Battery drain

2002 MAZDA TRIBUTE
150,000 MILES • 3.0L • 6 CYL • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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JACKIE HELM
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
I bought a new battery for my car. Put the battery in and drove vehicle straight to part store to test alternator (approximately five miles from my house). When got to part store they said battery was showing low voltage output. Why would a brand new battery be showing low voltage that quickly?
Nov 16, 2017 at 2:30 AM
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STEVE W.
  • ✓ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 15,200 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Either a bad alternator or large current draw can pull a battery down fast. Not hard to test but many places do not seem to want to test, instead they just want to throw on parts and hope it fixes the problem.
Nov 16, 2017 at 6:45 AM
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