Phantom draw/shortage

Makdaddymac · Feb 19, 2011

okay guys if car is left alone for 1-2 days battery is drained and wont start, if i disconnect the battery it will crank right up(however many days it sits).....even kind of kills it when im parked for an hour or two....

NO Radio,no interior lights are left on.....? the only thing is the red wire that goes to the starter solenoid has to be jiggled sometimes to start the car...the ignition is dead, until i play with the red wire to the s solenoid, or jump the solenoid...?

how to i track this/tips/common issues?

ID89GT · Feb 20, 2011

I would do a parasitic draw test. I would also have the battery tested. As for the red wire going to the solenoid, more than likely it is cracked somewhere. Mine was cracked multiple places from the harness up to the solenoid. I ended up cutting it out and sodering in a new wire.. That fixed that problem.

HISSIN50 · Feb 20, 2011

I agree with the above.

If you find a draw, be sure all the hidden lights (glovebox, vanity, etc) are turning off.

jrichker · Feb 20, 2011

Typically it is something draining the battery. Small things like glove box or courtesy lights are often the culprits. If you have an aftermarket stereo or alarm system, it is also suspect.

The ideal method is to disconnect the negative terminal, and connect a Digital Multimeter (DVM) between the negative terminal on the battery and the negative cable. Set the DVM on a low current scale of 2-5 amps if it doesn't auto range. Watch the current draw, and then start pulling out fuses. When you see a sudden drop in the current, that circuit is the likely culprit. Note that the computer, radio & clock will draw less than 1/10 amp to keep the settings alive.

See http://assets.fluke.com/appnotes/automotive/beatbook.pdf. You will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer which is also a free download – Adobe - Adobe Reader download - All versions

HiFlow5 0 · Feb 20, 2011

jrichker said:
Typically it is something draining the battery. Small things like glove box or courtesy lights are often the culprits. If you have an aftermarket stereo or alarm system, it is also suspect.

The ideal method is to disconnect the negative terminal, and connect a Digital Multimeter (DVM) between the negative terminal on the battery and the negative cable. Set the DVM on a low current scale of 2-5 amps if it doesn't auto range. Watch the current draw, and then start pulling out fuses. When you see a sudden drop in the current, that circuit is the likely culprit. Note that the computer, radio & clock will draw less than 1/10 amp to keep the settings alive.

See http://assets.fluke.com/appnotes/automotive/beatbook.pdf. You will need the Adobe Acrobat viewer which is also a free download – Adobe - Adobe Reader download - All versions

You may also want to note that this should be done when the car is asleep, (no active modules are on consuming power). A good rule of thumb is, hooking the DVOM up as suggested, tripping the drivers door switch so it will not engage the lights when the door is opened, then waiting an hour for all the modules to go back into sleep mode. Check the DVOM and anything more then .050mA of draw would be something to worry about. Then I would start pulling fuses one at a time an leaving them out as you go along looking for the big amperage drops.

Also before doing any of this, rest your hand on the alternator, does it feel warm? This is commonly a overlooked area when conducting voltage draw tests.

HISSIN50 · Feb 20, 2011

HiFlow5 0 said:
.....then waiting an hour for all the modules to go back into sleep mode. Check the DVOM and anything more then .050mv of draw would be something to worry about.

A possible difference of opinion and typo (in addition to your good post): I would note that there really are not any decaying-time modules on aero foxes, and I'm not sure about the quantity and units. As you know, when checking draw, it's in mA, not mV (but if not corrected, people leave the meter in V and don't re-peg the positive lead).
Also, 0.050 mA is not a threshold I would use.

HiFlow5 0 · Feb 20, 2011

HISSIN50 said:
A possible difference of opinion and typo (in addition to your good post): I would note that there really are not any decaying-time modules on aero foxes, and I'm not sure about the quantity and units. As you know, when checking draw, it's in mA, not mV (but if not corrected, people leave the meter in V and don't re-peg the positive lead).
Also, 0.050 mA is not a threshold I would use.

Haha, good catch on my typo thanks, editing now. I could see blown fuses coming from that. I just find it a good rule of thumb for the hour to use across abroad.

Phantom draw/shortage

Makdaddymac

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Phantom draw/shortage

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