Ignorant Battery Question

[wahoossi]

I am not a mechanic, nor do I play one on TV. In fact I am a physician in real life and I have a 2003 4 Runner V8 which I keep thinking I am going to get rid of but always make excuses to keep. I replaced the Sears DieHard I had in it for several years with the biggest Optima Yellow top I could squeeze in there about 18 months ago and now if I leave the car without using it for more than a few days , the battery is dead. It will take a charge, again work for a few days , and then die. I can use my Genius lithium starter to start it , and it will start right up and if I use the 4 Runner every day as my primary car, it will be fine, but if I don't drive it for a day or two, it will be dead. The battery always readily takes a charge. I have a new , sophisticated Sears battery charger which can measure alternator output and that seems to be fine. I guess there is some draw when the car is at rest that is killing my battery. But my question is what would draw so much from a fully charged battery that it would kill it in a few days and could my Optima battery be the problem if it is taking a charge each time ? Frankly , I have never had great luck with them, I think they are overpriced and overhyped. Again, I am not a mechanic. I do possess a good amount more tools than I know how to use, what is the best way to determine where and what is causing the current draw on my battery when I think everything is off ? The old 4Runner is not my primary ride, just my weekend fishing and take the dogs to the beach fun truck and give to the kids when they come home mobile. Thanks.

 

[wc11]

Sounds like a cooked battery.
Replace with an good old ordinary low tech lead acid battery.

 

[kingofthehill]

Optimas quality has dropped drastically in the last several years. While in college I worked at a chain autoparts store. We didn't sell a lot of optimas but we warrantied them more than they should have been. We warrantied quite a few that were less than a year old. If your looking for a good replacement get at least a middle of the road lead acid. AGM would be better. Most autoparts stores sell AGMs for $170-$220 price point and you shouldn't have any issues with those.

 

[Jammer]

Hope this helps

https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0

 

[shmabs]

Before you drop the $ on a new battery, wouldn't it make sense to measure what sort of static draw you have when parked? If you have some sort of a parasitic draw on your charging system, and all you do is replace the battery, you may end up with a brand new and shiny dead battery.

I like to measure and see what kind of draw I have, and if it's high, then I go through and start electrically isolating systems.

Just from what I read from your description, it sounds an awful lot like you have a draw that is enough to kill your battery after a few days, but not enough to kill it daily.

Just some food for thought, but I'm more of troubleshoot first and replace parts later type of person.

EDIT: Jammer beat me to it.

 

[earthrealm]

yeah, you likely have a parasitic draw, use a digital metter to find out the value of the draw, and take it from there,

 

[blackoutt]

Also the stock charging system does not charge at a high enough voltage to ever top off an AGM. Non-topped off AGM reduces the life of a battery. Add an "alt-s diode" which I'm still not convinced ups the charging voltage enough, or go back to a regular flooded cell battery.

 

[truckhigh]

battery should be under warranty and clean all connections (big3). check all your car audio they like to crap out and eat juice especially amps.

 

[AuSeeker]

I think the simplest way to determine if the battery is at fault or if something is draining the battery is to discconect it for a few days and see if the battery remains charged or not!

 

[RedSled]

Before you drop the $ on a new battery, wouldn't it make sense to measure what sort of static draw you have when parked? If you have some sort of a parasitic draw on your charging system, and all you do is replace the battery, you may end up with a brand new and shiny dead battery.

I like to measure and see what kind of draw I have, and if it's high, then I go through and start electrically isolating systems.

Just from what I read from your description, it sounds an awful lot like you have a draw that is enough to kill your battery after a few days, but not enough to kill it daily.

Just some food for thought, but I'm more of troubleshoot first and replace parts later type of person.

EDIT: Jammer beat me to it.

Oh sure, go with logic........................i agree. Lol

 

[Atlanta_man]

Friend of mine has a brand new Honda, well it is now a couple months old. Looked to have parasitic draw killing the battery. That was my diagnosis (without measuring) but from the type of failures. Overnight sit, would not crank in the morning.

Dealer replaced the battery, now the car can be left alone for 6 days and will start right up.

 

[wahoossi]

Hope this helps

https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF1gijj03_0

Thank you. I may not have eloquently worded it but this is exactly what I wa looking for when I mad the original post. I agree there must be a draw but if there isn’t it sure would be easier to simply replace the battery. Unfortunately I bought the battery online and Optma requires that you send them back to the place of purchase ( I don’t even remember where that was now). By the time I mail a 40lb. Battery back for hopeful warranty replacement it will be easier and cheaper to replace it with a cheap lead acid battery if that is what is needed.