Question2000 echo automatic,used once a week for one hour.the battery has been replaced three times in the last month and is dead again.tests have been done but they cant find anything drawing on the battery,toyota dealer,bcaa and shell just blames each others battery!Any suggestions, thanks
AnswerI think we can assume that the battery is not the problem.
This leaves a couple of other possible solutions, first of all a battery can sit on the store's shelf for weeks and not lose it's charge because it has nothing to do, current is not used and the battery retains it's charge for a long time even though there is a small loss of voltage over time which is true for any storage battery.
The battery is either not being recharged by the alternator or there is a current draw on the system when the car sits for a certain time, there is no other possibility.
You should have the charging system tested to make sure it can charge the battery under normal conditions, you should then have the system tested for an excessive current draw by someone that knows a little about automotive electrical systems.
I don't know what else to say except that if a battery loses voltage it is asked to do some sort of work which means it's giving up it's voltage due to current draw caused by some sort of load, wether that be a light bulb or anything else that will need current to make it work.
