Battery keeps going dead

BEEFY

MEMBER
1999 DODGE DAKOTA
16,000 MILES

I have a dodge dakota sport 4x4 with a 5.2l v-8. I have replaced the battery and had the alternator check, passed, but still have low voltage and the battery keeps going dead. Where do I look next?

I have tried 3 different batteries thinking it might be that. But have not replaced the alternator yet. I had it check and it passed. What else could be the problem draing the battery. It takes about a week to drain the battery

1 Reply

SQM

MECHANIC
6,383 POSTS

Hello,

It sounds like your vehicle has excessive parasitic draw (current drain) to the battery.
Every electrical circuit with a battery will have little amount of parasitic draw, however it can become excessive due to an electrical component malfunctioning. Like a faulty window switch or could be due to a light staying on like a glove box light etc.

There is a way to check the draw on your battery by using a multimeter.
This vehicle should have 5 to 25 milliamp of parasitic draw, with the ignition off.
Any thing higher is excessive.

Here is a helpful video of how to find the parasitic draw:

https://youtu.be/z5F7WpgjaRs

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-dead-overnight

Please let me know of any questions.
Thank you.

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