I have done some searching on this problem and cant seem to get a clear answer. My car battery keeps draining when the car is turned off. When it sits over night it is completely drained the next morning. I had the alternator tested and it was fine. This is also my second brand new battery. I hear you can hook up a multi-meter and pull fuses to find out which circuit is draining. How exactly do you do this? I am a beginner when it comes to using a multimeter and electrical problems so I need specifics on everything. Thanks!
Please Help...Electrical Problem
- Thread starter limppimp
- Start date
n8rsk8r
New Member
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 positive terminal, and connect a Digital Multimeter (DVM) between the positive terminal on the battery and the positive 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 – http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
The ideal method is to disconnect the positive terminal, and connect a Digital Multimeter (DVM) between the positive terminal on the battery and the positive 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 – http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
Saleen0679
10 Year Member
limppimp said:
Anything you pick up on the microamp scale is going to be negligible and would not drain your battery overnight. Put all your fuses back in and connect the meter between your battery and cable as mentioned in JRichkers post to see what the total current draw of the car is and try to narrow it down that way by seeing which fuse(s) cause the most drop.
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