What the heck is killing my battery?

[Jon]

What additional accessories?

What white wire?

Can you just check the Battery cable to the battery post?

300w RMS sound system, CB, air compressor, 90w LED light bar, all of which are powered directly from the battery. I've left them all disconnected and still have the issue.

Previously mentioned white wire that powers the fuse box.

Connections to the battery posts are perfect. Wish it was that easy.

This may be a remote possibility, but I noticed you have a XRC8 winch. I have one as well and when my solenoid went bad my battery was dying constantly. I figured out a day or two later that it was a bad solenoid because one of it's terminals and the cable leading to it was burned out, indicating it was shorting out somehow.

Worth a check.

The solenoids one these winches are prone to failure anyway, good to have a look at them occasionally.

Agreed, those solenoids aren't worth a $hit, this is my 3rd one. I can pop it open and take a look but it wasn't pulling any current at all.

Did you ever have the BATTERY tested?

Battery was checked on two separate occasions at AZ. Got fed up with it and just bought a new one and still having the same issue with this one.

I'm actually more of a fan of the Duralast battery than the Optima. When this was happening with the Optima I'd get maybe one rotation from the engine then the clicking. The Duralast however will turn this engine over again and again reeeeeally slow till it starts. But it ends up staring every time.

Even with all of the accessories on (besides the winch) and the stereo blasting, the headlights don't even dim. No capacitor, only pushing 100w per speaker and 100w on the old 12" sub. Nothing crazy.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

If you drive it for a good hour and then park it and remove the positive cable from the battery.......will it still be dead in the morning.

If the answer is no. Leaving the positive cable removed place your amp meter between the post of battery and the + cable and see what your amp draw is. You've proved its not anything extra you attached to your battery.

You've measured current going to fuse box and the big cable going down to the starter?

 

[Buckaroo]

Check AC voltage across battery with car running. Should be zero or very close to that. If not, diodes are bad in alternator and, I believe, could discharge battery. Good luck.

Buckaroo

 

[TheDurk]

I have been following a similar thread on YT and here is something you should check.

Pull the plug off the alternator and the center red (or red/blue) IG wire should be live 12V+ with key on and dead with key off. If it stays live, the alt will discharge the battery.

I would also follow the suggestion for disabling the DRL's as a test. I can see how a failed diode in that bear of a DRL circuit could do this.

Obviously, any draw through the alt. will by-pass the fuse box.

This is after you are SURE you have a good battery.

 

[BrianSD_42]

1) Have you done the Big-3 upgrade or at least replaced the Batt (-) to Chasis cable with 4G wire?

2) How many days does your truck sit without running a week?

 

[Jon]

Solved!

Voltage Regulator Fail!

Simple fix really. The alt that I had warrantied through Advance Auto finally died so get a new one right? Well there is no Advance Auto around here in CA. So all the parts that I've purchased from them in FL with Lifetime Warranties are null and void unless I feel like making the drive to the closest store which is too damn far.

So... I decided to go bigger without...well, going any bigger. No swap for a Ford or Chevy 140 amp alternator. I went with a factory housing that is rebuilt to put out 170 AMPS! Yeah, that's 100 amps over stock if I ever need it. I'm sure it will make the winch happy. It has completely recharged the battery in one drive to work and back. Has not died since. So there was no parasitic loss.

So after some weeks of research a previously doing a Chevy one wire alt swap on my old Galaxie, and loving it, I decided to find something that would not have to have any alterations. This unit form Powermax bolted right into the factory location, hooked up to factory wiring and used the same belt.

Looks like the old one but cleaner so no need for pics. You get the point.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Thought that may have been the issue. Good to hear everything is good to go now.

My friend's kid worked for AA for three years and said that starters and alternators either came back within 90 days, 3~5 years, or never, with most being in the 3~5 year range.

 

[IBallEngineer]

Voltage Regulator Fail!

Simple fix really. The alt that I had warrantied through Advance Auto finally died so get a new one right? Well there is no Advance Auto around here in CA. So all the parts that I've purchased from them in FL with Lifetime Warranties are null and void unless I feel like making the drive to the closest store which is too damn far.

So... I decided to go bigger without...well, going any bigger. No swap for a Ford or Chevy 140 amp alternator. I went with a factory housing that is rebuilt to put out 170 AMPS! Yeah, that's 100 amps over stock if I ever need it. I'm sure it will make the winch happy. It has completely recharged the battery in one drive to work and back. Has not died since. So there was no parasitic loss.

I'm glad your vehicle is repaired. For those of us obsessed electrical geeks, we want to know the actual problem you solved. I know [MENTION=10169]TheDurk[/MENTION] asked about testing the IG circuit, but that wouldn't explain a bad alternator. Did you ever check for a (current) draw between the battery and the POSITIVE cable? If so how much was the draw? It takes a lot to draw a battery down to 10V in one hour, unless of course the battery didn't start out charged.

Sure would like to solve things, not just replace parts. << OCD

:ballchain:

 

[weekendclimber]

This is good info on alternator upgrades. For anyone else who was looking for a link I thought I'd add this on here for convenience:

Powermax USA 170 AMP Alternator 3rd Gen 4Runner

 

[thor999]

Like an idiot, I left mine for 3 weeks without making arrangements to have it started occasionally; now I am without power! Just tried jumping it, seems like everything wants to work, but will not even click when I try to start it. Hoping it is just the battery, so off to Walmart to get a new one. I bought it in 2004 and cannot remember replacing it so I am lucky in that aspect... how does that Powermax run in comparison to the GM upgrade?