Why Does My Battery Keep Dying? - Parasitic Draw Test and Fix - Operation Cheap Jeep

Have you ever said, "my battery keeps dying but I know the battery and the alternator are good"? Well perhaps you have a parasitic draw. A parasitic draw is a short in the system which can drain your battery over time without you knowing why. In this video I'll show you how to find the problem and then we'll talk about how to fix it.

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*This product is meant for entertainment purposes only. Your mileage may vary. Do not try this at home. Void where prohibited. Some assembly required. For off-road use only. Slippery when wet. Batteries not included. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle, heavy equipment, cherokee XJ, wrangler TJ, wrangler JK, or any Jeep vehicle, especially the newer Fiat ones. How-to videos may be too intense for some viewers and children under 30 years of age. Please remain seated until the 4x4 ride has come to a complete stop. Studies have shown viewing these videos causes increased cancer risks in laboratory test people. I am not a professional, I have no training, I'm not even particularly good at horse whispering. Don't believe everything that you know. Please keep your hands in the vehicle at all times. Do not tap on glass. Do not eat anything that has been on the floor for more than 3 days. Keep your hands to yourself. Not to be taken internally. Reproduction strictly prohibited. Driver does not carry cash. Objects in Bleepinjeep mirrors may be farther than they appear.

[MattHooker]

fun story about how everything is related (especially on late 90s Chryslers). passenger side window regulator goes out on 02 Grand Cherokee while we're out of town. I artfully use a rubber mallet to hold the window up to get us home, and I just disconnect the main harness for the door so I don't accidentally force it and potentially do more damage. in addition to NONE of the power locks working, and the right rear window not responding, the dome lights stayed on. pulling the fuse for the dome lights causes the AZC climate control to not power on. given that only left windows worked, A/C did not turn on, and it was 80 degrees, I had to stop again and replace the dome light fuse. the next day I did what I should have done at first, and just disconnected the connector for the window motor.

[fredflinstone]

I have been fixing electronics equipment for 40 years. I think this is the BEST real world troubleshooting video that I have ever seen. THANKS....GREAT...JOB!!!

[ericbrooks]

Now this is what I call in the teaching world "Direct Instructions"-- You had an opening (hook), you demonstrated, you walked through each step, you provided a visual, and you wrapped up (concluded) this lesson on how to locate a parasitic draw. I will be locating my draw in the summer months. Well done--this was EXEMPLARY!

[jonnygridseth]

I´m a mechanic. This is one the best videos I´ve ever seen. Very well explained. Perfect troubleshooting. Good job

[Lego_SML]

Your the first person who allowed this information to sink in. Thank you so much!

[stevew]

Nice job. Now this is a great example of a YouTube video done the right way. Good camera angles, light up dark areas. In focus. No shaky camera. Great narration that was easy to understand, without crazy background noises. And the cherry on top was taking it to a conclusion. After watching your video I actually believe I have a chance to find my parasitic draw on my 1999 Suburban. THANK YOU!

[johnrice]

Best 'parasitic draw' video evah, and one of the best uses of 15 mins. with my clothes on in my 74 years on this rock. Well done, sir. Thank you. Thumbed up. Subbed. Carry-on.

[OfficialMarksmanTV]

Honestly the best video on parasitic draw. Detailed instructions and very clear and easy to follow. Well done sir.

[duckthis]

Just by showing how to set up the Harbor freight multi meter(which many people have) helped me tremendously.Great Vid.Thank you

[ParkKing]

I watched this video yesterday before doing some work on my battery and today I helped a neighbour with a drained battery get her manual transmission car push-started and on her way. Since this video touched on a back door-release hatch not working properly, I looked for something similar when my neighbour's "door ajar" warning light stayed illuminated. Turned out her back hatch wouldn't close properly because of some fender damage that wasn't fixed and caused the door to jam opening and closing. To open it, she would pry with her fingers on one side and pop it open. To close it, she would give it a good slam. However, the electric switch to remotely open the hatchback was accidentally hit by her and since the door didn't pop open at the time, and she didn't notice the illuminated warning light, it stayed illuminated for days until she went to start her car today. Not exactly the same problem as the Jeep in the video but the knowledge gained came in so handy less than 24 hours later. YouTube University is great!

[victorgojocco]

One of the Best How to Videos on solving parasitic drain!! Straight forward, less talk, direct to the point!!

[SuzyKim]

Damn. Let’s get this person to 1 mil! Great video, clear, straight to the point but explaining as tho the person watching is a auto noob! Love this!!! ❤️

[benniedonald]

I spent a year taking electrical classes. Forty hours a week equivalent to 2 years Technical college. I had two incredible instructors and I learned a lot. However I have never understood how to troubleshoot the electrical system of an automobile this clearly explained the issue I was having understanding it.
Dummy me kept thinking I would have to find the end of every wire one at a time and test them.
No one has ever ever suggested checking fuses in this way.
Thank you for sharing this information. I have a 98 dodge ram pickup that is drawing from somewhere. Now I can track it down without taking the dashboard off. LOL

[Ratellll]

This is one of the best instruction videos i've ever seen, Thanks Very Much !!!

[ryansantos-srxl]

good tutorial, i learn something from you matt...thanks, other solution is disconnect the fuse, replace it with a 4pin relay, one of the pin of the fuse is constant (+) connect it to #30 (add a fuse) of a relay, other pin of the fuse to #87 of a relay, connect #85 of a relay to ground then the #86 (switch) of a relay to + acc from the fuse box (find one), its just by doing this the body control module wont have power supply when key is off (so it wont draw any power) but when u turn the key to acc or on it will supply power to the relay switch powering it on.

[southheaven]

Man I'm so happy I found this video.
I've been bashing my head into the wall trying to find out what was going on with my 2002 Grand Cherokee for weeks.

[harrysurtees]

Mat, after watching a few other videos, for me, I liked yours best. I used what I learned from you video and fixed my sons honda, and now, the car starts, even if it sits for 3 or 4 days. Thank you. Your voice is easy to listen too, and that's a bonis. Thanks again.

[erikcaldwell]

Your a genius, I have always turned to your videos over the years, cause your genius not only mechanically, but the way you explain things, in such detail. Your a great teacher. Thanks so much for your help over the years.

[gmiller]

Excellent video with a fair paced description on what to do. A lot of videos are made by people who’ve done this a million times and they blast through it and you don’t have time to understand or they just don’t thoroughly explain. Thank you!!

[vonshango]

0:40  short-circuit in the wire somewhere.  0:58 DC Volts 20, make sure you have a good battery reads 12.6v+. 1:15 check terminal for excess corrosion. 1:34 turn to 10 amp (milliamps setting ideal to spot tiny draw), move lead to amps jack, attach leads. 2:10 disconnect neg battery terminal set aside. first turn everything off, close doors or tape sensor shut, then connect leads 2:48 connect one lead to terminal, the other to the cable that normally connects to it 'to get readings in between' the two. 3:00 on the 10 amp scale you should not read anything over 50 milliamps (.05 on 10amp scale). 3:30 now pull fuses 1 at a time until you find the one that drops the drain to 0.