Mazda Repair: MAZDA BATTERY DRAIN, electric antenna, electrical drain

Question
HI, I FOUND ANOTHER SITE AND IT SPECIFICALLY STATED MY PROBLEM EXACTLY  I HAVE CHECKED EVERYTHING MY LIMITED KNOWLEDGE LETS ME.  CAN I GET SOME TYPE OF INEXPENSIVE VOLTAGE TESTING TOOL TO TEST IN MORE DETAIL.  THIS WAS HAPPENING ALL THE TIME AND I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW BATTERY AND CABLES.  CHANGED EVERYTHING OUT AND EVERYTHING WAS COOL FOR ABOUT TWO MONTHS.  NOW I AM BACK TO SQUARE ONE.  THE BATTERY IS DRAINING AND I CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHY.  HOPE YOU CAN HELP AND I'M SURE THE Q&A SESSION ATTACHED WILL COVER EVERYTHING.  THANK YOU!:  

My Car Battery Goes Dead After a Few Days - Why?
By: Austin Davis



Reader Question: I have a Mazda 626 (1996)LS, 4 cylinder with 112K miles on it . The car runs good. But after every 20-22 days its battery dies...I mean not exactly dies but it just doesn't work. The moment it's given a jump-start with a truck (not another car) it works fine again.

When its working, it works perfect for about a month but when it dies, it does not even make a single sound as I turn the key for starting the car. All the indicators get shut off. Even power lock doesn't work then. I don't know what to do with this intermittent weired behavior. I got my alternator, battery, and starter checked. They are working well. What can be the potential problem?

I would appreciate your input.

Thanks,
Rajul


Hello Rajul,

Thank you for your email. I think you need to start over again with the basis tests. To me it sounds like you have a weak battery and it should be replaced. You might have a small "electrical drain" a drain is some electrical component that is still on when the engine and the key are off. Some common “drains” are:


1. Trunk, glove box, or hood light staying on

2. An aftermarket radio or some other component like a radar detector, amplifier, phone charger left on

3. An electric seat motor or electric antenna motor that is drawing current from the battery with the key off


So, what should you do? Re-test the battery first. If the battery is more than 3 years old, I would just replace it regardless. Then have a QUALIFIED mechanic check your electrical system for a “drain”. The mechanic will know what this is, and you really should leave the car with them over night so they can see what if any drain occurs over the course of a few hours.

Also make darn sure your battery cables are clean and tight. You should not be able to move them on the battery with your bare hands. A loose battery cable can cause all kinds of electrical problems.

Keep me posted,
Blessings,
Austin  

Answer
Hi Barb thanks for asking,
the guy that has answered the question is right in all respects, but there is one other thing I would like to add to it, its common and people do not realize this, I see this all the time, But to check this you need a digital multi meter than can be bought for around 50 dollars.
As he was saying small voltage draws from a glove box light or so can also cause this, when you have an available multimeter, connect the negative probe to the negative side of the battery, Now take the positive test lead and run it along top of the battery, A very thin layer or dirt and moister, and battery acid will cause voltage to be crossed from hte negative to the positive side. the closer you bring the positive lead to the negative side the voltage indication will increase. to solve this problem all you have to do is clean the top of the battery.
good luck
Chris P