Miggy17 Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 My 2011 Dodge Journey battery is being drained by something I just replaced the battery 3 weeks ago. The alternator is good as well as the battery. It's always after the car sits overnight. Someone mentions the BCU could be doing it and it has to go to dodge to get reprogrammed anybody ever dealt with this issue. Much help needed. Ty. dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 (edited) You might try resetting the vehicle's processors again by removing one of the battery leads, leaving it off for a half hour and then reconnecting it (without bobbling the connection).If that doesn't work and if there's nothing been done to the vehicle it is probably going to be something of a scavenger hunt to figure it out.You may well need to install an ampmeter and start pulling fuses to see what's causing the drain. Edited January 4, 2016 by bramfrank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggy17 Posted January 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Ty. Going to try and reset it. I'll post the results. dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggy17 Posted January 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Well charged the battery up then disconnected the battery for an hour then reconnected and this morning same results dead as a door nail. dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) Just to be certain, you don't have any aftermarket gizmos wired to the vehicle?Try one of two things before taking it to a mechanic who will fish around hoping to stumble across a cure . . . . 1. Charge the battery and leave it disconnected. Reconnect it in the morning. You might have a battery with an intermittent cell. If that's the case and if the cell goes bad when the battery cools it should prove the point. or 2. Substitute a known good battery for the one in the vehicle, let it sit connected and see if that one goes dead overnight - the car is supposed to have a cutoff to prevent the battery from discharging if you inadvertently leave the interior lights on . . . . . so it shouldn't be a lights issue. Edited January 5, 2016 by bramfrank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 You could have purchased a bad battery, as stated, but have the battery go dead in such a short amount of time could be the starter solenoid, or something in the starting circuit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggy17 Posted January 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 So i hooked up an amp meter its drawing 0.30 and raising to 0.38 up and down. All fuses in fuse block under the hood have been pulled one by one to see if meter drops stil stayed at 0.30. dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Did you ever look into the TBS we talked about? Has to go to the dealer to be reflashed..... dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggy17 Posted January 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Called the dealer today totally blew me off saying to reset the computer which means to me clear the codes was $115 bucks Or run a diagnosis for $115 and I also ran the vin not listed for any recalls plus it's 5 years old. So basically I'm screwed dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 A TSB is not the same as a recall. Maybe DodgeCares care chime in and give the number. Not sure if they charge for a TSB repair, but you gotta bite the bullet and get it done. Wait to see if someone knows the TSB, then go in to the dealer and say you need TSB number xxx done. You might have to pay, but it might fix the issue. With all the electronics I always buy an extended warranty, not sure if you can still get one...... dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggy17 Posted January 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Ty you for your help. No warranty but I have a copy of the TSB with the flash update guess I'll try another dealer. Thx again I'll let you know the turn out. dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 When you were pulling fuses, did you pull any relays? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggy17 Posted January 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 Just a couple on the fuse block under the hood. dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted January 6, 2016 Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 While a third of an amp of idle current is unusual and too much, a charged battery has about 90 amp-hours of capacity, so over a 12 hour period you will drain about 6 amp-hours, or about 7% of the battery capacity, suggesting an issue with the battery or that the battery isn't fully charged going in.But idle current draw should be in the milliamps, not the half amp range - so a code update may be the issue - but if it hasn't been a problem over the past 5 years, the obvious question is why now?There are more fuses to pull - they are behind the glove box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggy17 Posted January 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 Ok. Thx for the tip. I'll try the other fuses behind the glove box. I'll post my findings. dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miggy17 Posted January 6, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 6, 2016 Ok. All fuses checked called dodge told them I had the TSB report on the software update. There going to run the computer to see if a update is needed for $54. If it does need an update it's an addition charge depending on how long it takes to update. Hopefully this solves the problem. dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted January 11, 2016 Report Share Posted January 11, 2016 Closed due to op starting a new thread on the same subject. dhh3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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