| Subject: | power drain? |
| Question: | I've got a 1993 Plymouth
Colt Vista with a 2.4L mitsubishi engine. I left the lights on once and killed the battery. After boosting and charging it, the power seemed to get drained out, the light slowly dimmed and while driving, the car barely moved unless i pretty much floored it. Mechanic checked the battery and alternator and couln't find anything wrong, car got better after an hour of driving and drove OK all day. But at the end of the next day, I barely made it into the driveway and it stalled again. Dead battery. What could it be? Some kind of short circuit somewhere slowly draining the power? If so, what could be draining that much power?"; |
| Answer: | Rudy, I would get a second opinion about your alternator. If you have an AutoZone in your area, they can check your alternator for free. Usually after 10 years, alternators need to be replaced. When your battery died, and you got charged, it had just enough charge in it start your car. Once the car is started, the battery gets charged from the alternator. With your battery being so weak, your alternator has to work harder to charge the battery and make sure the car stays running. That puts a lot of additional stress on an already old alternator. Once the alternator stops charging, the battery takes over to keep your car running. That will kill your battery fast. Also, if you live in an area where the temperature is starting to get cold, that will put more strain on your charging system. Get your alternator checked again, and I'd suspect you'll need it
replaced. And if the battery has been under so much strain, you'll
probably need to replace that too. |