My car battery keeps dying, what should I do?

Question

Because I used to leave my car unused for extended periods of time (couple of weeks), the battery can't remain unused 3 days without dying. And using jumper cables everytime is difficult. I bought a solar trickle charger but didn't work in keeping it alive, it gave it 13 volts when there was sunlight from what I measured. Since I park it on the street it will be hard to use a battery charger or maintainer because no outlets nearby I think.

This battery I only got 6 months ago because the one before had the same problem. The car is small, so it's a small battery.

Answer 1

There are a few things you can do. Depending on the model of the car/age, it could be caused by a bad diode in your alternator. Upon strapping a brand new battery to it, it will actually draw charge and will kill the battery when the car is off.

A huge issue I have had with an older truck was that the emergency occasions that i needed to use it, it would have a dead battery. Best advice I can give you is to get an isolator switch for your vehicle. This will allow you to stop any current drain when your car is off. To fix the issue without a battery Isolation Switch, look for the following: - Bad alternator - Bad/burned out fuse/s - Poor wiring harness management (places that the wire could be rubbed, exposing copper)

Best of luck though! Here is some info on the isolation switch: https://www.doityourself.com/stry/how-to-install-a-battery-disconnect-switch

Answer 2

The absolute simplest solution to your problem is to disconnect one of the battery terminals when you leave the vehicle for an extended period. This will prevent any current flow and stop any battery drain. You may find that you lose your radio presets / security code when you reconnect the battery.