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Re: battery drain Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Wed, 21 Mar 2007 08:32:13
In Reply to: battery drain, 92saaber, Tue, 20 Mar 2007 19:41:01 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
A few things -
First, make sure the light goes out when you close the hatch.
Second - I assume you don't get a Battery light when driving, and that the voltage displayed on the EDU is decent (>13.0 volts) when driving.
Third. How old is the battery? How many times has it gone flat? An old battery won't hold a charge. And car batteries aren't designed to be completely discharged. Every time it goes flat, it loses life. You can charge it up, but it'll die that much sooner. Even a new battery can be destroyed by a few complete discharges. You can charge it up and it seems fine, and it'll lose all its charge in a few days.
IF it is a known good battery, and the charging system is OK, and the trunk light isn't on, then do basically what Bill U said. Disconnect the negative lead and insert an amp meter. The best approach is to disconnect the lead from the battery, jumper it with wire, put the meter from the post to the clamp, and then disconnect the jumper. Why? when disconnect and then reconnect the lead, a large current is drawn for a short period. Depending on your meter, it may blow the internal fuse.
Then wait a minute. Some things cycle on for a bit after power is reconnected, like interior lights. Wait for those to go out. Keep the doors closed, and if you normally lock the car, have it locked (remember central locking will easily pull a few amps, which can blow the meter!) Normal quiescent current draw is about 35 ma - clock, alarm, radio. That won't kill a decent battery. Abnormal draw would be an amp or three. If you see an abnormal draw still after the car has set a minute or two, pull fuses one at a time (reinserting them is nice so you don't get screwed up) to see where the draw is.
I'll bet the issue is either the trunk light or a bad battery. Rarely, if ever, does it turn out to be a sneak current draw.
posted by 192.249....
, Wed, 21 Mar 2007 11:49:53, Wed, 21 Mar 2007 08:32:13 <-- Viewing This Message
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