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Ideas Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Mon, 11 Mar 2002 09:09:22 In Reply to: Buzzing Under Rear Seat-Testing for Battery Drain, KevinD, Sun, 10 Mar 2002 19:56:42 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
To answer your question, no - it doesn't mean no battery drain.
A test light is exactly that - a light bulb. A light bulb that glows when you put current through it. But unlike your voltmeter, it uses a decent amount of current to light up, so there is a voltage drop across it.
When you put the test light in series with the battery and reconnect, the dome light circuit kicks on. But since the test light is creating a voltage drop, the relay in the dome light circuit can't quite kick in - that's the buzz you hear - the relay pulling in and dropping out. After about 15 seconds it times out.
The light bulb creates a voltage drop, and a lot of the electronics/relays in the car won't kick on without enough voltage. You really need to use a current/volt meter. You can buy one for about $15 at Radio Shack or Wal-mart. You can't work well without it.
Frankly, unless you've got a trunk light stuck on, 99% of the time I see batteries going dead in a couple of days, it's the battery. This assumes that your charging system is working. I've personally never seen a sneak discharge path in the wiring. But that's just my experience.
Here's a link to some checks you can do:
http://www.saabnet.com/tsn/bb/900/index.html?bID=173482
Good luck!
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