I doubt you'll find it to be going to a bulb. Is there a door open light? If it still works, make sure it is going out when all doors are supposed to be shut. The couple days to kill the battery sounds about right for one of the door switches to not be getting pressed in enough to turn that off. It could be a hood or trunk light that is not going off, either. There's no dash indicator for that.
Also, check the charging system to make sure the battery is truly getting charged when it runs. It could also be the battery as damaged due to shock in the wreck, and will no longer hold a charge (probably weak short of a cell). It could also be a bad battery ground cable, loose battery terminal, etc.
Any multimeter with ammeter function can help you diagnose the issue.
I would
1) Check the charging system, as Jon Elson suggests
2) Take a multimeter with ammeter function (regular kind, where you connect alligator clips or probes to be in the current loop
3) Check at the battery post first
4) Try to check current through every fuse in the fuse box
5) Worst case, buy one of those $5 battery disconnects and disconnect the battery
"Jon Elson" wrote: (clip) It could also be a bad battery ground cable,
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Of all the things you listed, that's the one thing it could NOT be. As Iggy suggested, insert an ammeter in the battery circuit. If the problem is not due to a damaged cell (extremely unlikely) you will see current flow when everything is suposed to be off. Pulling the fuses one at a time will tell you where to look. As mentioned elsewhere, it is likely to be a door/domelight switch, trunk light switch or hood light switch, since the problem started with body damage/repair.
I have a 95 Nissan Pathfinder. After a minor fender bender repair, the battery now goes dead after it sits a few days. How do I check to see if there is a draw on it when sitting still? Do I have to go around and pull bulbs and see if they are getting electricity when the switch is off? I'm sure it's something simple, and would like to find it instead of taking it over and spending an unnecessary repair bill.
To see it it is drawing current -- lift the ground (-) terminal of the battery and connect a multimeter between the terminal and the ground. The multimeter should be in current mode -- ideally in the highest Amps range to start with, and reduce it until you get a reading. You probably *will* get a reading from the engine's computer -- but a very low one when the ignition is off -- just enough to maintain the memory of the settings -- oh yes -- also some from the clock in the radio. However, if it is more than perhaps 10mA then you do need to trace it down. The easiest way (since it may not be a bulb, but simply pinched insulation near where things got crunkled) pull the fuses out -- one at a time, and watch changes in current. Since each fuse is labeled (at least in the manual) as to what it feeds, it will help you to identify where the problem is -- or at least which wires to trace to find the problem. If you still measure current with *all* fuses out (if you pull more than one -- keep track of which current rating goes in which socket) then it is a problem between the battery and the fuse block.
Or -- it it possible tha the case of the battery has cracked from the impact? With today's gel-cell batteries, it might be slowly evaporating away the water and leaving less and less electrolyte in the gell.
Others have told you how to use an ammeter to look for current drain. But first, you should not assume that your battery is good simply because the car starts OK with a fresh battery charge. All cars these days have SOME current drain with the key off, plus all batteries self-discharge to some extent. If your battery has only a small fraction of its original capacity, these small drains can be sufficient to discharge the battery just enough so that the car won't start.
That car is 13 years old, and might be at the end of its second or even third battery by now. There are many places that will give you a free battery check.
I might add that being drained flat is very bad for any auto battery, and now it has apparently happened to yours several times. So even if your battery was not bad before this problem started, it can be now. That means that you should still do that current check even if the battery tester says your battery is toast.
If your battery is properly charged, a carbon pile (load tester) will check your battery's health. You can probably get that for free with an oil change at walmart. Last winter when I took my car in for an oil change. I noticed they did that test. I bet if you check around the auto part stores will do it for you also.
How old is the battery? I'm 6 years on the battery in my Saturn and I have no idea how old it was when I bought the car used. My former truck only made it 4 years on a battery. Of course it had an engine to spin up, my car has a squirrel to wake up.
You have to have a decent connection to start your vehicle. That rules out battery corrosion and poor frame ground.
The easiest way to check for a draw issue is to drive car to make sure it is charged and then park it and disconnect one of the terminals from battery. When you are ready to use vehicle again reconnect. I'm assuming that if you turn on your headlights at night and they get brighter when the engine is running that you have a working charging system.
Two things matter, CCA (cold cranking amps) and reserve capacity. Most batteries have at least an hour of reserve capacity which is delivering 25 amps for x minutes w/o falling below 10.5v for a 12v battery.
IIRC, the typical headlight is 55 watts that is almost 2 and 3/4 hours of run time. If you are in a hurry, turn on the headlights if you think the battery is charged and see how long they stay on.
Remove the Neg battery terminal and connect a DVM set on amps (1st)between them. If reads below 200MA, set the meter to MA and read the actual draw. 30-150MA static draw is normal for ECM and radio mem. Anything over this will pull the batt down fairly quick. If more than
150MA, start pulling fuses until the draw drops to normal. JR Dweller in the cellar
And remember the new batteries (last 5 years) are low lead batteries. I kept running through them in my truck. The eco greens thought it reduced the lead in the environment by halving the lead in a battery.
It just means a plate can get a hole or flake apart. Once lead piles up on the bottom, it shorts out the battery.
I bought a heavy duty full plate one for my truck.
Martin
Mart> Remove the Neg battery terminal and connect a DVM set on amps
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Put a switch in series with the battery lead and the ammeter across the switch. Open the switch to read the meter, then close it. Start with the meter on its highest range and decrease it, with the switch closed, until the reading has enough significant digits to be useful. Otherwise you may blow the meter's fuse or damage it.
Heck, it might be at the end of its *first* battery. Seriously. We bought a used 84 LeSabre in '91. Had to replace the battery about six years later -- turned out it was the factory original. I confirmed the date code with Delco: the battery was made in December 1983. You can probably guess what brand the replacement was...
Put an ammeter in line with the hot battery lead, and start unplugging fuses into all draw goes away.
Keep in mind the radio may draw a small amount, the computer may draw a small amount, as well as any alarm system. First thing I always check..is the glove box switch, the trunk switch and the switch if you have a lamp under the hood. Most of the time its been them in my experience.
If that doesnt resolve the problem, unplug the battery lead for a few days and see it goes down by itself. Sometimes after a minor fenderbender..a battery may develope an internal short.
"Gunner" wrote: Put an ammeter in line with the hot battery lead, and start unplugging
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Gunner, the same current goes through the ground cable--that's where I would put the ammeter. Why? When disconnecting a battery, it's always best to do the ground cable first--it eliminates the possibility of shorting the wrench or pliers to ground. Similarly, when installing a battery, do the hot side first.
Yes, you are correct. Also connect jumper cables to positive first on both ends, then connect to ground. One battery explosion in one's life makes a believer in battery safety.
"Wes" wrote: Yes, you are correct. Also connect jumper cables to positive first on both ends, then
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Thanks. Wes, for the verification. Now, if you don't mind, I'll add a clarification to your verification. The final ground connection should be made at some point AWAY FROM THE BATTERY.
It's possible a cell cracked. Try pulling the neg cable when out of use. Take voltage readings and write it down before and after. Very common problem Sir.
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