Electrical draw, batteries keep dying

NightKrawler

NightKrawler

New member
Hello fellow jeepers. I was hoping I would get lucky and one of you guys knows a thing or two about the electrical systems in the JK. I had this dual battery system installed about a year ago and its had some type of draw on it since day one. I've had the shop that did the work go over it repeatedly and they're telling me that there's nothing wrong with the aftermarket parts used in this install and that there is a stock JK part that's causing the battery drain. I don't know if these systems can be wired up differently but the battery furthest away from the cab operates the accessories (winch, air compressor, lockers etc) and the battery closest to the cab operates the vehicle's stock accessories. For some reason only the accessory battery for the aftermarket parts was being drained at a rapid rate lasting only a week or two before it's completely dead and the battery for the vehicle has never had a problem. Recently the mechanic that has been working on the vehicle, in an effort to rectify the problem, rewired it somehow so both batteries are linked together and now they're both dying at roughly the same rate. I had taken it to the dealership, explained this scenario, and they had identified that there is no stock part that could cause a draw especially one of that magnitude. The dealership did confirm that the alternator is well within its operating range. Once again I know nothing about electrical issues and I'm hoping for feedback from someone more experienced than myself. I'd appreciate any related information, thank you
 

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wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Get yourself a test light, disconnect your negative battery lead and connect the light to the lead and the negative battery terminal to complete the circuit. Being that you have a parasitic draw, the test light should light up. Open up your fuse box and one by one, remove a fuse and check to see if the light goes out. If it doesn't, put it back in and go to the next fuse. If you get to one that causes the light to go out, that'll be the component that has the draw and where you can start looking for the problem. If they all check out, you'll need to do the same thing with your aftermarket components.
 
NightKrawler

NightKrawler

New member
wayoflife said:
Get yourself a test light, disconnect your negative battery lead and connect the light to the lead and the negative battery terminal to complete the circuit. Being that you have a parasitic draw, the test light should light up. Open up your fuse box and one by one, remove a fuse and check to see if the light goes out. If it doesn't, put it back in and go to the next fuse. If you get to one that causes the light to go out, that'll be the component that has the draw and where you can start looking for the problem. If they all check out, you'll need to do the same thing with your aftermarket components.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I appreciate the info. I'll let you know what it is when I find it
 
toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
Totally agreed what Eddie said. You can do the same with a multimeter but in has to be able to read amps. A test light is a cheaper option
 
WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
wayoflife said:
Get yourself a test light, disconnect your negative battery lead and connect the light to the lead and the negative battery terminal to complete the circuit. Being that you have a parasitic draw, the test light should light up. Open up your fuse box and one by one, remove a fuse and check to see if the light goes out. If it doesn't, put it back in and go to the next fuse. If you get to one that causes the light to go out, that'll be the component that has the draw and where you can start looking for the problem. If they all check out, you'll need to do the same thing with your aftermarket components.
Click to expand...

toxicwaste29 said:
Totally agreed what Eddie said. You can do the same with a multimeter but in has to be able to read amps. A test light is a cheaper option
Click to expand...

Word.

This simple test is a great way to isolate which circuit the draw lies within.
 
NightKrawler

NightKrawler

New member
Eugene the Jeep said:
Did you install any new accessories when you installed the dual battery kit that might be causing the problem?
Click to expand...

No. All accessories were installed simultaneously 3 years ago at ORE and everything has worked perfectly until the battery install at a different shop. Although at one point they tried to say it was the ARB compressor causing the battery drain. now you got me thinking about the accessories. Shortly after this battery setup was installed my cobra CB would cycle on and off randomly even though the dial was in the off position. Once again I don't know much about the electrical system in the JK. I pulled the power supply from the back of the CB to see if that could have been part of the problem but the battery still has a drain. At one point the mechanic had accidentally yanked the ground for my pillar lights out of the spod so it fried the cable the next time I turn them on and they had to replace it. I can't help but wondering if this short as a result of carelessness. I'm not trying to point fingers thats why I haven't said the name of the shop. First thing tomorrow I'll do the test that Eddie suggested. I'll keep this thread updated as I get new info and once again I appreciate everybody's contribution. I've been dealing with this for 18 months now, every time I'm told the problem is fixed and Here I am charging my battery at least once a week
 
NightKrawler

NightKrawler

New member
wayoflife said:
Get yourself a test light, disconnect your negative battery lead and connect the light to the lead and the negative battery terminal to complete the circuit. Being that you have a parasitic draw, the test light should light up. Open up your fuse box and one by one, remove a fuse and check to see if the light goes out. If it doesn't, put it back in and go to the next fuse. If you get to one that causes the light to go out, that'll be the component that has the draw and where you can start looking for the problem. If they all check out, you'll need to do the same thing with your aftermarket components.
Click to expand...

So I tried the test and it looks like I might need a little more advice. I pulled every fuse from the fuse box including the relays one at a time and the light stayed on. I should also mention that I got 2 test cables, one for the battery closest to the cab and one for the battery furthest away. When I hooked them up before I started the test only the battery closest to the cab had lit up. I also pulled every fuse in the S pod one at a time assuming that covered every accessory. The only accessory not going through the S pod is the winch and I disconnected the power to that is well and the light didn't go out. I just noticed this break in the wire housing going to the positive terminal on the battery closest to the cab that has the light on and when I remove that positively from the battery terminal the light goes out. Any other advice would be appreciated.
 

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toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
Just curious. Did you undo one of the cables and use your light as a jumper between the cable and the battery post itself? The picture you posted the cable is still attached to the battery
 
NightKrawler

NightKrawler

New member
toxicwaste29 said:
Just curious. Did you undo one of the cables and use your light as a jumper between the cable and the battery post itself? The picture you posted the cable is still attached to the battery
Click to expand...

That picture was just a close up of the broken wire housing going to the positive terminal. Yes I had a light tester completing the circuit to the negative terminal on each battery simultaneously when I did the test. when i initially hooked up the the test lights to both batteries before I started pulling fuses only the battery closest to the cab was illuminated and pulling the fuses for the stock accessories as well as the S pod fuses didn't make it go out
 
NightKrawler

NightKrawler

New member
I don't know if this helps with the diagnosis but the battery closest to the cab is draining at a faster rate then the other battery
 
12-mile

12-mile

Member
Chasing electrical gremlins is definitely not my strong suit, i'll be following this for educational purposes,
Hope you track it down
 
NightKrawler

NightKrawler

New member
toxicwaste29 said:
Try pulling fuses for more than the stock accessories. It could be a drain somewhere in the main circuit
Click to expand...

Main circuit? I've pulled every fuse from the fuse box under the hood and from the S pod so I don't know what else I could check. I got a multimeter yesterday so I can attach that to the negative terminal and negative battery to see exactly how much power is being drawn. If I can't find it I have an appointment next week to take it to a specialist. Once again I appreciate everybody's help and I'll post what I find
 
Speedy_RCW

Speedy_RCW

Hooked
NightKrawler said:
Main circuit? I've pulled every fuse from the fuse box under the hood and from the S pod so I don't know what else I could check. I got a multimeter yesterday so I can attach that to the negative terminal and negative battery to see exactly how much power is being drawn. If I can't find it I have an appointment next week to take it to a specialist. Once again I appreciate everybody's help and I'll post what I find
Click to expand...

Did the light intensity ever change when you were pulling fuses? I've never done this on a Jk but it's possible the light could be on simply from the current draw on factory computers and whatnot. Probably would be very dim though. Maybe someone that's done it on the JK can chime in on that. In that case the light would simply get dimmer when you pulled the fuse of the culprit circuit. And you do have the doors closed when you're doing this correct? i.e. no dome lights or anything on?

Edit. Just read where you removed the cable that has a cut in the insulation and the light went out. Did you only remove that cable or the whole bundle. Doesn't look like a factory cable, do you know where it goes?
 
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C

Cadima

New member
I have a similar issue with my 13 JKU. I don't have any dual battery set up and haven't yet tried to track down the culprit, BUT....I have noticed that inside the jeep behind the dash console somewhere something is activating intermittently. More specifically, every 4 minutes 12 seconds what sounds like some kind of motorized flap like anA/C vent damper is cycling. This is with the Jeep sitting in the garage with no key in it and not having been turned on for days. Absolutely have no idea what is being cycled on and off or why, but its occurring exactly every 4 minutes 12 seconds and if I leave the Jeep for a week or so the battery will be drained. So as weird as it may sound, sit in your jeep in silence for at least 5 minutes and see if you hear anything.
 
toxicwaste29

toxicwaste29

New member
NightKrawler said:
Main circuit? I've pulled every fuse from the fuse box under the hood and from the S pod so I don't know what else I could check. I got a multimeter yesterday so I can attach that to the negative terminal and negative battery to see exactly how much power is being drawn. If I can't find it I have an appointment next week to take it to a specialist. Once again I appreciate everybody's help and I'll post what I find
Click to expand...

Sorry by the main circuit I mean all the drive train fuses. I thought I read you only pulled the jeep accessory fuses and the s pod fuses. It could be something draining the power from a factory fuse you never pulled
 
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