Battery power draw

[alex87f]

Hi everyone,

My battery seems to keep dying on me quite often. I measured the power draw with an amp meter that, upon connection, shows 200+ma of power draw and then slowly drops over a minute or two to eventually stabilize around 40-45ma draw.

Is this a normal value? Or should I further investigate what's using power when the car is shut off?

BR,
Alex

[Ashikabi]

40 is pretty normal. How old is battery? Is the alternator working properly?

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[alex87f]

Battery's 3 years old. It's a namebrand 60Ah one so it should do OK.

Alternator is showing 14+ volts under charge so that seems OK. But whenever I leave the car to sit for over 2-3 weeks, it won't crank. I can hear the starter click, but that's it.

Either I'm not reading the right draw values, or my battery doesn't have the advertised capacity anymore, 60Ah should last me two months with a 40ma draw.

[Ashikabi]

Originally Posted by alex87f

Battery's 3 years old. It's a namebrand 60Ah one so it should do OK.

Alternator is showing 14+ volts under charge so that seems OK. But whenever I leave the car to sit for over 2-3 weeks, it won't crank. I can hear the starter click, but that's it.

Either I'm not reading the right draw values, or my battery doesn't have the advertised capacity anymore, 60Ah should last me two months with a 40ma draw.

Car needs significant amperage to crank. Any modern car will do the same if you leave it for 2 weeks. You need to disconnect the battery or use a trickle charger. Unless there was a typo, the problem you are describing isn't actually a "problem"


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[humfrz]

Originally Posted by alex87f

Hi everyone,

My battery seems to keep dying on me quite often. I measured the power draw with an amp meter that, upon connection, shows 200+ma of power draw and then slowly drops over a minute or two to eventually stabilize around 40-45ma draw.

Is this a normal value? Or should I further investigate what's using power when the car is shut off?

BR,
Alex

If you have not already done so, I suggest you check the fluid level in the battery. Also, clean the battery posts.

Also, you may want to have the battery load tested to see if it has a weak cell.

My 9 year old battery seems to get lazy every few months, so, I zap it with a battery charger for a few hours and that seems to perk it up for a few months. I only drive my car for about a dozen miles 2-3 times a week.

[Clipdat]

Time to start logging some more seat time, hum.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Clipdat

Time to start logging some more seat time, hum.

Ya, I hear ya.

Some advice for you younger drivers, if you're going to plan some serious seat time in a FRS, do it before you reach 80 years old -