Battery...........

[MistahYebba]

So, the other day when I went and grabbed some to-go Chinese Buffet, I came out and my 92 Explorer wouldn't start. Awesome.

Didn't leave anything on that I saw, but I had left the windshield wiper switch turned on to like... medium speed. However, when the car is off, the windshield wipers don't move anyway when the car is off??? So does it drain the battery?

Either way, I got a jump and I was on the way again.

Car ran fine since then until this morning leaving for work when I started it and it ALMOST didn't start because the battery was drained. I got lucky and it started, but then I just KNEW today was going to be an interesting day.

When my lunch break came, I had the idea to start it up just to see if the battery was holding up okay and it started fine... however this was at like 12PM.

Didn't get out of work until 6PM.. and of course in the wet cold, my battery was completely dead. Didn't even get a click out of it!

So I asked my sister to give me a jump and it took like 15 minutes of charging before it would finally start.

Drove straight to WalMart and got a new battery, but now I'm worried the same thing is going to happen to this one.

I don't think batteries just randomly start to go like that and drain after sitting for a couple hours ALL THE SUDDEN OUT OF A BLUE OVER THE COURSE OF ONE WEEKEND.

So some info... just put new speakers in like 2 weeks ago. I love em! They were a Christmas gift.

It was pretty simple, positive to positive, negative to negative... 4 speakers to change..

I was wondering, could having these new speakers in cause the battery to drain overnight? I didn't.... but what if I put positive to negative on all of them? Would that cause an issue like the battery draining overnight?

Just curious because I'd be pretty pissed if this new battery is dead by the end of this week. I would rather know and take my speakers out or whatever than NOT know and have a dead battery again.

Any advice is much appreciated.

 

[4D X]

The extra drain from having more powerful speakers can definitely drain the battery especially if you have them bumping with the engine off, not to mention fry out your alternator. Should probably invest in a small capacitor.

 

[BrianDye]

The speakers will have no affect on your battery unless you were sitting out there cranking it with the battery off. The wipers wont either, they are also off unless your key is on.

I had a 92 Explorer years ago, added some of those little $20 Pilot brand fog lights, left them on one day going into school, came out to a dead battery, and that one time of it dying just killed the battery. (As in it would barely hold a charge over the course of a couple hours)

How old was the battery? Its possible that your alternator is dying, but I would guess the battery going bad before that.

 

[Wolfie_85]

The speakers shouldn't. Not unless you are running an amp, and somehow it stayed on after you turn off the truck/radio. But let's ask another question: aftermarket stereo, I assume? Take power from it by pulling the fuse or disconnecting the stereo. Drive as normal. See if your battery still dies.

Also, check your terminals. Sometimes, they get loose or need cleaning. This can drain a batrery fast, as it might not be making enough contact to charge the way it should.

 

[2stroke]

That's exactly how things fail, I mean what is a battery supposed give you a 2 week notice before giving up? In the morning before starting it, test voltage. Anything above 12.6 and you're in good shape.

 

[mekelly]

The age of the battery is key. If that battery was going anyway, running it down all the way could kill it.

Do you know how to do an amp draw test with a multi-meter? Very easy to see if you've got a parasitic drain on your battery with the engine off.

 

[BrianDye]

The age of the battery is key. If that battery was going anyway, running it down all the way could kill it.

Do you know how to do an amp draw test with a multi-meter? Very easy to see if you've got a parasitic drain on your battery with the engine off.

Exactly what happened with the 92' I mentioned above. It was good enough to still use, but draining it once was the last straw for it

 

[MistahYebba]

Thank you all very much for your replies. They are always so helpful. And Happy New Year guys and gals!

In the old batteries defense (it was a 2013 battery), I had left my dome lights on more than enough to legitimately kill it over the course of its life. So if what ya'll say is true, that draining it completely can put it on the fast track to failure, then I will just assume that it just died one too many times and wasn't feeling it anymore... I HOPE.

I will still check the voltage before the next time I start it though, just to see. And testing for a parasitic drain as mentioned sounds pretty good as well. I will look into that.

I don't think it's my aftermarket stereo because I've had it for a while now. 6 months I'd say. Never had any issues.

That battery was due for a replacement anywho, and having a cleaner, more powerful one is better no matter which way you look at it. I'm probably due for some new cables as well.

 

[mekelly]

Have the battery load tested at Advanced Auto or Autozone, etc. before you purchase a new battery. If it fails the load test, it needs to be replaced. If it passes, it doesn't mean it won't fail in a week. In other words, get a new battery if it fails, keep a close eye on it if it passes, especially if the CCA's have dropped from the battery spec.

 

[natenkiki2004]

Just to throw this in... age isn't really a fair indication of a battery's health. It can give you a rough idea at a quick glance but there's more at work. If the battery is neglected (left to sit or discharged for a long time) it will sulfate the plates and the amp rating will decrease more and more.

2 stark examples of this; STORY TIME!
My 1991 daily driver has a used premium battery made in 2009 or 2010. Maybe a year or so after the battery was originally purchased, the owner decided to buy a new one due to starting problems, claiming it MUST be the battery (parts changer mentality). This relatively new battery was shelved as a loaner because it tested perfectly fine (the owner couldn't be convinced his problems lied elsewhere). The customer that bought a new one ended up having other issues (surprise, surprise) but decided to keep their new battery. That lightly used battery sat around until it found it's way to my Explorer. The previous owner of my Explorer worked at that very auto parts store and needed a "good enough" battery for this infrequently used vehicle. For quite a while before I picked up the Explorer, it sat around with a laundry list of issues so it wasn't driven very often. Not long after I got it, I ended up having to replace the battery cables. At that time, I decided to have the battery tested and it actually had more CCA than the lower end line of battery I could have purchased. I've never once had an issue out of it and it performs really well as seen in this 10 degree cold start video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09BEd-zKJVw

My 1994 that I picked up recently had a totally dead battery. Didn't even get interior lights when I went to see it. I'm fairly certain the battery was made in 2012. I took it in for a CCA test and it came back with barely 50 CCA. Barely enough to run the fuel pump. The battery's plates had sulfated from sitting discharged for so long. It's an extreme case of neglect.


So, you can't judge a battery solely on it's manufacture date sticker. But, if you have a screwdriver, I've found that you can visually see severe sulfating on the plates if you pop the vents off. A little bit of crud is ok, just a sign of a used battery. But if you can barely see the plates, it probably wouldn't even start your lawnmower.

 

[malohnes]

Check your cables too...corrosion migrates up the posits and neg five cables form the battery terminals. There are several good threads on this subject

 

[malohnes]

The speakers shouldn't. Not unless you are running an amp, and somehow it stayed on after you turn off the truck/radio. But let's ask another question: aftermarket stereo, I assume? Take power from it by pulling the fuse or disconnecting the stereo. Drive as normal. See if your battery still dies.

Also, check your terminals. Sometimes, they get loose or need cleaning. This can drain a batrery fast, as it might not be making enough contact to charge the way it should.

yes!