Battery mysteriously going dead in just days.

Hi folks. I have a 2003 Grand Cherokee V8 with a fairly new battery, and it will go dead in 3-4 days routinely. I have tested the amount of parasitic draw with a multi-meter when its off and idle, and the draw is .040 miliamps.

After researching, this appears to be the correct factory spec. Clearly, there is an additional current draw that's draining the battery because if it were truly .040 miliamps all the time, the battery would not drain that quick.

I have pulled fuses looking for oddities, but I saw nothing of real concern. I am going to locate the fuse for the rear wiper because the previous owner said there was an issue with it possible being active when it should not be. Other than that, I am not sure what else to check.

Can anyone offer any suggestions to troubleshoot this issue? I am very apprciative of all feedback. Thanks.

 

Local auto parts store like Advance Auto and others can test for battery health, charging system etc. Inspect all battery connections for tight connections, corrosion and follow them from end-to-end.

 

if you are truly seeing point zero four zero amps which is forty milliamps then you are right that should not be killing a battery in three days so something is definitely waking up after you walk away and start sucking power like crazy

check the wiring harness inside the rubber boot between the drivers door and the body because those wires get brittle and crack and they can short out and keep the body control module awake all night thinking a door is open or a lock is being cycled

also that rear wiper thing is a huge red flag on these jeeps because the park switch inside the motor fails and the module will keep trying to reset the wiper to the home position even with the key off so pulling that fuse is a great first move

another weird one is the glove box light or the under hood light staying on because the switches get bent or loose and you will never see it with the doors closed but it will kill a battery fast