QuestionQUESTION: Hope you can help us locate the cause of an intermittent battery drain on a 2004 Sebring. There are two scenarios. First scenario - sometimes if the car sits two to three days, the battery discharges completely - no interior lights, nothing. A jump from another vehicle requires about 4-5 minutes of 'charge' thru the jumper cables. Then the Sebring will start and operate normally from that point on. Surface voltage at the battery will be about 13.5v, seeming to indicate alternator output. Other times, the car has sat for three days or longer and operates perfectly. Something is intermittently not turning off when the key is turned off apparently.
Second scenario - Car starts fine, fast crank, no apparent battery discharge problem. Drive car fifteen minutes, cut off to run in store, come out, and all we get is the starter solenoid fast clicks. It would appear that the battery discharged at a fast rate during the 15 minute drive. Like above, to jump start, the jump vehicle has to 'charge' the sebring for three to four minutes, then the sebring will crank.
Dealer cannot find anything wrong. Suggests changing the starter motor, which I don't see a related to the above at all. Are there relays or other components that could be stuck on creating a drain? Where to start if the dealer 'experts' are no help? Daughter's car with small child - vehicle too unreliable for my comfort of their safety. Thanks for any help available.
ANSWER: u will need to perform a battery off draw test with an amp meter if u dont have such a tool that can get down to 35ma I would let a pro take care of this.
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QUESTION: Your answer is a bit disappointing. In my orig. question I stated that the problem is intermittent, and that the dealer could not identify a problem. The dealer of course did a charging circuit analysis, and a key off drain test. With an intermittent problem, the only way that particular technique would help would be to run that test every time we cut the car off, which is not in the least bit practical. What I am looking for is information of other places to check: i.e., is it feasible that any of the following could do this- e.g., ignition switch is bad; or could there be a bad (stuck) relay; could a blown diode in the alternator or regulator do this (on a phase no monitored by the idiot light); Can the PCM or TCM get stuck on; etc. I can't just keep dropping by the dealer every day for a key off drain test. So what would you do if the car was yours???
AnswerThere is no disappointment in that answer I am sorry but I dont have a crystal ball to tell u what is wrong with your car. I am telling U what I would do to figure it out. There is nothing to check there is no one or 2 things that will cause something like that. U have a car with about 10 computers on it at any given time they can stay on or have a short in them and cause this along with it not doing it all the time is worse. What u will need to do it give it to the dealer let them keep check on it for a few days until it does happen again and see if it can be found b4 it goes away again simple as that.
