[robjmartin]

Folks,
I'm also battling the problem of battery draining with my 2003 Element. If car is driven daily it seems to start fine. Sitting 2-3 days, especially if cold, it's reluctant to start. Sit a week or two and I'll probably have to jump start. Battery is less than a year old and shop said it tests good. Alternator putting out proper volatage. The symptoms seem like a parasitic drain, but I've tested for parasitic drain with a multi-meter and can't find anything. Could the ELD have anything to do with this? I do have noticeable headlight dimming/brightening when I slow down or speed up. I'm wondering if the ELD might be allowing an insufficient charge to the battery?

 

[nstice]

Folks,
I'm also battling the problem of battery draining with my 2003 Element. If car is driven daily it seems to start fine. Sitting 2-3 days, especially if cold, it's reluctant to start. Sit a week or two and I'll probably have to jump start. Battery is less than a year old and shop said it tests good. Alternator putting out proper volatage. The symptoms seem like a parasitic drain, but I've tested for parasitic drain with a multi-meter and can't find anything. Could the ELD have anything to do with this? I do have noticeable headlight dimming/brightening when I slow down or speed up. I'm wondering if the ELD might be allowing an i
nsufficient charge to the battery?

The ELD does that, that is normal operation. It will also throw an ELD code if there is an issue. Does the car crank slow sometimes and fast at other times? What is does your multi meter tell you for a draw? It does not take much to kill a battery.

 

[desinia]

I've noticed over the years here that more of this problem were caused by the switch in the rear hatch than anything else. Doesn't mean that it IS the cause every time, but opening and slamming the rear hatch is easy and infuriatingly often - effective.

 

[robjmartin]

The ELD does that, that is normal operation. It will also throw an ELD code if there is an issue. Does the car crank slow sometimes and fast at other times? What is does your multi meter tell you for a draw? It does not take much to kill a battery.

I've been using a Harbor Freight multimeter on the 5A setting, and the reading settles to 0.00 in 20 seconds or so. If I'm reading the meter correctly, this means there's less than 10 milliamps draw, which I believe is acceptable? I checked all my fuses under the hood and found the aux input jack was showing a slight current, so I disconnected that. Still had sluggish battery symptoms in the morning after doing that. Haven't checked all the fuses under the dash yet, cause it's hard to get the probes on them. Had the battery checked again, it's in great shape and the alternator and starter test fine. Inspected the battery cable for corrosion, haven't found anything significant there.
In the morning, or after sitting a day or two (engine cold), it turns over very slowly, sometimes it will crank a few times and then quit. But try it again, the engine catches and after running for a bit (engine warm) it cranks just fine.

 

[robjmartin]

I've noticed over the years here that more of this problem were caused by the switch in the rear hatch than anything else. Doesn't mean that it IS the cause every time, but opening and slamming the rear hatch is easy and infuriatingly often - effective.

My hatch seems to be closing okay. Any idea which circuit(s) it's on? I've noticed that anytime a door is open there is at least a 200 milliamp draw on the battery.

 

[nstice]

Sounds like the starter to me, I replace them all the time at work. It’s very common.

 

[nstice]

is it fast sometimes and slow others. When it starts it starts multiple times fast with no problems? Then when it sits it cranks slow?

 

[robjmartin]

is it fast sometimes and slow others. When it starts it starts multiple times fast with no problems? Then when it sits it cranks slow?

It seems that slow starts are only after sitting overnight or a few days. Once that it's been started, it seems to crank just fine even after parking for several hours.

 

[nstice]

The only thing I can think of doing is leaving it somewhere for a few days then have someone test the battery before you start it. If it test good then I would point towards the starter motor. If it test bad then you have draw or battery issue. Have you checked the compressor clutch relay? They can stick and kill a battery, but you should of seen that testing the draw on the battery. My brother in law just went through all of this, he replaced the battery and it still had issues starting in the mornings. I replace the starter and all is good. If you where located in Portland oregon I could check it out for you. I know shops are expensive but they have all the tools to figure these things out.

 

[twopie larry]

Battery drain fix

This has been frustrating me so much i've made an account here to ask for help. I have a 2004 Element EX with only around 151k miles on it. I live where winters get pretty cold, so I feel the cold temperatures might be contributing to my battery drain.

For the past 2 weeks or so my Element has refused to start when I get in at the start of every day. (it only has problems starting the first time, for the rest of the day it'll start up normally before eventually draining/dying overnight.) I turn the key, the engine chugs slower and slower until it stops - the battery is dead. In order to start it i've been using an external battery charger with an engine start feature. Usually the car will start with no problem after hooking it up to the charger, but more recently it's been needing to charge longer and longer before I can start it.

I went to a local auto shop and had my battery and alternator checked - both appeared to be working fine. I don't have much experience with cars or mechanics, my only idea is the cold temperatures could be draining the battery. I'm near my wit's end spending cold mornings hunched over my car battery. Any ideas and suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I had the same issue. My problem turned out to be the radio's amplifier. The amp was drawing a minute amount of power continuously such that the battery would drain in a day or two.