Battery dead....AGAIN!!!!!!

[PT_Sean]

Originally posted by dreamwerxx
Strange. At one point in my Dusters career, I got 8 years out of one battery.
And I don't ever recall not getting at least 5 years.
I never charge or trickle charge them, just drive. But if and when I do lose a battery, I don't even bother to try recovery. Kiss it goodbye, and replace it.

AH!! Dusters have NO ELECTRONICS/computer/alarm to drain the battery, like the PT or "modern" vehicles do.

In extreme temperatures- Northern Ontario, South Florida, the extreme temps really shorten battery life spans.

I agree with you- if the battery shows any lack of holding a charge, for $60, replaces it. Last thing you want is to be somewhere on a winter nite, and the engine not turn over. WIth me, I drive the PT in the summer, so am not worried.

[dreamwerxx]

Originally posted by MX-5
OK. Time to chime in here.
In almost all cases, it was finally linked to a relay sticking in the 'on' position.

Thanx, this is the most logical explanation I have seen. And I agree, something has to be drawing power. Normal battery leakage does occur, but doesn't match or explain the current (no pun intended) scenario.

[dreamwerxx]

Originally posted by PT_Sean

AH!! Dusters have NO ELECTRONICS/computer/alarm to drain the battery, like the PT or "modern" vehicles do.

Are you inferring my Duster wasn't modern

Come to think of it, if I'd bought that same car 15 years sooner, it still wouldn't have been modern.

But it was bloody reliable.

[TomCat]

I had an '85 Omni GLH (non-turbo) that would run great in warm weather, but if the temp got below 20 degrees or so, it went dead when tried to start it. Got nada when turned the key, not even a weak attempt of the starter. Had it towed to the dealer, they couldn't find anything wrong.
Sold it after 2 years, got tired of walking home in the winter.

This has nothing to do with the PT problem posted here, but just wanted to add my 12 volts worth.

[heart_of_dixie]

Thanks MX! I don't have a heated seats (they aren't needed here in Bama...LOL), but I will get hubby to try the other if the dealership doesn't cooperate.

[GOLDMEMBER]

Hey I'm good at that I won the Dead Battery Award at Clevland but that was my fault for running too many neons too long

[PT_Sean]

Originally posted by MX-5
...In almost all cases, it was finally linked to a relay sticking in the 'on' position.

The 2 most likely culprits are the heated seat relay, in the fuse panel below the steering wheel....

If that were the case here, the Amp-meter would have shown GREATER than 20 mA. Or, are you suggesting that its intermittent, and the relay reset on the battery draining, and would not show the sticky-on condition until perhaps later??

[MX-5]

Sean,

I'm saying that by the time they disconnected the battery and inserted a low-amp probe, the relay contacts would have opened up.
What's the relay drop-out voltage? About 9vdc. By that time, the car will not start.

Obviously, the 18-25 milliamp draw is normal and will not kill the battery overnight.
A sticky ASD relay will certainly drain the battery.

Not many techs have a clamp-on low current probe. Most automotive clamp-on types are only good for starter/alternator work. They don't go below a few amps. A 10milliamp resolution on a clamp-on from Fluke is over $400usd. I know... I have one.
Most techs will put a multimeter in series with the battery cable to test low current draw.

[PennyLaney]

Hi,

I just joined this forum because I plan to purchase a PT Cruiser later this week....

My Durango is currently in the dealer shop because it stalls out while driving down the road. Two times in the past year, the battery has completely drained for no apparent reason. The dealer does not want to figure out why; they just say the battery is dead. I think this problem is related to my stalling out; something is definitely wrong.

I like the AutoShutdown Relay advice, because I think that relay is what is shutting the Durango off, based on research I've done at various sites. The dealer has now had my Durango for 10 days, and they have not found a problem with anything. They cleaned the fuel injectors and replaced the Auto Idle Sensor motor, to no avail. We mentioned the ASD relay, but they think we are nuts. If they can't fix it, I'm going to switch the relay with the horn relay, and see what happens.

THANKS!

PennyLaney