EASY - Diagnose/Fix PARASITIC BATTERY DRAW
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- čas přidán 28. 05. 2024
- Having trouble keeping your battery charged? Finding that you vehicle will not start every morning due to low battery voltage? You may be the victim of PARASITIC DRAW. This is phantom current (amps) being drawn from your battery by something in your vehicle while the vehicle is shut down. This can lead to loss of battery charge and even destruction of the battery.
Thankfully there is a EASY way to test for parasitic draw using nothing more than a Multi-meter
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We hope you enjoyed this video and will keep in mind that all information included is intended to be purely academic and in fact is only the opinion of D&E. We are not professionals, nor are we qualified to knight you a professional. D&E want to ensure that anyone modify or fixing their own vehicle does so in a safe manner which leaves the vehicle in a legal, roadworthy state. In short, DON'T BE A MONKEY WITH A TOOL BOX! If you don't know what you are doing, leave it the professionals! - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Had a coworker that relaced the battery, alternator and cables. After a week of sitting idle the battery would be dead. He got so mad he sold it to me for $500. This was in the early 80s and the car was in excellent shape. I got the car home and parked it in the driveway. That night I looked outside from the upstairs window and thought I saw a little glow from the car. It was the glove compartment light. Removed the bulb and drove the car to work for 4 years with no problems. Your videos are very helpful. Thank You.
I'm a retired mechanic , with a draw on my battery , just wanted to say you filmed an excellent video , to the point , easy to understand ,
Great job .
My only training is 40+ years of repairing my cars. That said, I've never had a parasitic draw. I recently did but didn't know of it. After blaming the battery, I found this video. Yep, I had a draw and this video gave me top ideas and lessons.
Faulty water pump circuits are the #1 cause of a drop in blinker fluid pressure.
Great video, working through this issue on a friend’s car.
0.25 is actually 250mA (not 25mA) :-(
Yea, I misspoke, but thank you for catching me. Good luck with your issue
@@DEInTheGarage so 250mA is not normal, right? I got almost 500mA:www.mitsubishi-forums.com/threads/parasitic-draw-spotted-control-unit-relay-fuse.261023/
@@bluegables 250mAh is what he meant, so 259mAh-500mAh is acceptable.
@@brianmaloney9949 no it’s not, 50mA is acceptable, 250mA is not.
@@KobyTCBZ no, .50 ma is actually .500 ma. you’re missing what they are saying.
One of the major causes of parasitic draw is a faulty relay, that is one of the first thing I'd check, the cause the draw by being 'frozen' in the closed position when they should be in the open position when they car is turned off.
I applaud you for sharing what you know with the youtube community. @404 your meter was actually measuring 250 mA (0.25A), not 25 mA. You are correct that ~50 mA is a typical and acceptable parasitic draw. If you had waited a minute or 2 after connecting the leads in series, that 250mA would likely have dropped to the expected 50mA draw. Additionally, you were completely correct when you say it takes a while (some vehicles are quicker than others) for the current draw to reach steady state and stabilize. Most vehicles take
Whole reason I was watching this video to make sure I was reading milliamps right and he shows me wrong lol.
50ma draw is to high.
Thank you. I saw that and thought I was crazy for a minute when he kept saying 25 milliamps LOL
Thanks for this. When you say keeping the leads in place for a minute or two wouldn't that damage the leads?
@njuham 250mA is not nearly high enough current to damage test leads. Fyi, if current was exceeding the capacity of a lead, it would melt the insulation in mere seconds.
Thank you for explaining in detail how to hook up the multimeter in series with the battery.
I've watched many parasitic-drain videos and none of them showed how to hook the meter up to the battery to start collecting numbers. This is the most important step in diagnosing parasitic drain and if someone is making a video for instruction you would think they would do what you did...but the brain locks up for some people and not everybody makes a good teacher.
You're a great teacher.
I've watched several of these parasitic draw videos and this one was the easiest to understand by far. Thank you!
You gotta be kidding me on the timing of this video!. We have a 99 Grand with the very same problem. Just found out this morning. You guys ROCK!!! Much love, brothers...
What can I say... we sensed a fellow Jeeper needed this info. Hope it works out for you buddy! Good luck!
Unplugging fuses and plugging them back in can wake up the car again. The best way to pinpoint it with just a DVOM is to do a voltage drop across each fuse, with the meter reading mV. Power Probe has a chart that shows what mV reading equates to what mA draw, depending on the fuse type and size. Your voltage drop at each fuse should be 0mV. If you have a voltage drop across the fuse, it’s because the circuit is still active. Once you’ve pinpointed the fuse that’s the culprit, you then have to figure out what that fuse powers. Let’s say there are 3 components that are powered by the fuse that has a voltage drop reading across the poles. Don’t take that fuse out, but put your meter in series to read out the mA draw at the battery, and disconnect the given components one at a time until the draw goes away. When it does, you know what was causing your issue.
Good information. Can you do a video ?
Thank You D and E for the informative video. I appreciate it when good people explain technical problems in a way “commoners” ( like myself ) can easily understand. Have A Good Day! And I appreciate the comedy relief inside the video. 😁👍🏼😎
Great video! Perfect presentation, really clear instructions and well narrated! Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
One of the factual, informative videos I have ever seen on any subject on CZcams... Great Job ❗
Your video is great and easy to understand. Good job. Very helpful.
Great video, exactly what I wanted and clearly explained, Thanks.
This may be one of the most useful videos I've ever seen on CZcams. That it's using the exact same Jeep I'm working on is an even better coincidence. Thanks!
Great video, thanks for keeping it simple and informative
Best video on this topic. I am in the category of buying a car when I did not know fully what the prior owner installed. Found a draw that was making my battery go to 4.5v overnight. Found aux cable for radio behind the radio in a aux box. Removed that 3 weeks ago and now still having draw. Remote starter needs to be investigated. Radio fuse was the amp drop but could have other components on it. Just this week it is drawing again. Even has kill switch I/O on underside of dash. I have to trace this circuit as you say. I hope to get this fixed and do biz with you guys. Thanks.
0.25A is not 25 milliamps, it is 250 milliamps....just saying.
You seem like your fun at parties
@@eplictheboss7016you seem like you’re dumb at parties
0.25A = 250mA
25mA = 0.025A on DC 10A setting on meter
So is it .25 a or 25 Milliamps?
Lol 😆 I was thinking the same thing he's totally wrong he had a 250 draw and didn't even know it 🤣
Good video dude, so many are out there giving incorrect or incomplete advise, you did great, clearly not your first rodeo.
Great video! Exactly what I needed- thanks bro
FANTASTIC, Never used a meter before in my life. Just bought one and found fault already. Very well explained, easy to follow. Thank you so much. I appreciate it. Definately subscribed
You HAVE NO IDEA HOW THANKFUL AND HAPPY AM THAT CAME ACROSS YOU AND YOUR CHANNEL!!!! THAAAANK YOU!!
I am so glad you found this helpful! Good luck!
Excellent video. Parasitic draw clearly explained.
Thank you, finally a video that is step by step, understandable explained and a meter I can buy cheap. I'm going to try and find my Jeep's parasitic draw myself before I take it to the shop.
Excellent video. Helped me solve the draw on my battery for a 70 skylark. Bad door switch.
i have seen numerous videos on this subject, your video has to be the best explained video so far, good work.
Excellent video man, explained in a simple, straight forward manner. Step by Step. That's how you do a how-to!
Just to mention - around 4:00 time mark the current draw measured is not 25 mA, but 250 mA, which is way more than it should be.
Thank you for this video. Awesome and convenient that i have the same exact multimeter!
Tips:
Parasitic draw problems can be very diverse, so it is hard to say which testing method is better than another. It really depends on the symptoms and the complexity of the vehicle and its electrical design.
1) Start with the battery charged, this is good advice if you have time. To fully charge a battery could take up to 12 hours or more, and batteries exposed to parasitic draw tend to arrive at the shop practically dead. I think what is important is that the battery is not dead. Perhaps 75% SOC may be more realistic to start testing.
2) The vehicle must go asleep and make sure to put into a state where the customer leaves it during the draw, like locking the doors for example. If it is parked in a garage maybe the customer does not lock the doors.
Keep all test leads and hands away from any electric cooling fans. If there is a hood switch for a light or module this will have to be disabled off. Same with a trunk light and or switch if you want to troubleshoot fuse panels in the trunk.
3) Like in the video, if you remove the BAT NEG lug you will reset the system. Parasitic draw in newer vehicles may require a special sequence of operation to show itself. If you interrupt power the problem could go away until the customer recreates it. That is, recreates a special sequence of operation.
So, if you want to introduce an Ammeter or a shunt you have to do it without interrupting power. Parasitic draw current profiles may be complex, meaning periodic ON/OFF or something more complex. So the current meter reading may be dynamic in nature or perhaps periodic.
4) I use a clamp meter first, if I can fit the jaws around around one of the battery cables, like the B&K 316, which has a resolution down to 1mA DC, and also measures DC Volts. If you use a clamp meter you can easily go key on. I would have to say that the clamp meter is more useful in this case than a DMM with a 10Amp current range.
There is a danger when going key on, obviously the vehicle will wake up and draw a lot of current, and might even turn on a large load like a cooling fan or pump motor. These higher currents could overcurrent an inserted DMM amperage limit, which may blow a fuse.
What if the battery is in the trunk? Well if you have a wiring diagram the main power feeds usually come to underhood fuse boxes before going to other interior fuse panels. Usually like two. If you can get to these wires you can use a clamp meter to measure the current.
5) The real issue with complex parasitic draw failures is they can take a long time to diagnose. Maybe even over an hour, after the vehicle has gone to sleep, depending on the vehicle and what has failed.
If you know what you are doing and using a clamp meter you can use a DC power supply to put the vehicle on "life support" while you are troubleshooting. Just like using a voltage regulated power supply during Flash Reprogramming which also can take a long time, meaning don't rely on the battery to supply power during the testing. If power is interrupted or inadequate the problem may reset.
For parasitic draw I would recommend an old style 15VDC 20Amp voltage regulated linear, current limited, bench power supply. The output is very low noise as compared to a switching power supply.
Match battery voltage, connect, and then increase the voltage so that the battery is taking a very small draw (charge). Now you can keep a constant voltage while you are doing the testing and slow charge the battery. If you have to go key on to key off to diagnose the parasitic draw problem remember a load may be actuated. The battery can usually supply the starting surge for a motor and then the supply will take over.
Thanks man, now that you made us realize how complex it is, makes me not wanna do it. Probably will take it to an electric auto shop 😂
@@terminator7137 I'll tell you what helped me and saved me alot of time and headache. Google. I basically searched many forums .. with certain search words .. for example.. "2012 Honda accord parasitic draw forums" ... And u will be surprised.. but ur car .. or boat.. or whatever it is you posses... Might have a common problem that is well known to the internet community lol... So i found many forums and one guy mentioned all the trouble he went thru and by going to the dealership they finally told him what it was.. a common Bluetooth handsfree module that just commonly went bad in Hondas as well as Acuras... So guess what. I unplugged it and my parasitic draw went away. Sometimes a little internet search can save alot of time and headache. Oh i also took this pretty dead 2 year old battery to Advanced Auto and got a free Gold battery replacement at no charge.
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wow!!what an elaborate explanation to the procedure and safety aspect of TEST. Appreciate your sharing the knowledge. Thankyou sir..🎉.🎉
Great video been searching my ZJ for a draw, still doing it I guess I’ll find it sometime. Thanks Mike
Best video by far on parasitic draw. Good pacing and explained well. Thanks!
U need 2 latch your doors to. Opening , closing , and leaving your doors, hood and truck open will continue to draw current and give you a misread. So open your doors and push the door latch to the closed position and THEN leave your car to set for an hour. If your not sure there closed check your dash for any lights or warnings.
Yep. That is a fair point
My problem too,thank you.
Good video. Clear and accurate explanation
Excellent presentation, thanks very much.....
Great video really helpful!
I've stumbled through this procedure add hock,, You described what it took me a dozen screw ups to eventually find the problem. Great explanation.
Thank you for this excellent video!
Excellent explanation, i don't think anybody else has a video about this kind of problems, but many cars have it, i think as you said it, most of the time is by incorrectly installing extra after market thing to the car such as stereo, lights .
That was outstanding Brothers weather information especially for somebody that's got an old beat up vehicle like I have
This process is a must for old vehicles. Those electrical gremlins get worse over time, I have found
well done , coherant and all relevant. thank you.
Dont forget to check the lighted mirror on the passenger / driver sunshade. Their on/off switch is cheap plastic which the sun bakes and then the light stays on constantly
This is the best video i have seen for along time in its presentation. it explains everything in layman language and assumes the person watching has a limited knowledge of the subject. No terms are used that leaves the viewer asking "what the hell does that mean". You also explains how to use the multi meter .clearly. You should go into teaching as you keep the lesson at the student level without going over their heads. Well done.
Very good methodology of fault finding
This is such a great video Doug. It's gonna help alot of people. Awesome job with the giveaway 👍. BTW I'm so glad you said to disconnect the hood light 🤣 that one gets me every time! Haha
It has gotten me more times than I would like to admit....
Excellent video man! I’m terrible with electrical especially testing and you made it very straight forward and easy to understand in this video. Thanks!
Is every electrical component fused? Cause I have small draw about 90 milliamps and I pulled each one and no chances. After about 1-2 weeks my battery is too weak
How to fix the problem curcuit p
Well. Watched your vid, grabbed my meter and connected to the battery.
My old 1981 2.8 injection only has 7 fuses.
Got to the 7th and there it is. The 57 milliamp draw stopped when I pulled it.
It was the new radio I fitted, don't need the clock so I pulled the power from it while I was there.
Off to order an isolator switch now as the cars just for shows etc.
Great teacher 👍👍
Well done! Very helpful.
Great detailed video ! Thanks
Best video on the subject. Though I don't have a jeep but a misfit 05 Mustang with 2 different batteries now that drain quite often.
Good info and understanding
thanks so much this made it easier to understand and set the meter up correctly
Ty so much it was driving me crazy I was skeptical at first but boom it's done thanks again
Thank you! Excellent video!
Great information.
simplest way to do this test! very good mate thanks!
Wow
The best video I've seen on parasitic draw and I wasn't even looking for it. I have a truck I was trying to use a multimeter on and I knew it had a drain. But now I know it's from the after market double din and led lights he put in.
I won that thing. 😎
Thanks again Doug and Eric 😘
Thank you so much with this information
you can add a fuse holder in line with your lead and install a 7 amp fuse to protect your meter from getting more than 10 amps!
Best explanation I've seen. To the point, thank you.
thank you very much this saved me a good amount of money garages in my area a very expensive.
I like the detail in your explanation.
Case study on a 2004 Honda Civic. After changing the alternator bracket I had a parasitic draw from the battery and over night my battery would die. I could still drive the car and everything seemed fine until I parked it over night. I put a new battery in thinking the battery was no good. Turns out that it still died over night. So that lead me to believe I had parasitic draw coming from somewhere in the car. Meaning something was drawing power from the battery even though the car was off. So I hooked up my multimeter to test for draw coming from the car’s battery after the car had gone to sleep. I was pulling 4 amps. The limit u can be pulling is anywhere from .00 (nothing) to .50 milliamps. So that was quite a bit of draw. I began to pull fused with my multimeter connected snd found no difference in the draw after pulling all the fuses one by one. You do this so u can detect which system is the culprit so u can diagnos and fix whatever is wrong with that system. Turns out none of those systems were the culprit. My next idea was to test the lead on the alternator going to the battery from the alternator voltage regulator so I unplugged it completely and my parasitic draw went from 4.00 amps to 0.01 milliamps. I had been chasing this problem for about a week trying to figure out what was going on so for me I feel like it was a huge victory in my learning curve. Just wanted to share the struggles of electrical diagnostics lol.😊
I have the same issue. I have a 2000 Civic EX with a 3.51 amp draw. Pulled everyone of the fuses under the hood and nothing. Going to try unplugging the Alternator lead tomorrow. My alternator is charging the new battery I put in. So, was your problem the lead or the Alternator? Thanks
Thanks for showing this. Wow, my Mom's 2010 Grand Marquis is drawing 3.42 amps! Her car sat for 3 weeks because she had fallen and broken three ribs. When she was well enough to drive, it was dead. I put a new battery in it. Two days later, it was dead. So, I knew something was draining it down. I just checked it like the video says for a draw - it's reading 3.42 amps - and now I have to do the elimination check.
What did it end up being ? Glove box light .
Very good vid...thanks.
Those damn water pump circuits, they are always a problem.
Love the videos, keep them coming
We joke, but a guy I work with has a Audi V10 and it actually has an electric water pump which means he has a water pump circuit. haha. It is electric on his so that it can run for a few minutes after the engine is shut down to prevent heat soak. You should see this V10 crammed into the engine bay of a Audi S6.... there is zero room for air flow and as a result it has major cooling issues. Gotta love German over engineering...
Great video, thanks for sharing. Cheers
Thanks for sharing
Great video. Thank you
Just subscribed keep up the great work 👍
Great video!
Great job
Great info , to the point . Thanks
Well explained, Thanks
Nice and concise!!!
excellent explanation. many thanks sir
Thanks for the useful vid. I think a small active sub might be draining battery. I'm sure I fitted it correctly, but this will allow me to check.
Wow Doug, fantastic video, I watched half a dozen videos on this subject and none compared to yours, going to subscribe and see what other videos you have. But now im going to go check for my battery draw, if I have a problem, maybe I can comment back to you. Thank you very much!!!!!
Sure. feel free to reach out via email as well dandeoffroad@gmail.com
This troubleshooting for parasitic-draw, is a great tool thank you 🙏🏻
It will work for other automobile models as well correct ? ❣️ thank you
nice and clear
Am I the only one that reads through the comments to see if anyone has already said what I wanted? I'm sure he was made aware by the 1st comment. 50 more is unnecessary. Or is it more about saying "look at me, I'm smart"?
Good video dude. I knew what you meant when you misspoke.
I think you just solved my problem, theres a remote start i dont have the fob for thats probably causing my draw thankyou awesome video
Brilliant video
Very helpful thank you
Excellent helpful video. Thanx .
Thank you so much
thanks good explaining
Dude!!! What a great tip man !!! Thank you thank you !!! Wow !!!I learned a lot !!!
Thanks a lot - nice one!
Thanks for the video. I've done most of the things you showed. I have been searching for this drain for 7 months. It is coming from fuse 8 on the interior (control unit relay). I discovered that about 6 months ago and have checked and tested everything I can think of. Still no resolution on this 2008 Outlander. Any suggestions?
Good video here. Thank you sir
Watching your video...now I get it. Thanks.
Awesome video, well done , thank you I’m sure it will help lots of people out there
Great video. We've found a common source of parasitic draw is shorts due to corrosion in connectors.
Sometimes pulling a fuse on certain ckts will wake modules up and give you a false reading, just voltage drop each fuse while in still in ,set your other meter to mv and it should read absolute zero or you have something on in that ckt
The Best Video Ever...Thank you Sir.
I have a 2012 journey with a parasitic draw, and it seems as though a lot of people have had the same issue and a lot of mechanics have not been able to diagnose said problem.
I'm going to go step by step to try to figure out the problem however, if you were to make a video or shed some light on this particular vehicle that just may be incredibly helpful
Well said bravo