Dec 17, 2020 Pageview:495
A dead battery indicates that the car won't start, leaving the headlights dim and the engine unresponsive. If your car drops dead in the middle of nowhere or the morning and you're already late for work, it can be a big concern. A common question arises in everyone's mind, i.e., What drains the battery of a vehicle? Are you interested as to what could be the reasons besides alternator?
Here in this handy guide, we will find out why battery drains? Do alternators affect the life of the battery, and how to preserve the battery of your car?
All of us are curious about what causes the car batteries to drain. Contrary to common opinion, there are quite a few things that can happen that lead to drained batteries even though you're already fitted with the highest rated car batteries. Read on and learn about the five most popular reasons that juice your car's battery.
1. Human Error
Once in your life, you probably did it – you came home from college, exhausted and not thinking, left the headlights on, didn't close the trunk entirely, or even forgot a few internal lights. The battery drains overnight, and your car won't function in the morning. Many new cars will warn you if you've left your lights on.
2. Electrical Faults
Also, the draining of a car battery is caused by electrical failures. When the car key is disabled, some functions like a clock, the safety alarm, and the radio presets automatically continue to operate. However, if there are electric failures with the vehicle, certain other stuff may be kept going. Be mindful of the car's electric flaws, therefore.
3. Faulty Charging
If your charging system does not function properly, even while driving, your car battery can drain. Many cars power their lights, radio, and other alternator systems to intensify battery drainage if a charging problem occurs. The alternator may have loose belts or wear-out tensioners that prevent it from functioning correctly.
4. Corroded Or Loose Battery Connections
It is another sporadic maintenance result. Losing or twisted connections would not allow the charging device to operate correctly. And when you drive, you will drain your car battery. Many models use the alternator to charge radio, clock, lights, etc. A charge problem could make drainage worse in this case. You should get a licensed technician diagnosed when the battery doesn't charge properly.
5. Excessive Short Drives
If you take too many short drives, your battery will wear out before time. When the car starts, the battery puts the most power out. If you shut down your car before a recharge is available, then why the battery goes on dying or does not seem to last long can be clarified.
Batteries, of course, fail to charge themselves at times — but a wrong alternator will cause the battery to drain because it is not recharged. If your battery is dead, check the alternator to ensure it does not happen until the battery is replaced.
1. Insufficient Alternator Voltage
A powerless alternative will cause a battery to run down. Prestolite electric says an alternator that produces less than 13.8 volts of electricity in idles does not have sufficient electricity to charge entirely and must replace the battery.
2. Bad Diode
A malfunctioning diode can cause a parasite drain to the battery of the car. Diodes can only allow current to go in one direction, but a lousy diode holds the charging circuit open, even when the engine does not operate so that the battery is dead. Sometimes this occurs overnight.
3. Wiring Problem
If the cable between the alternator and the battery is broken, the battery will not be held charged even if the alternator works. The generator may be prevented from supplying a sufficient charge by a broken body wire at the back of the alternator, loose battery cables, or a defective or dirty cord.
It can never be a case of out of sight, out of mind when it comes to your car's battery. Like all other parts of a vehicle, it needs a lot of care to work as it should.
Here are some tips to help keep the battery of your car in tip-top shape.
1. Change every four years.
It is recommended that any car battery be replaced after four years, and you mustn't neglect to do this to ensure that your vehicle is running correctly. There's nothing worse than losing control in the middle of the day, so don't try to prolong your battery life longer than you should.
2. Don't leave your car for too long.
Your battery can be drained if you leave your car for too long without a driver. At least every three days, you are advised to drive your car.
3. Add water carefully.
If you find that the electrolyte levels are low (plates will be exposed), fill them with distilled water. Be patient when you do this, and reload the cells to cover the plates. A funnel or sports bottle is also better suited for adding water as it helps you control the flow. When you've hit the watermark, use the battery charger to recharge your battery.
4. Conduct a battery load test.
You'll want to perform a battery load test every month, which can be done by a mechanic. This is to ensure that the system can charge properly even at freezing temperatures.
5. Keep cables tied.
It's crucial not to move your cables, so make sure you keep them closely tied. This will enable you to ensure that everything is safe.
So are you ready to keep the car in the tip-top class? Hopefully, after going through this post, you get a thorough knowledge about most of the reasons why your car battery starts to drain and tips on how to treat them for an extended period.
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