Battery drains out after I fill up my gas tank?

MSABAT08

MEMBER
2014 JEEP CHEROKEE
2WD
AUTOMATIC
130,000 MILES

Three times now after I have filled up my gas tank, my vehicle's battery drains. I have the vehicle listed above Sport model. It will either happen as soon as I go to start my car after pumping, or I will leave the gas station and my Jeep with start with some puttering and "shut down." The battery light comes on and I get messages on my dash that says, "Battery Life Low" "Put vehicle into park and then desired gear" I have to completely shut the vehicle down and start it back up again. Sometimes it's good but sometimes I will shut off again. After being driven for a little bit on the new tank. It's fine again until my next fill up.

1 Reply

JACOBANDNICKOLAS

MECHANIC
109,755 POSTS

Hi,

Have you had the battery load tested to make sure it is good? Also, does this only happen when you refuel the vehicle?

It's interesting if it only happens when you refuel the vehicle. There really isn't a correlation. Also, if the battery light turns on, that indicates the alternator isn't doing its job.

Do me a favor. First, drive the vehicle to a parts store and have them load-test the battery. Also, have them check the alternator output when this is being done. Most of them will do it free of charge.

Next, when this happens and the battery is drained, check the battery voltage using a voltmeter or multimeter. When you do this, place the terminals from the gauge on the battery terminal and not the battery post. It should be slightly over 12v. If that is low, check to make sure both cables are tight and clean. If they are, have a helper crank the engine while you watch if the voltage drops off.

Also, at the same time you do this, you can check the alternator output. Follow the directions in this link:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator

I suspect there is a connection issue most likely at the battery itself. If a fully charged battery is drained in the time it takes to fill the tank, I would think on or both of the battery cables would be very hot and actually produce an odor. Let me know if you ever noticed that.

Let me know what you find.

Take care,

Joe