I'm trying to solve a 60 ma drain (with a new Interstate battery). Searching the many threads, I followed all the recommendations and removed one at a time all the fuses and relays in the main panel. Nothing showed. However, when I removed the two red wire connections at the B+ battery post, the current draw dropped to zero. When I put the inner connector back, the draw rose to 30 ma and when I installed the outer connector ( the one with the "L" shape on my car), the draw returned to 60 ma. So it seems to be something that's in those red wires. In reading the WSM wiring diagram ,however, I can't figure out where those two red wires go. Can anybody offer pointers?

 

This was covered recently in a thread (ran to several pages) about a non-start condition...direct feed to injectors??? I will see if I can find it....
jp

 

Just a thought, 60 mA = .06 amps, which is a such a small value that I can hardly think how this would effect the life of a battery. Id almost be willing to bet that the clock pulls that much.

 

I realize 60mA is pretty small, even though it's still twice the 30 mA value that most of the threads assert is the norm. Maybe it s a difference I should just not worry about?

 

Bob,
60mA is not a great cause for concern - with a 120AH battery thats 2000 hours to fully drained - maybe more like 1000 hours to half drained (and therefore likely still able to start the car...)

168 hours in a week so thats a long time - more than 5 weeks.... Smaller battery? - its still weeks

Unless you are having particular issues as a result I would not worry about this level of leakage...

Alan

 

Alan:
Thanks for the comments. Since your counsel is always the wisest in these matters, I'll button up the CE panel and move on to other challenges that the PO left me.

Bob

 

Bob--

Most likely you have something closer to a 70AH battery, so the 60mA draw isn't something to dismiss, especially if you don't drive the car regularly. Consider that you'll want to have at least half the battery capacity left when you do get around to starting it, you're getting down to less than two weeks of storage/drain time available.

Those two fat red leads go directly to the fan controller, after passing through the CE panel and fuses 28 and 29. Confirm that the fan controller is the drain by pulling the connector on top of the fan 'amplifier' module, under the hood, on the front apron, right side of car (pass side on US cars), black finned unit, screw and tab retainer hold the connector on. Loosen the screw, swing the tab over, pull the connector. Current drain go away?

More than a few folks have had stereo equipment added by expert installers who see the fan leads as convenient connections for a high-powered head unit, or maybe an aftermarket phone or alarm was connected to them. Rear-mounted gear often gets connected directly to the battery too, so sort your red leads. The two red fan leads go together through the grommet in the front of the battery well. You can test the drain through them one at a time too, just do it through a small fuse to protect your meter. Fans starting will draw a lot, and those big fan fuses are there for a reason.

HTH!

 

Actually Dr Bob is probably right that you likely only have a 70-75AH battery...

Still I'd judge the importance of chasing this on any ill effects you actually see. If you have the battery going dead or noticeably weak in a few weeks and you don't drive it more frequently: you'll either want a fix, a battery maintainer or a better battery... don't let the battery go completely flat it will seriously affect its lifetime - quite apart from being a real pain.

The best you are likely to acheive all things being perfect is about 15mA assuming you have only factory equipment installed. With after-market alarms, radios, and other extras that are always on (likely in standby) you will usually have a hard time getting there. My car actually does run at about 16mA with many additional add on electrics - but very few of them are directly connected to the battery... thats the ideal way to do it but often not how it is...

It took some sorting to get my car that way and its not easy to chase these down - hence my comment... is it critical for you to fix it???

Note that it also takes some thought & planning to get these tests to produce repeatable and accurate answers. For example you must test with the interior lights off and the window controller disabled (via lock or door).

You also have to allow for the delay items which especially for the fan controller can include a delay after the car ignition is turned off (so it can still kick in if the engine temp is too high). So you may have to wait for >30-40 mins after the engine is off to measure. You should test with the alarm armed/not armed depending on how it is when you usually park it for a long while (e.g. unlocked in the garage may be the appropriate long term store condition but locked & armed current draw is also good to know).

If you really need to fix it there are some pointers on how (see previous posts) but it can be a frustrating game without appropriate test equipment & know how - see how many others have been frustrated even searching for significant parasitic current draws.

So - hows your battery been lately?

Alan

 

What Alan said, plus--

Remember to park with the key out of the ignition. For some reason, the drain on my car seems quicker with the key left in while parked.

 

Guys:
Thanks for the further suggestions. I removed the fan controller and got no change. I had also earlier checked the hood light ( no bulb, but no change with switch closed). There's no glove box light in the receptacle and the pin switch is gone. So those obvious places don't seem to be involved. I don't think the alarm system is functional. I got the car with one key that fits the ignition and another that fits only the rear hatch lock.
The battery, as I mentioned earlier, is a new Interstate 85 Megatron Plus MTP-91. I can't find the AH rating, but the label says : 700 CCA, 875 CA, and 120 RC (reserve capacity). It's a 48 group and meets Porsche 928 requirements. In any event, because of all the things the PO left me, I haven't been driving the car much. The battery only went flat once, when I left the passenger footwell light switched on by mistake. So if I get into the normal driving at least once a week, maybe I don't have a real problem.

 

I noticed something interesting the other day. If I just turn it to off but leave the key in, the little fan in the in-dash temp sensor keeps spining (at least that's where I heard some noise). As soon as I pull the key out, it stops. Not sure if it would run forever, but it might explain why this happens.