Car battery discharges with in minutes after car is switched off

[mohizkhan101]

AOA Pakwheelers,

 I am having this problem with my car that it does not start the next morning even i park it fine at night.

1. While start, i checked the alternator voltage that was in range means alternator is working fine and charging batter correctly.

2. I checked the battery voltage after switching off at night in order to see whether battery was charged back to its voltage and it was 13.something that means it was charged correctly.

3. After 2.5 hours i checked the voltage of battery again and it has been dropped to 12.24V from 13.something that is low because healthy lower value is 12.6V at which car starts without problem.

4. Out of curiosity to check whether something isn't consuming current over night, i disengaged the + terminal last night after switching off the car and again checked the voltage this morning and strange! it was again around 12.14V that is lower than healthy minimum i-e 12.6V.

Kindly tell me whether i should change the acid in battery or replace the whole battery?

I am driving car on CNG in a cold area but that is not an issue because the same car started well on CNG on 5 degree centigrade mornings few years back. Now even in summer it starts after about 10th crank, i-e 3rd loooooong ''salaf''.

[nawan885]

How old is your battery.

[nawan885]

Have you done some alteration in wiring.. normally voltage is 12.8
When fully charged with engine on than it is 14

[mohizkhan101]

Battery is older than a year i guess and if by alteration you mean installing some extra auxiliaries then no i didn't install any new lights, speaker or any extra load.

[nawan885]

Battery droppage mean some leak..some thing is draining your battery fast I guesd

[dani_kk]

Replace the battery.

[tintin1]

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[mohizkhan101]

its voltage drops even if i disconnect it totally.

[mohizkhan101]

i also think thats the only option

[mohizkhan101]

battery's acid level falls after few days, there is no visual leak or crack in batter, where does that acid go?

[tintin1]

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[dani_kk]

Only option. Since when u disconnect terminals it means nothing can eat your battery. But if battery gets weak it will drop itself below 12v.
So replace the battery.

[mohizkhan101]

Lids are closed properly but there are tiny holes one on each lid. and about overcharging, i checked the voltages while engine running and head lights turned on, that was around 14.2-14.7 volts that's the normal range.

[archon2001]

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[PKTUN]

buy an hydrometer from motor parts market and check the specific gravity in each cell if the cells are internally short the specific gravity will be under 1.26 ( or 12.6 ) you may also check for any current drain at the battery with engine stop and key pulled out doors closed

also check if there is any aftermarket device is recently added or partially disconnected from the vehicle.

last but not least if the battery is over 11 months old and you live in cold climatic conditions using cng / lpg it is time you change the battery without any 2nd thoughts.

[nfssaad]

bad battery. replace.

[mohizkhan101]

buy an hydrometer from motor parts market and check the specific gravity in each cell if the cells are internally short the specific gravity will be under 1.26 ( or 12.6 ) you may also check for any current drain at the battery with engine stop and key pulled out doors closed

also check if there is any aftermarket device is recently added or partially disconnected from the vehicle.

last but not least if the battery is over 11 months old and you live in cold climatic conditions using cng / lpg it is time you change the battery without any 2nd thoughts.

1. I didn't check the specific gravity so far but i am thinking about that.
2. Battery's behavior was same before and after i installed a new stereo so that can't be the reason.
3. Yes battery is older than 11 months and i live in a cold climate but previous battery worked fine till end of its life time on CNG. That one was SLA (sealed lead acid) battery and the battery i am using currently is (conventional lead acid battery) that works just fine on petrol starts but doesn't work on CNG cold starts.

[mohizkhan101]

Check the cranking amp of the battery when you crank the car, BTW you will need a partner while doing so. Use amp meter to check amp.

In what range amps should fall in during crank?

[mohizkhan101]

bad battery. replace.

I am also thinking about that but before that i wanna learn about the problem so if that happens in future to me or anyone i know, i can be sure what exactly the problem is. You know ''Knowledge is power and when its about cars, its love too'' <3

[msabbasi]

Where are you located? Which city? If you are in the Islamabad/Rawalpindi area, instead of doing all this guess work just go to the Modern Battery Center in next to Melody Cinema or Melody Food Court as it is known now and have them apply a load tester on the battery. They are very knowledgeable. The meter places a load across the battery simulating stating load, it measures the amp draw and voltage drop and immediately lets you know if the battery is good or bad. Takes 5 seconds and they don't charge any money for testing. If you are in another city ask around who has a battery load tester or condition tester and go to them. BTW the Modern Battery Center can also test your alternator too.

http://www.modernbatterycentre.enic.pk/