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Slow to start what's draining the Battery?????

A few months back I installed a new optima red top(880/1000cca)battery and relocated the battery to the right side of the trunk(previously on left side). There is 0 gauge for both power and ground from the front of the car to the back as well as grounds under the back seat and in the trunk where the battery is located. I also installed an oem (mitsubishi) alternator and vato zone starter last year. I had the battery starter and alternator all checked and they are performing as expected even better. The battery shows 12v + even without the engine running and with all accessories on. With the engine running and all accessories going my logger shows 14volts +. The problem is each time I park the car for more than a few hours its extremely difficult and slow to crank over as if the battery is almost dead yet it still shows 12v prior to restarting the car. It just has a lazy cranking over and the dash lights dim? My question is what could be some possible sources of current drain from the battery that cause these issues? I check to make sure my lights and acc are all off before shutdown I have the wires run for my system(0/2 gauge)as well as a 100a and a 150a breakers but its not connected right now and yet the problem persists I'm at a lost need help thanks again.
Dunstan....


 
Last edited by a moderator:

xkoolaidx

Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2009
Messages
10
Location
Loveland,CO
check check and re check all your grounds and positive cable to make sure there isnt a short somewhere also check if the diode on your alternator is open (simple check at autozone), if everything checks out good than make sure all the bolts or fasteners are tight with the battery.
 

DR1665

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 19, 2005
Messages
4,642
Location
Iowa City, IA
You might want to put you meter back into play and look into current (amps).

Voltage is like boost pressure.
Amperage is like CFM.

A short results in a current draw on the battery. I'd suggest double checking your connections. You might want to disconnect the positive terminal, set your DVOM to amps, and measure the current draw with the car turned off. I suspect you'll see quite a bit if the battery is running down that fast.
 

Your optima might also be bad, a buddy of mine just recently had the same problem and it was a bad battery, he has similar setup with the battery relocated to the trunk, optimas are known for being less than the best, have it checked,
 

toybreaker

iconoclast
Joined
Apr 30, 2006
Messages
3,581
Quoting DR1665:
You might want to put you meter back into play and look into current (amps).

Voltage is like boost pressure.
Amperage is like CFM.

A short results in a current draw on the battery. I'd suggest double checking your connections. You might want to disconnect the positive terminal, set your DVOM to amps, and measure the current draw with the car turned off. I suspect you'll see quite a bit if the battery is running down that fast.



That's the right idea, Brian, but many times that will fry a meter/or at the least blow the meter's fuse.

(especially when there is a massive draw like the o.p. is decribing)


There are many capacitors in a stock car, and when the battery is disconnected, they will lose there charge.

When the battery is reconnected, and the caps begin to recharge, the intial inrush of current will often excced the ten amp limit of most meters.

*poof* cue the magic smoke.

It's interesting to note that harbour frewight/cheapy menters *may* tolerate this test whereas the higher flukes will often be damaged by insertation in a circuit that has many caps, and a vehicle with an aftermarket head unit/amp will destroy almost any meter you might have at hand.

*helpful hint* byu a cheapy meter and use it in the garage, There's very few circuits that require the precision of a high end meter in these cars and even a cheapy meter is accurate to a decimal point.



It is possible to use either of these techniques and have a minimal chance of damaging the meter;



Start with the battery terminals connected.

Put the positive lead on the battery post and the negative lead on the terminal.

Lift the terminal off, leaving the meter probes on their respective test poinnts, and what you;re reading is the system draw.


or;

Make a fused bridging wire to bring things up to voltage, and connect invetween the terminal and the post.

After ~ ten seconds put your meter leads in parrallel with the bridging wire (red lead on the post/black on the terminal)

Remove bridging wire, and now you;re reading the idle current draw.




To be honest with you, I almost never use an ammeter for this task anymore.

I connect a test light in series with the terminal and post, and use it's brightness as an indication of how much current is flowing.

dim = normal

Bright = excessive current draw

Start pulling fuses, starting with any aftermarket stereo/equipment then the constant power/memory circuits, then be sure to carefully remove the bloted in fuses on the positive terminal (the alternator is the main player there) and then progress to the other fuses in the front and interior boxes.

When the light dims/goes out you have found the circuit that needs further investigation.

Good luck, and please update your thread with the problem and the fix.

Havent's seen many key off current draw problems on these cars oyher than the alternator diodes and the motorised seatbelts, so I'd like to know what is causing your problems.

thanks
 

Thanks for all the recommendations guys when I get this all done I will update the post.....
 

I had the battery, starter and alternator all checked out at both vato zone as well advanced where I got the red top all checked out ok so unless these guys have a way of falsifying the little computer they use I don't think its the battery but I will recheck everything as recommended.

Quoting TheOV:
Your optima might also be bad, a buddy of mine just recently had the same problem and it was a bad battery, he has similar setup with the battery relocated to the trunk, optimas are known for being less than the best, have it checked,

 

I have also noticed when I hit the horn button while driving it sounds like when the
battery is dead or dying and you try to blow(no homo)the horn and you get that lazy
ass slow long beeeeeeeep.....
 

Brunoboy

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
2,880
Location
San Bruno,CA Home of SFO
This is happening to me as well.
 

I had that happen to me alot and I had a bad aternator... And it happen a few times too
 

Ok so I will follow up with all the recommended test and focus on the alternator....
 

Brunoboy

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 25, 2008
Messages
2,880
Location
San Bruno,CA Home of SFO
When I crank it over and it doesn't have juice I pop my 150 circuit breaker. If I jumpstart it always starts. Does yours do this?
 

14u2nV

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 22, 2004
Messages
9,398
Location
Agency/St. Joe, MO
Do they test the battery for volts or CA? I've had a battery test 12v but not have any amps, thus making it junk.
 

Yeah then u run for a minute the it dies again.... Jump start ur car and when its on take off the positive cable from the battery.. To c if u have a bad alternator if its a bad alternator the car should turn off... If not get that battery tested
 

Struc

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
764
Location
Oconomowoc, WI
Remove the alternator output wire (one on the post with a nut), and see if there is any spark when you touch it to the post, or put an amp meter on it and see if there is any current flowing. I had a pretty bad draw on mine at one point, and it needed replacement. Not sure if any of the parts shops actually test for that or not.

As to the other subject: I also had a problem with my remote circuit breaker (or fuse) blowing. Turned out my starter was drawing too much. Replaced my starter and all is well.
 

Quoting brunoboy:
When I crank it over and it doesn't have juice I pop my 150 circuit breaker. If I jumpstart it always starts. Does yours do this?


Mine has juice it just cranks unusually slower than normal I never need to jump start it and it never pops any of my circuit breakers...
 

rag3

Active member
Joined
Jun 8, 2019
Messages
28
Location
Princeton, NJ
If it not a bad ground or blown fuse it could also be the alternator. if it has a bad connect it could also drain the battery.
 
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