I have had enough with these battery/charging system issues

[1.8t]

So my car is to the point that it will kill a fresh battery in about 7 to 10 days if the car is not driven. The car is stored with everything turned off and the alarm NOT armed. I went and had the battery and alternator tested, and got the following diagnosis.

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In researching that "trouble code" online, the most common fix was a new alternator. So I replaced the alternator, drove the car around for a week or so, and had the car retested. The car showed the exact same error and it was also showing signs of a struggle during cranking, which is another indication that it is draining the battery.

I am fed up with this crap. Does anyone have the slightest idea of what the problem could be? I am going to go through the car and check all the grounds, but I don't expect them to be an issue. Is there any weak point in the electrical system that I should target first? I have a multimeter, but I am no electrical guru. What should I be checking for?

 

[LaViper]

1.8t, I'm just an old school mech, but I'm sure you realize that SOMETHING is drawing current from your Battery. (after all, batteries only store electricity). Sometimes we tend to over complicate things. Have you done anything like change radio or starter or any other electrical item? Did you buy a new OEM Alt or a rebuilt ? Take a chill pill, relax & start eliminating one item at a time. Don't overlook a small item like a wire may have worn insulation off & is going to ground. Good luck, don't let it beat you. You can do it.

 

[MoparBoyy]

ya i would look into grounds, make sure they are clean (battery, battery cables, ground straps on engine.)

i personally have my car on a battery tender all the time in the garage. i installed the lead near the PCM so i dont ever have to open the hood or anything to plug it in. its not a fix for your issue, but just something to think about if the car sits a lot.

 

[CEJ]

Does your battery have posts on the top or just on the side?

Was your battery fully charged when first installed?

 

[1.8t]

Battery is an Optima Redtop and is 1 month old. I didn't drive the car for about 8 days and it killed the battery. I removed it and put it on a trickle charged and brought her back up to full capacity. Car cranked up like it never had before. Since then, it has slowly been draining back down and the car now struggles to start. I agree there is a draw on the battery, I just don't know how to find out where. The car has no aftermarket electronics and never has.

FWIW, Optima Redtops don't have posts. They have threaded bolt holes on the side.

The alternator I bought was through Dodge. It was sold as a new alternator.

 

[Hirkophoto]

I had a similar problem with my Gts. You can do some searching around on the forum here because there are more threads on this subject. I just put a bettery tender on it and forget about it. I have one on my SRT 10 now too. It seems if they sit they have a tendency to drain batteries.

 

[2000_Black_RT10]

Just a trouble shooting suggestion, pull all the fuses under the clamshell and check for amp draw with a multimeter across each fuse terminal..

 

[Jmch]

http://www.amazon.com/OTC-7645-Parasitic-Draw-Tester/dp/B000RT81XW

There is a tool like this for side posts as well that goes between your positive battery cable and your battery which allows you to check (or in your case diagnose) for "parasitic drain " with it installed you can hook an amp meter up and pull fuses 1 by 1 to identify the circuit. I would expect to have no more than a 40 milliamp draw once the modules return to sleep mode. You are probably way above that if your draining an Optima that fast. 2000 black rt10 has a decent idea but if you pull a module fuse and then plug your amp meter in the module will wake up and show you a draw and you would need to wait it out. There's a bit more to using the parasitic drain tool so if it is something your interested in trying PM me and I will be happy to outline the proper steps for you.

 

[CEJ]

That parasitic draw tester for $56 sure looks like a $10 battery cutoff switch.

 

[Fatboy 18]

That parasitic draw tester for $56 sure looks like a $10 battery cutoff switch.

Have to agree, how the hell does that thing work? Its not exactly going to show you any fault codes is it?

 

[GTSHolgi]

This device is definitively just a switch. It will not give you any codes whatsoever. It won't tell you the source of the draw either. You will have to use an ampmeter to measure the parasitic current and then, as mentioned, start your hunt.

Holger

 

[Jmch]

It is a cutoff switch... I didn't look at the price but it would be easy to use any cutoff switch. It allows you to open or close the circuit with your amp meter leads across it without resetting the computers and screwing up your diag. It doesn't read any codes. A parasitic drain wont set codes. Odds are a drain will end up being a radio amp lighting or other accessories before a powertrain components. Found this on you tube.. he seems close enough.. no special tool. I would wait 5-10 minutes after hooking up your leads to make sure the computers are in sleep mode unless there is a massive draw like this guys .. and the more gadgets on a car the higher the base drain will be.. Also using a switch instead of clamps allows you to do everything uninterrupted. Just switch when he unhooked. Hope it helps.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0&desktop_uri=/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0

 

[1.8t]

^ that sounds like a logical way for some baby steps in the right direction. I will perform this on the car today and see what I come up with. Thanks man.

 

[AZTVR]

Here's another DIY article on the subject: http://www.mastertechmag.com/pdf/2009/June/parasiticdrain.pdf

 

[AZTVR]

FWIW, Optima Redtops don't have posts. They have threaded bolt holes on the side.

I did not realize that they make a model without top posts now. I don't think that they were available that way when I was considering one for my car a few years ago. FWIW, They certainly are still built with top posts for applications that use that format.

 

[GTS-R 001]

Had the same problem with my Gen 2, it ended up being the brake light switch under the brake pedal, it would stick in the on position and I never noticed since you park your car and the lights stay on for a while, but after everything shut down the brake lights were still on, a squirt with WD 40 and the switch would work like new for a while.

 

[coupe]

Mine did the same thing and I traced it to the keyless entry module staying energized because of a hood switch. I've posted more than once here about what I did to remedy it, so feel free to search my posts from about a year ago or a little longer.

 

[Jerry Scott[CO]]

If you are leaving the hood open or have the alarm system turned on, the battery will have a higher amperage drain. So, keep the hood closed and the alarm system off while it is in your garage.
Jerry

 

[vpower01]

If you cant figure it out you could always just install a 12 Volt Battery Saver Auto Disconnect Switch.
http://www.sportsimportsltd.com/12-volt-battery-saver-disconnect.html

 

[coupe]

A cutoff switch and/or a battery tender will not fix premature battery death in a Viper, they just mask the problem. These cars weren't designed to kill batteries in a few days, so if they're killing batteries there is something wrong and it needs to be addressed.

It can be an arduous task to find out where the current draw is coming from, but when you do, and when the problem is fixed, it is a very satisfying feeling.

 

[1.8t]

If you are leaving the hood open or have the alarm system turned on, the battery will have a higher amperage drain. So, keep the hood closed and the alarm system off while it is in your garage.
Jerry

I never leave the car in either state, but I do not see a hood open switch anywhere when looking around under the hood. Can you tell me where it is?


I went to perform the draw test today and I cannot get my amp meter to show any amps at all when I connect the leads. I can only assume that the fuse is blown in the device even though it visually doesn't look blown. The device has no problems showing 12.78v worth of potential difference when checking the battery, but I hope replacing the fuse fixes the amp reading. Yes, I have the dial on the right setting and the leads hooked up correctly.

 

[1.8t]

And another update. Changed the fuse in the multimeter and didn't see more than ~22 milliamps. This is an acceptable level of draw. Then, I heard something cycle in the car and the number shot up so far that I needed to change the scale on my multimeter. By the time I changed the scale and got the leeds back on the battery, whatever was cycling had stopped and my amps had dropped to 0. I put the amperage scale back to the original setting (milliamperes) and checked again and could not get a reading no matter how much I tried. The battery voltage is 12.75 volts.

I can't for the life of me understand what is going on.

Edit: Just checked the 10amp fuse and it blew. That is why I can't get a reading. It can't be good that my car is pulling more than 10amps when it's off.

 

[jdeft1]

Betting you have some silly aftermarket crap amp, radio or alarm still hooked up that needs to go. If not, I'd start looking at the 'unswitched' power cables or devices. Stupid stuff like the cig lighter, etc. A rubbed wire may be to blame. ????


(Admittedly, I did not read the entire tread).

 

[past ohio]

I put one of the battery disconnect switches on all my cars and whenever they sleep, I turn the green knob and don't worry about any battery drain, BUT your first problem does sound like something is staying on and draining the battery....good luck !! Test each fuse one by one till located...

 

[scottmarston]

I also dislike the electrical engineering on these cars. There’s a reason there are countless battery threads on this website…I had to change my battery before too. Start with your ground wires and make sure they have no potential. If that doesn’t work you have to check the rest of the wires. Since you don’t have any idea where the leakage current is, you have to start at the battery. Once you get your multimeter fixed, pull fuses individually and test at the battery each time until the leakage current drops or goes away. Find out what circuit that is and whether or not you can get it fixed or live without it.

Don’t be surprised if it’s something that you will just have to deal with and end up having to hook up a trickle charger. Like I said…there are too many crappy battery threads for this to be abnormal.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Until you can locate the problem, I would suggest either a battery maintainer or an electrical shut off under the hood. Both EZ fixes to the frustration, and will give you time to track down the drain.

 

[Jmch]

Are you using a battery kill switch to keep the car powered up while your meter is disconnected? If the meter fuse blows or you dissconnect without switching the battery back on the car loses power so you have to start all over again. If you heard something cycle on than your just going to have to be patient and wait to hear that again. I'm guess I'm not really sure what kind of car you have and what it has aftermarket but 10+ amps is high enough to be more than just a module. (Maybe something controlled by a module) being that high should help your diag. To be honest I cant really think of any one thing that would pull that many amps. Maybe an abs pump motor could get that high. Or compressors for leveling systems on some cars. But I've never seen those cycle on. Audio sys? Remote start? Alarm? Aftermarket add ons?

 

[1.8t]

The car is a 99 GTS with headers, exhaust, smooth tubes, coilovers, Stoptech brakes all around, and nothing more. All of the electronics are 100% stock.

 

[chorps]

I'm not anywhere proficient with diagnosing the bugs but reading that mastertechmag article was pretty enlightening.

Here's a nugget from the end of the article:
•Reportedly, some Chryslers are programmed
to burn off the MAF sensor wire in the middle of
the night, causing a noticeable increase in current
– several amps. A similar report claims some
Chryslers test 02 sensor heaters at oh-dark twenty.

Anyone know if the Vipers do anything like that? It might explain that >10A draw the OP is seeing.

 

[1.8t]

Our Gen 2's don't use MAF sensors. So while a good find, it isn't relevant for our cars.