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('06 Acura TL)

Have jumped my car a number of times now. With each jump the car has been hooked up to the other car for about the same amount of time. It seems that there seems to be a direct relationship between the distance I drive the car after it gets jumped and the amount of time the battery lasts until it dies again.

At a point had driven the car ~160 miles with the battery lasting maybe 3-4 days?

Also, do believe the battery passed whatever the typical tests? are which would be performed on a battery with both AutoZone as well as AAA

Thoughts as to for what I may not be accounting?

TL;DR

Car battery draining sooner than expected

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  • Did they check /test the charging system also or did they test the battery only? – mikes Mar 15 '15 at 21:07
  • I wonder, I guess would that maybe be something outside of the typical protocol? Also, got the impression that whatever test(s) they had run involved a test(s) which would help determine whether it was able to 'hold a charge'? in case that maybe be of interest – Drew Mar 15 '15 at 21:09
  • It sounds like the alternator is not putting out the right amount of juice ... like a diode has gone bad and is not charging at the correct rate. – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2♦ Mar 15 '15 at 21:18
  • @Paulster2 I wonder, also, was checking out the post where you were responding to the guy with the 97 tl, and I had noticed maybe a similar sound on startup--something to the effect of 'reeeeeeee', which kind of goes away after a bit! thoughts? or would that maybe lend more credence to your statement? Also, thank you so much for the help! – Drew Mar 15 '15 at 21:30
  • @mikes also, thank you so much for the help as well! – Drew Mar 15 '15 at 21:30
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It sounds to me like an issue with your alternator. Before trying anything major, try taking a wire brush to your battery terminals. Often buildup on these can cause battery issues. I've had it on many cars before where they would not start due to this. This link here may help you diagnose your issue further. You will need a multimeter to do this. http://www.aa1car.com/library/battery_runs_down.htm

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Agree with the comments and answers about the alternator. Also possible the alternator clutch is worn/faulty. Most alternators have a built-in clutch mechanism which disengages at x RPM to start charging the battery. It's typically around 1500 - 2000 RPM.

When you take the car for a drive, make sure at the outset that the revs exceed 2000 RPM (momentarily, not constantly; once the clutch disengages it should remain going). If that whole mechanism is worn, it could be that the charge is just not flowing.

One last thought; you could ask a local garage to check the water level in the battery. Unless you've done this before, I don't think you should try it yourself; the water turns to battery acid inside. If the water/acid is low the battery won't hold a charge for long. That should not be the case, since you had the battery tested twice, but testers sometimes only check the throughput.

Hope that helps!

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