battery trouble

[zabel01]

Hey 96 eclipse rs. Having problems with the car staying charged. I had the old battery swapped for a new one an it helped for a week or so but since it been cold it needs to be charged. Only way it stays charged is if i drive it around for a while. But if i dont drive it for over night it will need to be charged again. Done some simple checks with a light tester an none of the fuses light up like they are getting power. Any ideas on what it could be.?

 

[Dsmkauai]

Check your cables for corrosion and loose connections. Also check the alternators output when running should be around 14.5-14.6. It's possible it's not putting out the proper voltage to keep the battery fully charged. You could also have a short somewhere draining the battery. Check that nothing is staying on while you have everything off.

 

[DSM Dreamer]

Do you have an improperly installed amp that is drawing power non stop? Maybe a short some where? Disconnect the Positive terminal on the battery and the run a voltage meter between the battery and the terminal, if it shows voltage/amps you have a power draw somewhere.

 

[zabel01]

The calbes are good on it. I know the idler pully is going bad. Could that cause it.?

 

[Dsmkauai]

Ya if your belt is loose and slipping it's possible it's not spinning the alternator properly. Definetly worth checking!

 

[zabel01]

An i do have a system in it but it was installed by a pro. The radio an amp shut off with the ignition

 

[luv2rallye]

Check for shorts or excessive battery drain (> 40mA): http://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/finding-a-short-partial-short-or-battery-drain.179481/#post-1496998.

 

[zabel01]

One other thing that is wrong with it thats weird. When i got the car the back wiper works but it shuts off the radio. Now that we changed the radio an you turn on the wiper you can hear a thump from the sub when the wiper makes it round. Would like to know what wire is the wiper wire so i can look an see what it is hooked too

 

[luv2rallye]

Disconnect the Positive terminal on the battery and the run a voltage meter between the battery and the terminal, if it shows voltage/amps you have a power draw somewhere.

Note that a voltmeter is somewhat meaningless in this case as there is not necessarily only an open or short circuit. Some things may be drawing some power (eg. ECU and radio memories).
An ammeter however will tell you if there is some type of short (>40 mA when everthing is turned off). Be carefull however that you don't blow your ammeter (or it's fuse if it has one) if a short draws more than the ammeter's max rating (usually 10A).

 

[luv2rallye]

One other thing that is wrong with it thats weird. When i got the car the back wiper works but it shuts off the radio. Now that we changed the radio an you turn on the wiper you can hear a thump from the sub when the wiper makes it round. Would like to know what wire is the wiper wire so i can look an see what it is hooked too

Sounds like the radio/amp power wire is connected to the wiper's "control" wire (ie. not a true power source - installers are famous for selecting a not true power source as all they do is look for +12v which is not sufficient).

 

[zabel01]

Ok. So do you know what wire is the true wiper wire.?

 

[luv2rallye]

I'm sorry I spoke before looking in my 99 diagrams. I thought they might be controlling the wiper by having the switch on the motor negative side (control wire). But I see now that they are using the positive side - so their is no control wire. Do you get the noise only in the intermittent position or on position or both?

I suggest however following the radio power wire to see what it's connected to.

 

[zabel01]

Its only when its turned on. When its intermittent it shuts itself off about half way thru the cycle.

 

[evil_eagletalon]

sounds like parasitic draw.

1 grab dvom
2 set to amps
3 set positive terminal on negative clamp
4 remove negative clamp and set negative dvom terminal on negative battery post.
5 what are your meter readings?
6 check draw specs
7 if draw is excessive start pulling fuses, when draw goes away, you have a issue in that circuit.

 

[zabel01]

Dvom.? Havent heard that before. Lol

 

[zabel01]

An now something else has popped up. Check engine light came on. But now it idles better. Before it idled around 1k rpm. I was at hardys an it kinda idled hard for a bit so i shut it off an let it sit while waiting on my food to get done. After got my food took about a 5 min drive an check engine light popped on. Cant hook it up to obd2 reader cuz it wont sync with the car. Dont know why just wont. After this happend it idles around ~800-900. Its a lot smoother now. So what could cause this an why cant i hook obd2 up to it.?? An what are they supposed to idle at for 2g motors