Odd battery drain issue

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mtnracer

10 Year 15 Year
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I have been experiencing odd and seemingly random battery drain issues. Last one happened yesterday after spending about 3 hours at a local park with the cruiser wide open (all doors and hatch). Stereo was NOT on and the key was NOT in the ignition. My Optima Red Top 34R was dead (could not even move the steering column adjuster). Luckily I have dual batteries and was able to jump myself. :beer: Something similar happened a few months back on a road trip except that all doors were closed.

Is there anything on the truck that could drain a battery in a few hours even with everything off?

More background: I have aftermarket amps and speakers but like I said, everything was off (no key in ignition). I also have a dual battery setup which is a simple relay setup. When the key is turned, the relay closes and connects both batteries allowing the alternator to charge both batteries. When I shut the truck off, the relay opens and separates the batteries allowing me to use the second battery for camping without worrying about draining the primary.

Any ideas?
 
One thing to add: I had the Optima Red Top 34R checked at Advance Auto Parts and they gave it a clean bill of health. Maybe this could still be the problem - some sort of internal short?
 
Although I hesitate to recommend search right now, there have been a number of threads on battery drain. Some good ideas have come up in those. My only input at this point is what I've noted before; it's difficult for an auto parts store to properly test a battery quickly, so it's certainly possible that your battery is intermittently discharging itself. Good batteries hold a lot of "juice" and it would take a lot to completely discharge one in only 3 hours.
 
First off, the interior lights and electronics shut off after 30 minutes with the door open. You have to either unlock the truck via key, or close/open a door to turn them back on. They should of shut off...Secondly, you may of damaged a cell by discharging it too far. It either won't hold a charge, or won't charge.
 
had same issue with a red top....it shows good and will go ghost quickly. I replaced both batteries with Diehard Plats and no issues since. The truck has never started as good as is does now. I tried everything to get it back correctly but no dice. 6 Optimas dead in 5 years over 3 rigs. They will not get another dime from me...
 
Are you 100% positive the amp(s) are indeed switched via ignition?
 
Spressomon: No, the amps are not switched via ignition. They have a cooling fan that can keep running even when the truck is off. However, there was no music playing as the radio was off (no key in ignition). Also it was a cool day so the cooling fans were not running.

Is there a way to tell if the amps are drawing current when the truck is off?

If the amp is the problem, would the battery not be dead every morning after sitting all night? My problem seems to be (almost) random.
 
I had the same issue...I ended up installing a circuit breaker in the engine bay (I changed the amps so they pull power from my aux battery) for the amps...easy to switch them off for when the truck sits more than a night or three...good for when I'm in dirt camping mode too as it saves battery voltage when I also need it for fridge, lighting, etc. when camping overnight, etc.

You need to measure the parasitic draw from your amp(s)...start eliminating there. Do you have an aftermarket wireless start/alarm system/?
 
mtnracer said:
No remote start or alarm system. How of I measure parasitic draw?
Click to expand...

You can measure the draw in the system by using a multi meter and putting it in series with the ground side of the battery. If the draw is higher than 100 milli amps or so, with everything off and the car locked, you may have an excessive draw. You can then start pulling fuses and relays to find the system that has the problem.
 
When chasing parasitic current draw you'll also need to wait a while, at least 30 minutes, for the body control module (and probably a couple of other control modules) to settle down and go into their sleep mode to get an accurate quiescent reading. With doors opening/shutting the body module will keep energizing the dome relay cct and you might get readings around 100 to 150mA, after everything has settled down you want to see maybe 50mA draw. Tape in the door open switch (if you leave the doors open) to turn the dome cct off. Also, google your amp model to see if there are user selectable settings to force it to off and not a standby mode.
 
You can get a cheap ( ~$10) multi meter that will measure up to about 10 Amps DC. The cheap clip-on amp meters only read AC Amps, so they don't work. Figure out a way to hook between battery post and cable so all power goes through meter. Make sure everything is off before hooking it up and if you turn anything on that takes much power you will blow the meter's fuse. When you hook up the meter a lot of stuff resets so it will take a while for power to settle down to normal off condition.
 
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