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Battery drain when parked for 2+ weeks

Discussion in '1st Gen Tundras (2000-2006)' started by tarpaw, Sep 25, 2022.

  1. Sep 25, 2022 at 7:06 AM
    #1
    tarpaw

    tarpaw [OP] New Member

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    Newer vehicles are always thinking about something, even when parked, so if you don't drive them every so often the battery will slowly drain.

    My old '90 F-150 was fully brain dead when parked and would start after being parked in the garage for months, but my 2013 Avalon and 2006 Tundra seem to give me 2 or 3 weeks before the battery is too week to start it. My Tundra is mostly for trips to the home improvement store and the Outer Banks so she stays parked in the garage most of the time and I keep a trickle charger connected, but lately it's been in the driveway without the charger for a couple weeks and the battery didn't have enough juice to turn the starter yesterday and had to be jumped.

    Is this "normal" or should I have my battery checked? I know the battery is more than 2 years old, but if I drive either vehicle more frequently I never have any issue. I'll check the age of the battery ad may just replace it before my upcoming Outer Banks trip anyway, but figured I'd ask in case it's not really the battery's fault.

    And if you don't have one of those lithium battery jump-starters that'll fit in your hand, get one! They're way better than jumper cables!
     
  2. Sep 25, 2022 at 7:47 AM
    #2
    chunk

    chunk New Member

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    Put an amp meter in series with the negative battery cable and see what the draw is. I don't remember what the Tundra is supposed to be, but probably in the 30 mA range would be expected. I did it once when I had a dead battery and was checking to make sure there was nothing amiss. 2-3 weeks seems okay, especially if you don't drive enough to always top the starting battery off fully.
     
  3. Sep 25, 2022 at 7:49 AM
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    Danimal86

    Danimal86 Looks clean even when its dirty!

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    Invest about $30 in a small 10-20w solar panel with a charge controller off Amazon. Thats what i did with my commuter car during covid lockdown where it wasn't going to be driven for months. I would have to constantly jump start it, and eventually killed the battery....with the trickle charger, it just stays topped off.
     
  4. Sep 25, 2022 at 8:04 AM
    #4
    TundraMcGov.

    TundraMcGov. Your friend. Your foe. Not yo Ho.

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    Low tech option.

    After a good run in the truck where you believe the battery is charged/recharged to the proper level you can disconnect the cables after you park. Then reconnect on your next start up in a couple of weeks. If it starts right up then you know you have a parasitic drain on the battery. And can go in that direction.
     
  5. Sep 26, 2022 at 6:02 AM
    #5
    shifty`

    shifty` The Second Shortcoming of Christ

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    Have the battery tested. Any big-box store will do it for free, and it takes 5 minutes of your time. Ideally, bring it to wherever you bought your battery.

    If you have an aftermarket, non-factory alarm, even if disabled, after 10-15 years, they're typically en route to shit the bed if not already there. When they do, really unpredictable things can happen, like power windows/locks not working, crank-but-no-start issues, courtesy and headlights staying on all the time, and excessive battery draw. Other things, like Scout or Snitch and similar GPS tracking products, also can take a battery down in a matter of 5-10 days. If you use a bluetooth OBDII scanner that stays plugged in all the time, that will absolutely kill your battery, did you add one recently? How about a dashcam that's always-on?

    It's little shit like that which bites you in the ass. But if you find it's not the battery that's the issue, and it's not general corrosion at the battery, there's also a lot of documented evidence showing the battery cables can corrode from the inside in certain climates and/or with misrepair. Pop back in here after you have a yea/nay on whether the battery is good. If good, we can link you up with a great video showing what @chunk is talking about above. You just need a basic multimeter, you can get one at big box hardware stores for under $40 all day long.
     
  6. Sep 26, 2022 at 7:21 AM
    #6
    tarpaw

    tarpaw [OP] New Member

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    Battery was in the truck when I bought it 2 years ago, so I'll definitely get it tested. Next time I have a chance to pop the hood, I'll look for the battery manufacture date. Will be on the Outer Banks for a couple weeks during October so if it's oldish I may just replace it since the parts stores out there are few and far between and failing batteries usually give up on you at the worst possible time.

    I have a several multi-meters, so if you can share the video I'll give it a look and check the parasitic drain.
     
  7. Sep 26, 2022 at 7:32 AM
    #7
    shifty`

    shifty` The Second Shortcoming of Christ

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    Start at 6:45 for testing for bat battery, bad-cells-wise. It won't cover battery health/CCA, but it'll at least ID whether a cell is going out/already out.
    Start at 18:40 to cover parasitic draw.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC--MLNIbik
     
  8. Sep 26, 2022 at 11:39 AM
    #8
    tarpaw

    tarpaw [OP] New Member

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    Awesome! Thank you!
     
  9. Oct 6, 2022 at 4:57 AM
    #9
    tarpaw

    tarpaw [OP] New Member

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    FYI, it ended up being the battery after all. Tested bad at two different places. Was still under the prorated part of the warranty so they knocked off $40 from a new replacement, but it's been draining/weakening slowly when parked for at least a year. Had I tested it before February, the replacement would've been free. Live and learn. Thanks all for the advice!
     
  10. Oct 6, 2022 at 5:33 AM
    #10
    shifty`

    shifty` The Second Shortcoming of Christ

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    Glad it was something simple. Always start with the easiest (and free!) possible causes first.

    Constantly drawing down a battery will lead to early failure. If you find you leave your truck for extended periods without use, and you don't want to kill your battery, I highly recommend getting a "solar trickle charger". I think most plug into the cigarette lighter, and have a solar panel that sits on the dash to slowly trickle-charge the battery, keeping it topped off.

    But you also may want to test for draw. I've left my truck for a month at a time without driving, and it always fires right up on demand.
     
    tarpaw[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  11. Oct 6, 2022 at 9:31 AM
    #11
    Mr.bee

    Mr.bee King Turdra

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    No shit. About to start and idle mine. Drive it around, and cycle the a/c. Every week. Once a month lube the front diff with some 4wd action.
     
  12. Oct 6, 2022 at 11:30 AM
    #12
    tarpaw

    tarpaw [OP] New Member

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    'Bout to do 2 weeks of that on the NC Outer Banks! :)
     
  13. Oct 6, 2022 at 12:10 PM
    #13
    Dunes

    Dunes New Member

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    on my 2008 TUN i keep one cheap trickle charge from Harbor Freight since it only moves on camping days.

    On 2022 TUN, at the end of day i hold lock and press unlock twice and it will red red couple of times means FOB is no longer pinging vehicle all night. may save the battery on FOB and vehicle.
     

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