Sequoia battery keeps dying 😨

[@mrj-charles6383]

I work out of my van and the tailgate is one on the best features. I like the having the canopy to work under and also nice to leave open in hot weather. My old Grand Caravan has a parasitic draw and if not driven daily the battery will die so I just disconnect the battery when I park it.

[@FamilyFriendlyDIY]

👍Exactly! ... Whew, I don't know if I'd have the patience to unhook the battery like that. The battery actually totally died like 3 weeks after making this video. When I put the new battery in, I also disconnected things like my running-board lights, door lights, and electric antenna, and made sure all of my dome lights were off. Hopefully I'll get more out of the new battery.

[@Mikegastaldo]

Your in luck Dave...I happen to be a pretty good at auto electric..I actually worked at 2 Honda dealers years ago..who woulda thunk? anyway turn all switches off just like you would park the vehicle...remove the negative battery terminal...take a standard 12v test light " the one with a clip on one side of the cable to clip to ground and the screwdriver handle with a bulb in it" ya that one... anyway ..take the test light and put the clip on the negative battery terminal on the vehicle harness and the prob on the negative battery terminal on the battery...do you see the light bulb in the handle on? if so you have a drain.... now go to the fuse box and remove and replace one fuse at a time until you see the test light go dark..that will be your drain. when you finally pull the fuse that makes the test light go dark you will have isolated the drain to a specific system of the vehicle such as the horn.. curtosy lights..etc..any questions? just ask

[@FamilyFriendlyDIY]

Sweet! Thanks for the tip, Mike!

[@cloviscenterville]

That is gold. Thank you so much!

[@jeffplayswithcars]

I've done this and isolated it to the 30amp rear door fuse that controls the rear window and defroster. I'm stumped on where to go from here. The window is obviously not going up and down nor is the defroster on.

[@Mikegastaldo]

@@jeffplayswithcars hi Jeff..ok so let's see if I understand... with the fuse in place the test light is on..when you pull the fuse the light goes off? correct? .. this fuse is for rear window and defroster? ..what you do now is re install the fuse..put the test light back onto the negative terminal.. confirm light is on..and start unplugging things in that system one at a time until light turns off.. unplug the window switch/motor/relay/ everything associated with the window and defroster.. this time when the light goes off you will have found the problem.. hope this helps

[@jeffplayswithcars]

@@Mikegastaldo thanks, I'll give it a shot. Lots of work because there is no way to open the hatch manually. Have to reconnect the battery. Open hatch, unplug whatever, close hatch, disconnect battery, test, repeat. Can't leave the hatch open because something draws when it's open.

[@TheDeadMan3848]

Handy man now? 😳 Right on! You do great work.

[@FamilyFriendlyDIY]

Thanks man :-) ... kinda wasn't my choice though. I was an office manager in an office where everyone works from home now (because of the "C" word). ... But it's been a blessing in disguise.

[@GeneralElectricCNC]

My 2002 Sequoia had a parasitic draw and I pulled out all of my fuses with no help. Vehicle had 221k on it, so I replaced the alternator and the rebuilder told me that the voltage regulator was bad. Bad diode caused the problem! What a P.I.T.A!!!

[@melindawilliamson-ut6gq]

My 2001 sequoia has a 6 month new battery but keeps losing charge, twice recently the battery has gone to 0%. What exactly did you replace? Thank you

[@GeneralElectricCNC]

The alternator. It had a bad diode in it.@@melindawilliamson-ut6gq

[@multikillerpro1]

Same for me 2003​@@melindawilliamson-ut6gq

[@BlackhawkPilot]

The Car Wizard has a good video on this issue and how to test each circuit in the fuse box and isolate the circuit.

[@SEOKLADUCKIN]

Chech under hood light also

[@82_KID]

13:38 I think that battery is toast. 🔋 They can fool tests when they go.

[@mikeschlup5279]

This same thing happened to my son in law 2005 4 runner V6.

[@josemedeiros007]

Good video. Noco Genius 1 -10 SMART battery chargers can charge a dead battery below 1 volt using force mode. I personally use a PulseTech PowerPulse passive battery desulfator on my 2001 BMW Napa battery for the last three years, it uses a patented frequency to gently desulfate the battery and extend it's life up to three times. You may want to get a maintener charger like a Noco Genuis 1, or 2, and the Noco Genius 5 and 10 chargers have a repair mode function option. PusleTech also makes a Xtreme charger / maintainer that will float charge and desulfate at the same time.

[@joesteinbrecher3647]

Pull any fuse that has to do with door separately and check for draw in amps. If draw that is problem. Open door switch must have power going to it to kill battery over night

[@Pallidus_Rider]

Door ajar light for tailgate? If there is power lock, it should have sensor to determine if it is in locked or unlocked position. 🤔

[@rickroel4994]

It’s the Griswolds.

[@SadfoxGuyver]

Super clean

[@davepetrakos475]

Switch is in door latch of tailgate. Question: did windows need reset after unplug of battery (and were you able to do it). Put window halfway down, then press and hold button for raise for 5 seconds after window is fully closed. Not sure of your sequoia yr, but I have a troubleshoot guide. In meantime, maybe you can press latch to closed when door is open, BUT REMEMBER IT IS IN THIS CONDITION BEFORE SLAMMING DOOR CLOSED.

[@FamilyFriendlyDIY]

Thanks for the tip, Dave. My windows actually did not have to be reset, thankfully. 😅

[@FamilyFriendlyDIY]

This is a re-upload. Thank you to the viewers who pointed out some obvious errors in the first version. ... And please correct me in the comments if you see anything else amiss!🙂👍

[@Mikegastaldo]

Hey Dave read my comment/fix your daughters car.

[@microstorm]

Put a screwdriver into the latch to simulate it being closed?

[@FamilyFriendlyDIY]

@@microstorm Great idea.

[@microstorm]

@@FamilyFriendlyDIY I believe that the computer in your Toyota has a function where it keeps itself alive until all doors are closed, and that is why you see the spike in amps when the back door is open. I forget what the module is called.

[@josephroyer9532]

My father in-law drives his truck about 2 times a month. Living in Pennsylvania he had his battery freeze over the winter. 2 years in a row. The first time most of a connection in the battery was lost. I could read a charge; but I couldn't crank the motor or jump it. This past year , when his battery freeze. I brought it into the house and threw it on the charger after a few days of thawing out. The battery was back to good as new. Good video! Way to make the girls cut the trees down. Lol 🤣 I think it's important, everyone learn basic maintenance.

[@FamilyFriendlyDIY]

Thanks for the anecdote. That's good info!

[@neozzickmixes3987]

I'm hearing a squeaking when you started around @4:40 I'm currently working on my 95 chevy C1500 and diagnosing a bad pulley. All the info I'm looking up, I saw some mention that a belt slipping could cause the alternator to not charge the battery enough. So the trunk door being open could be enough draw that gets the battery that low. It could be a belt slipping, or say a belt tensioner not putting enough tension causing slippage. Perhaps the belt itself is worn and slipping, or a combination. Maybe that's useful or maybe not

[@FamilyFriendlyDIY]

Thanks for the input. You're right about the squeak. I've been trying to narrow it down. I think it's bearings in a pulley, but I'll look again at the belt situation.

[@dsmeddy1]

Your videos are awesome, btw

[@shane250]

As others said, if you like keeping your hatch open, you can latch it with a screwdriver at the latch on the hatch. There is no parasitic draw because your draw is very minimal. That means something is drawing too much power while the vehicle is on. Your starter might be pulling too much amps when you start the car, and that might be the reason you see a huge voltage drop upon startup.

[@JT-dx1qk]

Not a great quality Walmart battery. I always charge a new battery also

[@82_KID]

I'm going to watch your video now.. I did shoot ya an e-mail back yesterday. Please check! Sincerely, - 82 KID (*btw: On my Infiniti, at first it was a door striker was keeping the interior lights on. Kind of fixed that.. there was some kind of parasitic draw, probably from ECU that would randomly kill battery and sometimes quickly.)