Battery will not stay charged

Tiny
SCARTWRIGHT
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 FORD TAURUS
  • 150,000 MILES
The battery won't hold a charge for longer than a day. It jumps and drives but then is dead when restarted the next day. It isn't driven often because of this and has had this problem before but was worked on for whatever they thought was wrong. It did sit through the cold and hot weather in Nebraska for the past few months but was jumped through out.
Monday, August 16th, 2021 AT 2:49 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 108,300 POSTS
Hi,

First, how old is the battery? Have you tried removing, recharging, and then having it load tested?

If you have and the battery tests good, then we have two things to check. First, you could have a bad alternator. Here is a link that shows how to test one. All that's needed is a voltmeter or multimeter.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator

If the alternator is good and the battery is good, then there must be a parasitic draw on the battery at all times draining it. Take a look through this link and see if it helps:

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

As always, make sure the battery terminals are clean, tight, and free of corrosion.

Let me know what you find or if you have other questions.

Take care,

Joe

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Monday, August 16th, 2021 AT 9:25 PM
Tiny
SQM
  • MECHANIC
  • 6,383 POSTS
Hello,

Have you tested the battery to make sure it does not have a dead cell?
If the battery is good then you have excessive amount of parasitic draw on the battery.
Every electrical system with a battery has a parasitic draw. However due to faulty electronics like a glove box light staying on all the time or a shorted window switch etc. can crease excessive amount of parasitic draw/drain on the battery.

The allowable parasitic draw (current drain) for your vehicle is: Less Than 0.05 amps

Here is a video shows how to check for that 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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Monday, August 16th, 2021 AT 9:26 PM

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