Hello all new here. I'm hoping I could get some advice on locating a battery draw that's been ruining my day for the past month. It's a 2007 Dakota v6 auto 2wd base model. The tricky part is it drains the battery after three days of sitting. If it sits for 2 days it starts right up no problem. I have a multimeter and set it up on amp mode between the battery post and clamp and I read only 0.011 amp draw which should be normal right? It reads this on both the negative and positive posts. At 0.011 amps is it possible that is what's killing my battery? What should the normal draw be? I bought a new optima red top battery thinking that was the problem but it's still dying in 3 days. Alternator is fine charging the battery at 14.6 volts. I believe the source of the draw is something after the fuse panel because I pulled the hot wire off the input of the fuse box and the battery was at full charge after sitting for 4 days and started back up after connecting back to the fuse box. I heard the radio is problematic in dodges but removing it completely had no effect on the battery dying. Everything looks normal in the fuse box checked all fuses and relays, no lights are staying on in the truck, I tried pulling out the ignition off draw fuse which dropped the draw down to 0.006 amps but the battery would still die after 3 days. Whatever is drawing is not showing on the multimeter. 0.006 amps can't possibly be enough to drain a red top in 3 days can it? What can cause this? Where do I look next? I think I want to hook the fuse box back up and disconnect the starter and alternator and let it sit for 3 days to make certain that the draw is after the fuse box and has nothing to do with the alternator or starter shorting. Could it be a short somewhere after the fuse box? Could it be the pcm clicking something on after sitting for several hours? The truck has been fine a month ago it could sit for a month and not kill the battery. Last resort is putting a kill switch between the hot wire and fuse box but I'd like to fix the problem. Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

Do you have an under the hood light? Check at night to see if it's on. Is your power outlet/lighter plug supplying power when ignition is off? If it is, try pulling that fuse. Do you have a security system? Try locking the door with the key, not the fob or power door lock. On my 05, using the power lock switch activates the security system also. Do you have a glove box light? make sure that is going out. Cargo lamp off? Night time is the best time to check for lights that shouldn't be on. Must be something not controlled by the ignition switch, unless the ignition switch is bad. Or maybe the clockspring.

 

No under the hood light. No glove box light. Cargo light goes off. No lights are remaining on I've checked. No security system. No power windows or door locks. Nothing plugged in either of the two cigarette lighters. Even if something was being left on wouldn't the multimeter show it?

 

One would think so. Go back to auto store and have them load test that battery. It's not unheard of to get a bad battery off the shelf. A bad battery would certainly be capable of dying from a very low draw over a 3 day span.

 

I could try that it wouldn't hurt. I still have the old battery that I put back in so I don't destroy the red top trying to figure out the problem. I had them check the charging system and everything checked fine. I'll get both batteries checked

 

Both batteries and charging system check out fine. Auto store sees nothing wrong. Any other ideas?

 

Possible bad diode in the alternator, even though it was checked I'd try disconnecting the alternator and let it sit 3 or 3 4 days.

 

Doing that right now I reconnected the hot wire to the fuse box and disconnect the other ends of the hot wire which go to the alternator and starter only leaving the fuse box connected. So if it dies now I know it's something after the fuse box

 

Pull the radio fuse. They have been known to wake up for no reason.

 

I did the radio fuse already and even pulled the entire radio from the dash and unplugged the wire completely