Car has had dead battery 3 times now, with no rhyme or reason, issue being, it’s been 3 times in 6 months, nothing left on, no trunk lights, no brake lights etc, and when I test it there no draw( well no major draw). Drove car yesterday no issues, went to go to store today, not even a click!!! Hooked up charger, battery has 2.2 volts !
my belief is something is getting stuck turned on, and when I cycle the ignition switch ( when I try to start car when battery is dead) it’s releasing!

i guess my next round of troubleshooting will be checking for draws before
trying to start car for a while! I hate intermittent issues!!!!!!
I did just have an idea whilst typing this, I wonder if cooling fans aren’t shutting off and draining battery intermittently of course! At least I gave myself something to check, see just talking about it brought about a possibility!!! Wish me luck!!

 

They are the worst kind Darren. If I could make a suggestion, I would connect a DVOM in series between the +battery post and the disconnected +battery cable. That's only if your meter has the third connector that says something about series or live circuit tests. Most are rate for only 10amps. If you have a draw that you think is more than the PCM "keep alive" draw or the stock trip display or electric clock or anything like that, start disconnecting things (fuses are probably the easiest to begin with) until the draw stops. HUGE WARNING, DO NOT TRY TO OPERATE OR RUN ANYTHING (OR TURN THE KEY ON) WHILE YOUR METER IS IN SERIES, SMOKE WILL MATERIALIZE FROM THE FUSE IN THE METER. As a safety, pop the boot light bulb and the interior light bulbs before connecting up, that way you can open the doors/boot without worry. Good luck.

Dave

 

Dave, I have tried that already, but being intermittent it’s not showing anything, other than a very low amp draw for pcm , opening of trunk or door shows large draw as it should!
i will find it, just may take a while!!

 

How long did the car sit undriven?
Modern batteries need fed nearly every day, 2 or 3 times a week at least. (I had to watch the Hyundai like a hawk after husband stopped driving).

With these batteries (and the rolling computers we drive), if they sit more than about a week they require a CTEK or similar.
(';')

 

Less than 12 hours

 

Oh Dear!

 

That’s similar to what I said, but with a few more choice words!! Lol

 

replace the battery to see if the discharge repeats with a different battery.
​​​​.

 

I had that problem with my XJ6. It had a battery that was about a year old and if I did not start the car for a couple of days, I would end up with a dead battery. If I started it everyday, I had no issues. I also thought I had a current draw somewhere in the system. On a whim, I decided to have the battery checked and apparently it had a bad cell. I replaced the battery with a new one and I have not had any issues since. I have left the car untouched for more than 2 weeks and when I decide to start the car, it starts on first crank.
Just a thought. A new battery does not necessarily mean it is a good battery. I have bought duds from Autozone and Oriellys in the past. Fortunately, free exchanges from them during the first year.

 

It’s worth a try!!! Being as it’s so random,

 

I had a similar battery drain problem with my Ford minivan. I discovered the ground POLE had a left to right PLAY. not noticeable when the ground cable was tightened on the pole because the cable was pulling it to one side. When battery was removed for charging, I noticed the pole had movement and the charger kept going on and off if I moved the battery.

The pole had become disconnected from the lead cell inside. Interstate Battery. Purchased a revived battery from the junkyard and it is already 2 years in service. $27.95