Why is my battery being drained all the time?

I got a 05 LGT. So every time I let the car sit for over 2-3 days the battery would just die. This started happening about 2-3 months ago. I went back to autozone since the battery was purchased in less than a year and same thing happened. It would have little life to light up some lightnings but not enough to crank up the car to start. The only thing i noticed is that it the battery terminal are a bit loose, I already tried tighten them as much as possibly but will still wiggle a little. Could this be the cause? Even so why would this drain the battery? I'm pretty sure I check all my lights are off before leaving the car but it seems to happen every time. :confused:

Have you checked the alternator? Could be that the battery isn't ever getting charged really well.

The AAA came and checked the alternator and said it was working fine. If the battery isn't getting charged well wouldn't it die while driving or so, if the alternator was bad? I just feel like something is draining it while is off. I mean if I turn it on everyday it'll work fine.

Time for a new battery? They don't last forever...

If the battery, alternator and starter tested good then you must have a short somewhere that could be causing it to drain. I remember this happening to me a few years ago on my Legend and it ended up being my kenwood head unit powering up after car is shut off. The antenna had a short. It started everyday just fine but not after more than two days.

Yep. New battery time.

Please read above guys!!! I said I replaced the battery about 2 months ago with a brand new one. So is not the battery.

You'll need to take it to someone to diagnose properly. You've got a drain in the electrical system somewhere.

Like CDN said - take it to someone to have it checked. If you are familiar with using voltmeters and ammeters (and have access to them) then you can do it yourself:

 

1) Turn off the car

2) Disconnect the negative battery cable, and put an ammeter between the disconnected side and the negative battery terminal (ie, inline with the battery)

3) See how much current you are draining (I don't know what "normal" is, but if it's a short, it should be pretty obvious).

4) Start disconnecting fuses one at a time until you find the circuit that is causing the heavy drain

5) Troubleshoot that circuit for the actual problem

 

Incidentally - do you have any aftermarket stuff installed in the car? Stereo, alarm, GPS, etc? They could be installed improperly and posing a heavy drain as well.

Thanks guys

So I see that the red "SECURITY" light keeps flashing once I turn the car off. Could this be the cause if it or is it normal that it flashes all the time? If it does not flash all the time then what could be causing it? I checked all my doors are well shut.

So I see that the red "SECURITY" light keeps flashing once I turn the car off. Could this be the cause if it or is it normal that it flashes all the time? If it does not flash all the time then what could be causing it? I checked all my doors are well shut.

 

normal

normal

Thank you. lol I guess I need to learn more about my car

Like CDN said - take it to someone to have it checked. If you are familiar with using voltmeters and ammeters (and have access to them) then you can do it yourself:

 

1) Turn off the car

2) Disconnect the negative battery cable, and put an ammeter between the disconnected side and the negative battery terminal (ie, inline with the battery)

3) See how much current you are draining (I don't know what "normal" is, but if it's a short, it should be pretty obvious).

4) Start disconnecting fuses one at a time until you find the circuit that is causing the heavy drain

5) Troubleshoot that circuit for the actual problem

 

Incidentally - do you have any aftermarket stuff installed in the car? Stereo, alarm, GPS, etc? They could be installed improperly and posing a heavy drain as well.

 

This is a good suggestion. I'm having the same issue, but it is quite possible it's just a cheap battery too....I bought it from Costcohttp://www.easternuswx.com/bb/public/style_emoticons/default/axesmiley.png. I'm going to replace it with something better, and if there is still a drain, then this sequence of checking will be done.

it could still be the alternator. i had the same problem before took my car to autozone to get the alternator tested they said it was fine. took it home checked everything for about 3 hours couldnt figure it out ifinally decided to check the alternator myself with my volt meter and it ended up being bad. so i would check it again if u have one or kno someone who does

^^I agree check your alternator!

Costco batteries are actually made by the same people who make Die Hard. Its a good battery just make sure the "fresh" date is close to the date of purchase.

The redneck way to check your alternator is to start the car and disconnect the battery. If the car stays running then the alternator is providing power. You can also put a volt-meter across the battery terminals. The voltage should be about 14.

The redneck way to check your alternator is to start the car and disconnect the battery. If the car stays running then the alternator is providing power. You can also put a volt-meter across the battery terminals. The voltage should be about 14.

Yeah, this is a good way to blow the voltage regulator, and potentially other electronics in the vehicle. In other words, DON'T do this. It may have worked in the past, with old cars that had limited electrics (and separate, larger regulators) but on modern cars this is a bad idea.

 

The battery is a large capacitor for the alternator, and helps eliminate the voltage ripple from the alternator and voltage regulators. Removing this "capacitory" can cause the alternator to fail because of this, or can cause higher voltage spikes throughout the electrical system, damaging other systems.

 

Don't be cheap... go to a shop and get the alternator checked, along with a proper troubleshooting of your power-drain... or get a volt meter and know how to use it.