doing the same thing, but as my battery flattens much quicker, i suspect i have a ground short. I have not tried the test method (multimeter and pulling fuses), but will do asap.

[SpidersWeb]

When I get my car back, I'll do an amperes test for you guys, unless somebody else is willing :) It'll sit for 2 weeks, turn, and start, and it has an alarm, modern CD player etc, hopefully make a good guideline.

I had to get my new battery because I left the car for 2 months, and I have the suspicion I left the key in the ON position. Stupid thing to do, but meh - whoops.

[Boris]

If you leave your car for extended periods and tend to loose batteries before their alloted time a good trick is to got to Jaycar or similar and get a 600ma or so sealed lead acid (SLA) batery charger as used for burgler alarm batteries they are designed to be left connected all the time without over charging. I have found my battery life is returned to normal by leaving on connected during extended periods of car storage.
Good luck
Cheers
Boris

[skymefun]

Hi guys,

Previously my car was flattening its battery overnight, but I didnt test off current draw.

I removed my stereo (that I put in :D)

Car now has .03mA current draw at off.

Tonight I will leave the battery connected and fingers crossed it will start tomorrow.

This might seem basic to alot of you, but this thread has saved me getting an electrical mechanic to do it for me :) Thanks!

[SpidersWeb]

If a car stereo flattens your battery overnight, you need a new battery.

[skymefun]

Im pretty sure I installed it incorrectly :D

[SpidersWeb]

Im pretty sure I installed it incorrectly :D

Doesn't matter. It would either blow a fuse or drain very little current. It wont just sit there dragging an amp or two for no reason. Remember even if it was dragging an entire 1 amp (1000mA), thats still only 12.6 watts.

Worth a try dude, but I'm inclined to suggest you get a new battery :/ Saving current is more of a trick for people who's battery dies after a week or more of sitting. Only thing that should really drain your battery overnight is if you left your headlights on.

Also check when your engine is running, that you're getting >13.6V, undercharging can kill batteries quite quick too. My black Starion sits at a perfect 14.4V while idling, haven't tested the other two. Old grey one did 13.8V.