Q&A

 Master

If the battery goes dead and then is jump started the car may think it's being stolen. You may have some sort of battery draw that needs to be isolated and eliminated. You would need an amp meter disconnect one cable of the battery put your Amp meter in series with the battery cable that has been removed. Note the draw say for example 15 Amps, with the keys out of the ignition, doors closed driver's window down, start removing the fuse links and fuses one at a time until the voltage draw goes away to zero (or near zero about .02 to .05 Amps is about normal for a modern vehicle with a clock, stereo and other things that need "keep alive memory"). It is that circuit that is causing the electrical draw, then look at a wiring diagram, see what electrical consumers are on that circuit and start to isolate each circuit to see which is the culprit. Modern cars have lots of computers and electronics that need constant battery even with the key off so parasitic draw of .2 Amps may be normal sometimes things stay "live for a minute or two afer the door is closed so wait and look at the draw after a minute or two. It could just be a battery that cannot hold a charge, have the battery charged and tested. Turn on the ignition switch to the on but not run position do you see an icon on the instrument panel representing a battery, if you do not see this battery icon the alternator is not seeing power to allow it to charge. Start the engine does the battery icon go out. Put a volt meter across the battery terminals with the engine off, at rest the battery voltage should be 12.6 volts if the battery is fully charged. Now get a friend to start the car while you watch the voltmeter, the voltage reading across the battery should read approximately 14.6 volts if the alternator is charging correctly.