Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for mechanics and DIY enthusiast owners of cars, trucks, and motorcycles. It only takes a minute to sign up.
Sign up to join this community
My friend has a newish (~2009) Toyota Tacoma that apparently can short the battery when he turns the key from off to start too fast.
By short I mean, when fully charged the truck will click once like it's dead and then need a boost. I think this has lead to the quick deaths of multiple batteries.
Any other info needed? If not, does anyone have any ideas?
Its not a short, it's a bad connection. Typically at the battery terminal, but maybe the main body ground off the battery or main connection at the fuse box off power side. Seen it a lot as a tech. Check for looseness or corrosion.
You answered your own question. You've got a short. Until you find and fix the short you're going to keep ruining batteries.
Edit: Turning the key in any fashion allows the current from the battery to travel throughout the car ( turning the key connects the circuit ) and reach the short that's killing batteries. If the speed at which you turn the key really does make a difference, then it's possible the short is located in the ignition switch itself. But like mac, I too am skeptical that turning the key fast or slow is significant, without more detail.
