''Check that the alternator is charging the battery OK.''
With the transmission in Park (AT) or Neutral (MT) and the parking brake (emergency brake) firmly applied, start the engine. Use a voltmeter and check the voltage across the car's battery terminals. It should measure between 13.8V-14.5V DC. If not then there's either a problem with the car's voltage regulator or the alternator.
***Be safety aware*** of where you place your hands etc and also tools and if you're wearing loose clothing etc, if you try this, as the engine is running!
''Check if there is a parasitic current draw on the battery.''
With the ''engine switched off,'' disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery terminal and connect an Ammeter between the the negative cable and the battery's negative terminal and measure the amount of current that is flowing. The acceptable amount of current that is usually flowing is ~50mA (0.05A). If more than this you need to pull the fuses, one at a time to find out which circuit is drawing too much current when it shouldn't be. Here's a [link|https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain|link] that explains it better than I can.
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Voltmeter and Ammeter are both functions found in a DMM (digital multimeter)
''Check that the alternator is charging the battery OK.''
With the transmission in Park (AT) or Neutral (MT) and the parking brake (emergency brake) firmly applied, start the engine. Use a voltmeter and check the voltage across the car's battery terminals. It should measure between 13.8V-14.5V DC. If not then there's either a problem with the car's voltage regulator or the alternator.
***Be safety aware*** of where you place your hands etc and also tools and if you're wearing loose clothing etc, if you try this, as the engine is running!
''Check if there is a parasitic current draw on the battery.''
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With the ''engine switched off,'' disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery terminal and connect an Ammeter between the the negative cable and the battery's negative terminal and measure the amount of current that is flowing. The acceptable amount of current that is usually flowing is ~50mA (0.05A). Here's a [https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain|link] that explains it better than I can.
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With the ''engine switched off,'' disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery terminal and connect an Ammeter between the the negative cable and the battery's negative terminal and measure the amount of current that is flowing. The acceptable amount of current that is usually flowing is ~50mA (0.05A). If more than this you need to pull the fuses, one at a time to find out which circuit is drawing too much current when it shouldn't be. Here's a [link|https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain|link] that explains it better than I can.
Hi @brandenloada
Couple of things to try:
''Check that the alternator is charging the battery OK.''
With the transmission in Park (AT) or Neutral (MT) and the parking brake (emergency brake) firmly applied, start the engine. Use a voltmeter and check the voltage across the car's battery terminals. It should measure between 13.8V-14.5V DC. If not then there's either a problem with the car's voltage regulator or the alternator.
***Be safety aware*** of where you place your hands etc and also tools and if you're wearing loose clothing etc, if you try this, as the engine is running!
''Check if there is a parasitic current draw on the battery.''
With the ''engine switched off,'' disconnect the negative battery cable from the battery terminal and connect an Ammeter between the the negative cable and the battery's negative terminal and measure the amount of current that is flowing. The acceptable amount of current that is usually flowing is ~50mA (0.05A). Here's a [https://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Parasitic-Battery-Drain|link] that explains it better than I can.