Q: 2000 Tundra has a small current leak that kills the battery if the truck hasn't been driven in a week or so.

asked by on January 20, 2018

2000 Tundra has a small current leak that kills the battery if the truck hasn't been driven in a week or so. Problem solved by disconnecting battery when not driving, issue is when smog cert is due, computer hasn't maintained proper register values to be able to pass smog until it's been driven for hundreds of miles prior to testing.

My car has 161000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi Larry. Thanks for contacting us today. While removing the battery cables reduces the battery drain, it doesn’t resolve the problem. What you’re describing is called a parasitic battery drain and is often caused by an electrical short or open electrical relay. However, finding the source of this will require an onsite electrical inspection from a professional mechanic. You might want to read this article to learn some of the common reasons why this issue occurs.

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