1. Home
  2. General Toyota Forum
  3. Battery Running Down With "Everything" Off ?

Battery Running Down With "Everything" Off ?

Hello:

Have a '84 Toyota Cressida Waggon as sort of a backup car. Hardly ever used.

Put in a brand new battery, and find it runs down after about a week or two just sitting around. Also have a new alternator.

Had the battery recharged, and find the same thing still happening.

Per the advice I was given here, I put an ammeter in series with the battery.

Find it draws about 1/4 amp.

Ignition is off This is with it just sitting in the driveway, with everything apparently off. No lights Removed the fuse for the automatic radio aerial, just in case it was stuck. No interior lights. Radio off.

I would think if it was a dead short of some wire to ground, it would be drawing much more current.

Are there any diodes that mighjt be blown, or... ?

Any thoughts on what might (likely) be the problem, or what else to check would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Bob

Reply to
Robert11
Loading thread data ...

Even with the radio off, it still draws power in order to retain memory for the station pre-sets. Same is true for the clock.

Yes, or it would blow the fuse for the circuit in question.

The Electronic Control Units (ECU) for the engine and transmission also draw some power to retain memory settings.

If the car is within reach of an outlet, you can get a very compact automatic trickle charger that mounts under the hood. When you park it for any length of time, you can plug it in and the charger will automatically turn on and off as necessary. Auto parts stores or Sears Automotive sells these for under $40.00.

If you leave a battery in a discharged state for a long time it will become sulfated and will lose its ability to hold a charge.

Reply to
Ray O

keep disconnecting things till the draw stops, first thing I would pull is the connectors of the alternator.

mrcheerful

Reply to
mrcheerful

For sure...

Well, that's like about 3 watts (250 mA @ 12 V) which is quite a lot for those conditions. could there be a 'service light' (maybe under the hood) which isn't getting switched off when the hood closes?, possibly one in the trunk?...in the glove box?. Do you have a remote engine starter? (sometimes those seem to draw a little more than they should)

Reply to
Gord Beaman

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.