C/K :: 1997 K1500 Parasitic Drain On Battery
May 22, 2014
I have a parasitic drain on my battery. 4.5 amps to be exact. I've tracked it down to the CTSY fuse or Fuse 3 in the fuse block. When I pull the fuse it drops to 40 mA which is pretty normal.
What is the most likely cause of this drain since my lights seems to be working and shut off when the doors are shut? I've almost got the dash ripped apart to get at the wiring harness but hopefully I can find it before taking the whole dash out.
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I have a 2006 Suzuki Forenza with original battery, so it's been about 9.5 years now. Yesterday, I couldn't start the car, and it made a few rapid clicks on trying to start it. I didn't have time to deal with it so took a spare car to work. Came home to check/try the car and it had so little charge that dashboard lights, automatic door locks, etc. didn't work, the warning indicator lights that light up on turning power on barely lit up. Seems like the battery was nearly discharged. I'm attempting to have it charged with an external charger right now to check on the car later (and try to check for parasitic drain), have the battery tested, and bring the car to mechanic for a more thorough inspection (I'm not a car person).
I was just wondering though in the meantime: did I get lucky to get nearly 10 years of life out of a car's factory installed battery? and that it's likely time for a new battery regardless of whether the battery still holds charge? The car was working fine the previous day, I never had to jump start the car. Although I had trouble starting car once or twice in the past, but that just required waiting a bit and attempting to start car again - may have been warm weather related. It just failed yesterday, and I don't recall leaving headlights on or things like that. I'm just wondering had my car been parasitically draining already and just hit a critical point yesterday (slow drain before but faster drain at some point like yesterday), or can parasitic drain just happen all of a sudden like fine one day, then some drain/short the next that kills the battery.
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What is wrong with her car. It is an 05 subaru outback 3.0. She bought it 4 months ago. A week ago the battery died at red light. It tested bad and was replaced. Then yesterday it died at stop sign. Jumped it and died in 5 seconds. Before dying, car would not rev. Jumped it leaving cables on for 5 minutes since battery was almost drained. She made it half mile back to office and coasted into lot. Battery tested good but drained and was fully charged. Alternator tested 7 times to be certain. We bought a 10A multimeter (our town has no 20A).
Tested for parasitic drain. No results. We took Alternator off and tested a couple more times. We took out non essential fuses to be safe. Nothing was left running. There was a phone charger that has been plugged in for the whole four months. She took it out for good measure. Starter tested good. 3 people said battery cables are good. They appear to be non corroded and tight imo as well. They checked fuel pump. All was well.
She wants to go on vacation for the 4th but is scared to try. Mechanic friend said wait until it happens again, go to o reileys and demand them replace the battery as it has to be bad even if testing good. I'm not sure of this is the correct approach, but what else is there? One online mechanic said a voltage test on electrical system is next step but only a few select mechanics even know how to do it such as one that specializes in electrical wiring or something like that.
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With the hood open and the hood light bulb pulled out, measured the parasitic draw on their truck? I checked mine because it appears my battery is slowly discharging if the truck sits 3 or 4 days. I got 0.24 amps which seems in line with running the clock memory and the computer. I have a feeling the battery is shot even though it is only 3 years old. When I bought the truck it had a ton of yellow fuzz on the terminals. That is cleaned up and with it running I get about 14.35 volts at idle so it is charging. 0.24 draw??
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I've traced a 0.3-amp parasitic drain to the audio power amp (fuse #16, 20A). Pulling the fuse, the radio still works (it's on fuse #15) but then there's no sound from the speakers. (There's also no current drain. I'm weighing if it's more important for the truck to run or to sound good.)
I replaced the radio a month ago. It was definitely not working right, and the new radio definitely is. With the #16 fuse in place, the sound out of front and back speakers was great. "Was" because if I leave the fuse in, the battery gets drained in a few days, so the fuse is now out.
Where the audio amp is. My Haynes manual doesn't say. The amp has no user controls. It just takes the radio's output and feeds audio to the front and back speakers. The #16 fuse is what gives the amp power. Some online posts say it's under the glove box, some say behind the rear right speaker. All agree it's a bear to access.
So a few questions:
Why the power amp would be drawing current even when the truck and radio are powered off?
How does one troubleshoot this, short of replacing the power amp, which of course I don't have an extra lying around and wouldn't want to replace anyway as it's otherwise working great.
What do you think of installing a switch on the audio power amp circuit so that when the truck is parked, I switch it off, and no current drain, but when the truck is driven, I switch it on, letting me hear the radio or CD. This is obviously a kludge/ghetto solution, but the advantage is that I don't have to access or replace the audio amp. I want to keep using the fuse, of course, so am looking for a way to wire a switch into the fuse box while keeping the fuse in the circuit. If I knew which wire goes between the fuse and the audio amp, I'd splice a switch there, but I don't, and again, the Haynes manual is not useful.
1994 B4000, extended cab, bought in 1996....
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97 chevy k1500 with 305, engine rebuilt by shop 60k ago, last few months only drove truck 4-5 times, last time driving gave p0306, new plugs, wires, cap, rotor, cleared code, now gives p0300, took intake apart removed spider, sprayed/scrubbed each injector and poppet with cleaner, but no way of cleaning the line between the injector and poppets. No change after cleaning. Also ran injector cleaner through tank. All vacuum hoses look in good order, sprayed carb cleaner around intake to check for leaks at intake/throttle body, no leaks.
Checked TPS, IAC, MAF, Coil and fuel pressure, all good except fuel pressure was 52-54 while idle, replaced fuel pump, screen filter and main filter, cleared code, rough start and rough idle still gives p0300. Checked coil with ohmmeter, between posts A & C, Chilton says 0.1 ohms, i got 0.5 ohms, went to autozone and had them check a new coil, it have 0.5 ohms......? Can drive at higher speeds and runs smooth, but idle is poor almost dies.Checked fuel pressure after pump replacement, still ~54 psi. Stumped and don't want to throw more parts at it without a proper diagnosis. Have a OBDII pocket scan tool, but can't find manual, will try to find manual and see if I can pinpoint the misfiring cylinders.
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I have a 2003 Passat 1.8T. Over 8 Hrs the battery goes from 12 to 10V and the start is real sluggish. I'm going to test the load on the battery when it is just sitting there to see if there is a short somewhere. I'm wondering what the load should be from the clock and radio which draw power even when off.
It is 4+ years old so it might be just time for a new battery..... Alternator is working....14V on the battery when the engine is running...... so there is charge form the alternator.....
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Installed an RNS-510 in my 2006 Passat, and this morning, I could tell my battery was nearly completely drained. Also, I know the unit is receiving constant power because it never "boots up" even after leaving the car turned off for a while. Usually, it should completely shut off after the car is off for ~30 minutes.
I guess I need to update my CAN module. What is an updated CAN that will work, and where this is located on my 2006 Passat?
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My 2005 kia sorento has a battery drain somewhere, AAA checked alt and battery and said it is fine. I heard there could be a spring stuck in the starter?
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I own a 2003 BMW 5301 with the sports ,premium and 'M' package. Of late the battery drains for no apparent reason. This happened a few times 2 months ago and I had the battery and alternator replaced. This has again started happening. The car starts promptly in the morning but refuses to start in the evening when I am ready to leave work. It has to be jump started. This does not happen everyday and the BMW service folks have not been able to figure this out.
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I have a 96 grand am that will turn on fine at first but after it warms up, it will not start and just keeps trying to turn over. I've also tested the battery with a light test and there is a constant drain on the battery, it will be completely dead overnight and when I charge my battery after starting it once, it will fully charge in about 30 minutes from red so I'm wondering if it's just not holding a charge. I'm not sure if it won't start when it's warm or if the battery just doesn't have a charge??? I took the car to autozone and the alternator passed all tests and the battery is new, the starter is 8 months old. Also the brake light stays on.
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Just wondering if leaving the USB plugged in with the car is off drains the battery at all? Should I unplug it when I shut the car off or is it ok to just leave it plugged in?
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I started having a problem last week when my 2007 Prius was setting for two days while I was using my pickup truck. Found the 12 volt battery dead so I disconnected it and tested it with a battery load tester. And it showed it was bad. Well Ok, that figures, since it was an OEM battery and ~6-7 years old.
I have another 2007 Prius here for body repairs so I took the aftermarket (newer) battery out of it and topped the charge off in it. The battery load test indicated it was still a serviceable battery.
Put it in the car and cleared the red triangle, etc.. Everything was fine.
Since I was still going to be short one battery, I contacted Battery Systems, my shops battery dealer and ask them to drop off a new Yellow Top Optima that fits the Prius (FYI my shop price is $159.96). I would be a couple days til their deliver truck would be here and again I left the car sit for a couple days and drove my truck. On the day of the delivery, I had an appointment and drove the Prius, about 15 miles. No problem. Left it at in a street parking space for about 2 hours. Came out and all systems were dead. Nothing. Dome light was the only indication that the battery was so low that it was very dim. Head light were off and I hadn't used them while driving.
I called for road service and got a jump start and the systems came up and I was able to clear the Read Triangle when I got home by turning the car off and back on again.
The new Yellow Top Optima arrived shortly there after and I installed it. Drove the car for 6 days and this morning everything was fine when I drove to church and left it, head lites off (never had used them), came out 2 hours later and when I started the car, I got the Red Triangle and Ready but continued home. I turn it off and on again but this time I got no Ready but the Triangle and the whole sting of check light. Could only get it from park into neutral. Nothing else. Wouldn't clear.
Using my Torque Pro program, tried to read the ECU and it indicate no codes stored, Several tries, no codes or history. Called friend who has reader that will read the CAN Bus and he managed to find an odd P0503 code having to do with a speed sensor. Cleared that and the Triangle went out.
In the end I went and checked the voltage of the new battery and it was only 12.01 volts. I put the load tester on it and the condition is fine. Just the charge voltage is low.
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I’ve been having an engine misfire issue for a number of months. The dealership first changed the plugs, ignition cable kit and wiring, and that fixed it for a while. Then it came back and dealership couldn’t figure it out. They tested the O2 sensor and drove it around for a week to no avail. So I kept driving and have noticed a few trends. First the car drives better in overdrive, or when the rpms are 3,000 or above. Second when the car stalls, if I am trying to restart it immediately I have to give it some gas. Third it doesn’t mind idling in park. And fourth I’ve been having a battery drain. To solve the battery drain I’ve been charging the battery every night, and that definitely works, but I only get about 20 miles before the misfire comes back, and sometimes the misfire is just there immediately regardless. So I just replaced my alternator, and that didn’t solve the issue either. So what else could be the issue? I'm kinda at a loss and driving the car on the highway when the misfire starts is not exactly safe.
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What the approx current drain on the battery in an over night situation. Mine now is approx 340 mA and need to confirm this as correct!
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We have had a problem with our SC430 battery going dead if it sits more than a week. We have had this car for a number of years and I am tired of putting a trickle charger on it all the time to keep it from going dead!
I can not believe that Lexus does not know what the big drain is on this vehicle when it sits even for a small period of time....I went to a Lexus dealer several years ago to have a new timing belt/water pump put in it and asked how to keep my battery from going dead. They pointed over the parts counter to a motorcycle type battery charger as they answer!
A friend has a late model Mercedes hardtop convertible, they (Mercedes) solved the problem by putting two batteries in it. One is isolated for just cranking! So, before I start with a fully charged battery and pulling every fuse and disconnecting everything until I find it. What is the big battery eater?
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My battery drains to 8v volts when I turn the key to the on position, not starting the car just turning it to the on position. I have done the key off parasitic voltage draw and there is none. This only happens when I turn the to the on position or start the car. The battery will only stay charged from a full charge to 8v or till car shuts off for less than 5 minutes. This is a huge draw! Okay it has a new battery and a new alternator, and I took battery out and did an ohms check received 14 ohms between neg and pos cable with battery out. I was told that was fine or normal. So any clues on what would cause my battery to drain so quickly? When I hook up my DVM to the battery while car is running I get 1 volt or more drop per minute only while running.
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I have a 2007 LS460L. It hasn't been driven in three or four days. Today we found the car was completely dead. I had to get into the car with the manual key. The battery is one year old. The AAA person found that the light switch was set on parking lights rather than automatic. Could that have drained the battery. I thought that the lights turn off after you leave the car.
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A couple days ago the engine wouldn't start. I thought it was a dead battery (installed 5 months ago), so I brought a mechanic with a new battery. While the mechanic was working on replacing the battery, I heard some discrete noise coming out from under the hood and windshield area (driver's side). I didn't pay much attention.
Now, when I switch off the car, I can hear the noise (it's like the door's closer sound but with higher interval and it comes out about every 30 seconds). When I'm at complete stop, I hear the noise with the rpm dropping a tiny bit until the noise fades away when the rpm gets back to the normal level. The episode is repeated every 30 seconds or so. Today I felt the battery started to drain (it took longer to start the car).
LS460, '08, VSR fix done 1 year & 30K miles ago. No other problems or symptoms.
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As the title states. It seems like the hatch release button is sticking due to the melting rubber. Would this cause a parasitic drain on the 12v battery?
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I have a 2010 Prius that I really love. In two separate incidents, I parked the car in a NYC parking garage and when it was delivered to me about 6 hours later the battery indicator only had two bars. There was no problems since the car recharged in about 15 minutes. On both occasions, I believe, the parking attendant left the key fob in the car the whole time it was parked. Is the car being drained because the key fob is in the car, or are the parking attendants doing something wrong? I can leave the car in my driveway for a few days and the battery is not as drained a sit is in 6 hours in the parking lot.
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