You may already know that mitochondria are the most famous organelle referred to as the powerhouse of a cell. In the same way, a car’s battery serves as the electrical supply. The car battery is called the life of the car because it simply energizes the electric devices. This type of energy changes chemical energy into electrical energy and aids in running electrical items, such as headlights, radios, heaters, etc. Thus, this blog will be dedicated to the most frequent scenarios of why car batteries keep draining. The car battery also supplies voltage to the starter to turn over the engine and provide the voltage to maintain the engine.
The battery is as vital to a car as its powering engine. Suppose you are alone in your vehicle, driving at night. Suddenly, the headlights fade, and the car won’t move for several minutes. You may believe this is a malfunction with the engine, but your car battery has just died.
The reasons for batteries discharging in cars are different, and there is always a chance that whatever caused it in the first place won’t happen again. However, if the car battery dies while it is still on, there is a predisposition that the problem should be fixed with the help of a car mechanics in Perth.
In this blog, you learn the most significant causes of dead battery and what actions are taken to avoid it.
Why Your Car Battery Dies Quickly?
Here is a list of several causes of your car battery drain.
1. Using Local Charger
If you want to discharge the car battery quickly, there’s nothing more effective than a local charger. Employing local trickle chargers may work against what you want to achieve for the battery.
It is a common fact that most of the chargers manufactured have a built-in meter that can sense when your battery is full and stop supplying it with excess current. Some trickle charges also come with a similar feature. Local or faulty chargers are charge control circuits that transfer electricity to a battery without giving any importance to charge specifications, charge level, etc. Most of these chargers have slow charges, which leads to frequent car battery replacement.
2. Parasitic Draw
On regular occasions, even when your car is turned off, the battery supplies energy to related equipment, which includes the clock, radio, and even the alarm. Most of these things should not affect your battery in a significant manner. However, interior lights, door lights, or even harmful lights can drain a car battery when the car is off.
While your engine is on, the alternator regulates the battery, so you often don’t need to worry about the battery running out while driving to work with the radio on maximum volume. However, when the engine is not running, the alternator cannot charge the battery, and a minor electrical malfunction affects the car battery’s lifespan. Electrical drains are standard and inherent with a car’s design, but other electrical whoosh can drain the battery more often.
3. Damaged Loose Wires
Wires are touching the terminals of the automobile battery, either positive or negative. Due to safety concerns, most of these must be disconnected to enable you to work on your car. If these cables get loose, the machine’s battery may be discharged. These wires need to be tightened and readjusted properly to correct this matter. However, electric work on the car should be done carefully by a professional car mechanic in Perth to avoid any shock or harm to the vehicle.
Don’t do it yourself if you have doubts; seek professional help for perfect battery installation. There could be corrosion at the battery terminals, which may also be the reason for the lesser performance of your battery. Nonetheless, with the above safety precautions in mind and the batteries unplugged, by cleaning corrosion battery terminals with a diluted baking soda solution and brush, coated with petroleum jelly, and the cables reattached if one is confident of the effectiveness of this method.
4. Leaking Radiator
A head gasket is a vital component that helps the engine’s combustion chamber remain sealed for the car to maintain the compression needed to maintain power. Also, it reduces the chance of the coolant or the oil from the radiator on the rest of the car parts, causing the whole engine to boil and catch fire.
Well, this head gasket can sometimes pop if there is a hole in the radiator. If this happens, smoke arises from the engine, and there are knocking sounds, hence the name banging or knocking. There will be a power reduction, which will lead to battery depletion.
Preventing a Car’s Battery from Discharging
Here are some basic measures to maintain the battery and increase its life.
1. Turn Off Lights:
Ensure that all lights and electric accessories are switched off whenever you leave the car. Also, visually check if the trunk and doors are correctly closed if you will not be using them. Forcing these basic behaviors can reduce the depletion of the battery charge and increase the battery lifespan.
2. Ensure Terminals Are Regularly Checked for Corrosion:
Corrosion is also standard on the battery terminal; any breakage to the connection means no power is supplied to the car. Check the battery terminal for signs of corrosion by white substance and clean it off using a wire brush or battery cleaning terminals. This basic procedure can help maintain the proper flow of electricity.
3. Minimizing the Drain of Power by Electronics:
Most modern cars have several electric features that run while the vehicle is off and draw power to charge the battery. Do not leave items like phone chargers, GPS for the vehicle, chargers, and any other device plugged in when the car is turned off as they pull down the battery.
4. Measures To Take When Sitting in a Car for A Long Time:
Check out a complex charger to ensure that the battery is always adequately charged when you park the car for a long time. On the other hand, you can remove the battery’s negative terminal to prevent a parasitic draw from pulling down the battery. The latter may need help from the best car service in Perth to change some of the computers.
Conclusion
Since there are so many ways in which the proper working of vehicles is impeded, a little more prudence and prevention goes a long way. With this long list of things, we hope you will get to the point of solving all battery issues. Nonetheless, please contact Car Mechanic Perth if you have experienced too much battery consumption or have other issues. All our mechanics are fully certified and have experience working in car battery service. We are happy to work for you.
