2002 Dodge Intrepid Battery won't hold a charge

CAROLSCAR

MEMBER
2002 DODGE INTREPID
54,000 MILES

Car was driving fine until about ten days ago then when I tried to start it, the battery was completely dead, power was gone, entry locks didn't even work. I got a jump start and took it to a garage, got a new battery and they checked the alternator, belts, everything under the hood was okay. I drove the car at least two times (short trips) since then, however, when I tried to start it yesterday, it was completely dead again. Any suggestions?

Monday, August 12th, 2013 AT 9:29 AM

1 Reply

JDL

MECHANIC
16,098 POSTS

You need to get the battery charged, otherwise, you can't do any testing.

If the charging system is working fine, then check for a battery drain. Where applicable, faulty alternator diodes can cause battery to drain.

You also check for battery drain by pulling/replacing fuses, one at a time. When you pull the fuse on the faulty circuit, the excess drain goes away. You can use a digital multimeter on the amp setting. Take battery cable loose, use meter leads between cable and battery post, key off, you can see the amp draw. Probably shouldn't be more than.030 ma.

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Monday, August 12th, 2013 AT 10:03 AM