Car Battery Drain

[RR7509]

Is there a recommended workshop that specialise in troubleshooting battery drain? I sent my car to Tan Chong in/out many times, they still cannot find out what actually causing the battery drain. At first they said its my head unit problem, the motherboard spoilt. Then I changed the HU to a new one and also changed the battery, the draining problem stop for about a month, then problem back again. Now the car start to show weak battery symptoms.

I drive to work everyday, about 10-15mins short drive and always disonnect the dashcam after I parked my car overnight. Every Sunday I will drive the car for at least 20mins. The car is nissan pulsar. (2017 model). Thanks.

 

[superman]

Is there a recommended workshop that specialise in troubleshooting battery drain? I sent my car to Tan Chong in/out many times, they still cannot find out what actually causing the battery drain. At first they said its my head unit problem, the motherboard spoilt. Then I changed the HU to a new one and also changed the battery, the draining problem stop for about a month, then problem back again. Now the car start to show weak battery symptoms.

I drive to work everyday, about 10-15mins short drive and always disonnect the dashcam after I parked my car overnight. Every Sunday I will drive the car for at least 20mins. The car is nissan pulsar. (2017 model). Thanks.

Did you ask TC to check the Alternator?

 

[RR7509]

No, I didn't ask them to check the alternator. I left my car at their workshop over the weekends to troubleshoot the issue. They didn't mention they check on the alternator. They only told me that they disconnected the accessories one by one to check the current leakage.

 

[superman]

No, I didn't ask them to check the alternator. I left my car at their workshop over the weekends to troubleshoot the issue. They didn't mention they check on the alternator. They only told me that they disconnected the accessories one by one to check the current leakage.

I suspect the alternator is not properly charging the battery, you can follow below to test the alternator, you can ask TC or a Battery shop to test for you if you don't have Multimeter.

How to test an alternator​

Before you start digging too far under the hood, you’ll want to test your alternator to be sure it’s the true source of your car’s power problems. The best way to test an alternator is with a multimeter. Set the multimeter to the DC voltage setting, then follow these steps on how to test an alternator[1]:

1. Make sure your battery is fully charged. With the vehicle at rest, check the battery’s voltage by touching the multimeter’s leads to their corresponding terminals on the battery (typically, the black lead is negative, the red lead is positive). A fully charged battery should read between 12.6 and 13.2 volts. If it’s at 12 or below, recharge your battery before continuing.
2. Start the engine and check the battery’s voltage again. At idle, the voltage should be between 14.2 and 14.7 volts. If it reads 15 or higher, your alternator is providing too much power to the battery.
3. Check the voltage after turning on car lights and electronics. If the voltage is in the proper range, check the battery’s voltage output again with some electrical accessories turned on, such as the headlights or radio. The voltage may start to dip here, but if it goes lower than 13, the alternator is not providing enough charge to the battery.
4. If the voltage is below 13 volts. Ensure all connections between the battery and the alternator are in good condition — look for any possible kinks or corrosion. If all of the connections appear satisfactory, rev the engine to 1,500 rpm to see if the voltage output increases. If there’s no change, your alternator is faulty.

 

[EJB]

No, I didn't ask them to check the alternator. I left my car at their workshop over the weekends to troubleshoot the issue. They didn't mention they check on the alternator. They only told me that they disconnected the accessories one by one to check the current leakage.

Additionally, your drive is 15mins a DAY, or 15mins one way? I average about 20mins per trip or so. One day 4 trips. = 1hour+. Some times I run more. Only weekends I seldom drive.

if 15mins a day, sounds quite little so maybe draining is due to that?

 

[Asure7]

car cam usually kill batt v fast if hardwire directly... but most still can last about one year (depend how high the CCA is).
that's why some connect to external battery pack instead.

 

[EJB]

car cam usually kill batt v fast if hardwire directly... but most still can last about one year.
that's why some connect to external battery pack instead.

Car cam these days will auto off once the voltage drops below 12.4v.

Unless it's a 'dumb' cam which continues non-stop. Just now send in my car for servicing, the SE tell me if wired to car battery they can't provide car battery warranty, knn I wanna fk them liao, everything talk warranty. Might as well don't give any next time.

 

[kebinu]

Base on what TC is doing, ts should not have any car cam connected to battery directly liao.

And wah lau eh, if AD cannot fix the issue, then they need to give you a courtesy car while they try to figure out what's wrong and fixed it.

Hope it's under warranty. If not, wait for more advice on which workshop to go to, and don't need to go back to TC liao. so lousy.

PS: there's dash cam, and if it's connected to the battery, don't. If I'm TC, I'll link it to this dash cam liao. Just tap it so it's on during drive ok liao. You drive too little, so even with an ext batt, your dash cam usually won't record for long when parked, and pray this solution works.

 

[Asure7]

Car cam these days will auto off once the voltage drops below 12.4v.

Unless it's a 'dumb' cam which continues non-stop. Just now send in my car for servicing, the SE tell me if wired to car battery they can't provide car battery warranty, knn I wanna fk them liao, everything talk warranty. Might as well don't give any next time.

yes, but some cam will leak current and suck battery power faster than others.
imho not v good to let the batt capacity go too low and recharge again.. like wasting battery cycle killing it faster.

I have a few cases battery last less than a year if connect direct to car batt (it auto off also)...
Moreover is AGM batt... change to iRoad then ok

 

[EJB]

yes, but some cam will leak current and suck battery power faster than others.
imho not v good to let the batt capacity go too low and recharge again.. like wasting battery cycle killing it faster.

I have a few cases battery last less than a year if connect direct to car batt (it auto off also)...
Moreover is AGM batt... change to iRoad then ok

That's true... over-discharging and charging it back up takes up 'cycles' and deteriorates the battery faster also.

 

[myviowner]

Car cam these days will auto off once the voltage drops below 12.4v.

Unless it's a 'dumb' cam which continues non-stop. Just now send in my car for servicing, the SE tell me if wired to car battery they can't provide car battery warranty, knn I wanna fk them liao, everything talk warranty. Might as well don't give any next time.

There are indeed some "dumb' car cam out there in the market that are cheap thus not so intelligent enough to have this function.

 

[EJB]

There are indeed some "dumb' car cam out there in the market that are cheap thus not so intelligent enough to have this function.

Have to check with TS what cam he's using.

 

[RR7509]

I suspect the alternator is not properly charging the battery, you can follow below to test the alternator, you can ask TC or a Battery shop to test for you if you don't have Multimeter.

How to test an alternator​

Before you start digging too far under the hood, you’ll want to test your alternator to be sure it’s the true source of your car’s power problems. The best way to test an alternator is with a multimeter. Set the multimeter to the DC voltage setting, then follow these steps on how to test an alternator[1]:

1. Make sure your battery is fully charged. With the vehicle at rest, check the battery’s voltage by touching the multimeter’s leads to their corresponding terminals on the battery (typically, the black lead is negative, the red lead is positive). A fully charged battery should read between 12.6 and 13.2 volts. If it’s at 12 or below, recharge your battery before continuing.
2. Start the engine and check the battery’s voltage again. At idle, the voltage should be between 14.2 and 14.7 volts. If it reads 15 or higher, your alternator is providing too much power to the battery.
3. Check the voltage after turning on car lights and electronics. If the voltage is in the proper range, check the battery’s voltage output again with some electrical accessories turned on, such as the headlights or radio. The voltage may start to dip here, but if it goes lower than 13, the alternator is not providing enough charge to the battery.
4. If the voltage is below 13 volts. Ensure all connections between the battery and the alternator are in good condition — look for any possible kinks or corrosion. If all of the connections appear satisfactory, rev the engine to 1,500 rpm to see if the voltage output increases. If there’s no change, your alternator is faulty.

Thanks for the advice. Tomorrow I will be sending the car to Tan Chong again to check the battery drain. This time I will ask them to check on the alternator too. Saw some of the forumers said if there is a bad diode in the alternator, it will drain the battery. If it really happens, does it mean I have to replace the whole alternator?

I think I should install a volt gauge on the dashboard in future to monitor the alternator charging, at least can give me a peace of mind..... cos now I always have to worry about not able to start the car in the morning when going to work....

 

[RR7509]

Additionally, your drive is 15mins a DAY, or 15mins one way? I average about 20mins per trip or so. One day 4 trips. = 1hour+. Some times I run more. Only weekends I seldom drive.

if 15mins a day, sounds quite little so maybe draining is due to that?

One way about 10-15 mins. So total about 20 - 30 mins a day (back and forth). Before that, the battery draining problem quite serious, the car battery will go dead after parked for 2 days without driving. Now I always disconnect the dashcam (plug off the cable) whenever I park my car. And also changed a new head unit (previously the old head unit motherboard got problem, TC said that is the cause for the battery drain). After I did all the changes (new headunit, disconnect dash cam and change new battery), the draining problem stop for about a month..... But now seems the problem come back again, showing symptoms of weak battery.

The brand of the dashcam is papago. Its a free dashcam from Tan Chong.

 

[myviowner]

Thanks for the advice. Tomorrow I will be sending the car to Tan Chong again to check the battery drain. This time I will ask them to check on the alternator too. Saw some of the forumers said if there is a bad diode in the alternator, it will drain the battery. If it really happens, does it mean I have to replace the whole alternator?

I think I should install a volt gauge on the dashboard in future to monitor the alternator charging, at least can give me a peace of mind..... cos now I always have to worry about not able to start the car in the morning when going to work....

Buy a jumper power bank is for useful.

 

[EJB]

One way about 10-15 mins. So total about 20 - 30 mins a day (back and forth). Before that, the battery draining problem quite serious, the car battery will go dead after parked for 2 days without driving. Now I always disconnect the dashcam (plug off the cable) whenever I park my car. And also changed a new head unit (previously the old head unit motherboard got problem, TC said that is the cause for the battery drain). After I did all the changes (new headunit, disconnect dash cam and change new battery), the draining problem stop for about a month..... But now seems the problem come back again, showing symptoms of weak battery.

The brand of the dashcam is papago. Its a free dashcam from Tan Chong.

It sounds like there's a leak somewhere draining the battery, not about the alternator not charging the battery. Any way to get the workshop to check if the current is being drawn while the engine is off?

Something has to be draining it to dry it. 30mins a day is a bit short but mine lasted for 6 weeks (without driving) before it went flat.

I leave mine over weekends without driving also, 2 days and my iStop still kicks in almost after I start driving meaning the battery is well. Your case is really weird. Get a 2nd opinion from other workshops?

 

[i_am_fatimah]

in car camera got 2 types of installation la. one to ACC one to direct 12V

for ACC it will only work when the ignition is on, or when car is started

for direct 12V its obvious, will work all the time. yes usually in car camera will cut off below a certain threshold, this can be set on the camera app itself. some can set till 12.2V, this is not good for the car battery. Thats why people now install celllink battery pack for in car camera with sentry mode

nowadays alot of car manufactures give battery warranty, obviously if you tap to direct 12v and the in car camera got issue and drain the battery overnight, they cannot claim warranty for you. There are times when the in car camera even though you set the threshold but it is faulty internally, will end up draining the battery overnight

you F the SE for what?

Car cam these days will auto off once the voltage drops below 12.4v.

Unless it's a 'dumb' cam which continues non-stop. Just now send in my car for servicing, the SE tell me if wired to car battery they can't provide car battery warranty, knn I wanna fk them liao, everything talk warranty. Might as well don't give any next time.

 

[i_am_fatimah]

TS do they know how to check parasitic drain?

the correct way is to latch all the car doors with it opened then arm the car. let it rest for 45 mins then check the drain level. this can be done using a multimeter connected in series along the main battery or just using a picoscope. once you detect a drain, use the multimeter set it to mV then check for any voltage drop across all the fuses

the olden days they used to plug out the fuses one by one, it doesnt work with the newer cars anymore as they have alot of modules, sometimes you remove the fuse it will wake the module. it wont be accurate

 

[i_am_fatimah]

I suspect the alternator is not properly charging the battery, you can follow below to test the alternator, you can ask TC or a Battery shop to test for you if you don't have Multimeter.

How to test an alternator​

Before you start digging too far under the hood, you’ll want to test your alternator to be sure it’s the true source of your car’s power problems. The best way to test an alternator is with a multimeter. Set the multimeter to the DC voltage setting, then follow these steps on how to test an alternator[1]:

1. Make sure your battery is fully charged. With the vehicle at rest, check the battery’s voltage by touching the multimeter’s leads to their corresponding terminals on the battery (typically, the black lead is negative, the red lead is positive). A fully charged battery should read between 12.6 and 13.2 volts. If it’s at 12 or below, recharge your battery before continuing.
2. Start the engine and check the battery’s voltage again. At idle, the voltage should be between 14.2 and 14.7 volts. If it reads 15 or higher, your alternator is providing too much power to the battery.
3. Check the voltage after turning on car lights and electronics. If the voltage is in the proper range, check the battery’s voltage output again with some electrical accessories turned on, such as the headlights or radio. The voltage may start to dip here, but if it goes lower than 13, the alternator is not providing enough charge to the battery.
4. If the voltage is below 13 volts. Ensure all connections between the battery and the alternator are in good condition — look for any possible kinks or corrosion. If all of the connections appear satisfactory, rev the engine to 1,500 rpm to see if the voltage output increases. If there’s no change, your alternator is faulty.

this is not accurate also. do you know there are cars on the roads now with smart charging function? you will see it at 12.8V with the car started and full load lights on etc.. that does not mean the alternator is not working


best way to see if alternator is healthy is to start the car and remove the battery terminal, if the car cuts off means the alternator is gone