battery drained

gimpey03

New member
I've got a little dilemma with my 2000 t4r. It seems ive got a continuous drain in the battery. I think i have a short circuit somewhere and i dont know how or where to start looking for it. When i dont use the truck for a few days, 4days the most. You open the door and you can tell right away it has low battery charge bcoz of the dome light is dim and when i try starting it , it almost wouldnt start. I dont have any alarm system or stereo set up on it for the battery to be drained so i conclude that it might be a short. Can u guys give me some thoughts on this or how to solve it. Ive attach a pic of my ride.
 

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Do These Help

Here are some wiring diagrams. They are specifically for a 96, but you're still 3rd gen. If you need more I have them all.
<a href="http://www.sonicstimuli.com/T4R/4Runner_Power.pdf">Wiring Diagrams</a>
 
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This problem is called parasitic draw. Here's what you should do:

1- Connect a multimeter to the electrical system (between the battery and the cables) to see how many amps your vehicle is drawing with the ignition off.

2- Once you determine that you do have a parasitic draw problem, with the multimeter still connected, start pulling fuses one by one until you see the draw disappear.

3- Now that you've isolated the main circuit, find yourself a wiring schematic and start checking the sub-circuits and eliminated them one by one until you find the true cause. Sounds like a big job, but it's really not.
 
simple steps first-think it out

are you sure the dome light or the rear cargo lights are not getting left on accidently?

Are you sure the rear doors or hatch are closing all the way and not causing the dome light to stay on?

any recent car stereo or other electrical related modifications?

kids or girlfriend or anyone else in and out of the vehicle ?
 
How often do you drive your 4R?
When a car battery drains completely numerous times no matter if it's brand new or not, it will get ruined and won't hold it's charge. Avoid complete drainage by charging it periodically.

Always look for simple solutions before thinking complex.
 
Thanks guys for all your help. I think i found the problem, its a faulty relay on my foglights. I disconnected it from the battery and everything seems ok now.
 
Thanks for the fix

nice of you to post up what you found out.

Too many of these threads just go nowhere....good to learn something.

I don't think a relay in itself could draw current, but I think what you are saying is in investigating it further you found wiring at the relay causing a drain.

but perhaps a faulty relay could indeed do that... seems possible- I guess if broken internally.
 

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