Help Please! Parasitic Battery Drain
#1
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Help Please! Parasitic Battery Drain
wondering if the board can recommend a shop in the LA/SoCal area to troubleshoot a battery that dies within a day or two. Already researched the issue here, cycled the door locks, windows, check dome lights, hood, engine lid...and even had Robin pull the CCU and the battery still drains to zero within a day. i'm tired of disconnecting the negative cable every time i take her out and put her away. can anyone recommend a good shop (relatively close to Pasadena) that won't charge $150/hr for 6 hours of troubleshooting before the eff'ing culprit is located ? thanks in advance.
#2
Rennlist Member
Anybody that knows what they are doing should be able to pinpoint the issue within fifteen minutes, that is if they know how to trouble shoot instead of replace parts till the problem goes away.
Last edited by IXLR8; 02-29-2012 at 03:28 PM.
#3
I had a situation like this and the shop (reknown in the area) found it very quickly, but they also commented that in some cases a resolution for such issues could take hours or even days of troubleshooting.
#4
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
well said, my sentiments exactly. hopefully someone relatively local can chime in with a "rennlist" referral, those are worth their weight in gold.
#5
Drifting
Ok ...just an idea. Mine will drain if I have the dome light in anything, but off.
If it is on the door...it will not be on, but will drain my battery.
Just a thought.
If it is on the door...it will not be on, but will drain my battery.
Just a thought.
#7
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Trending Topics
#8
I live in Laguna Beach. I work with an Indy named Frank's Motor Cars. Their hourly rate is much more reasonable. They have a Porsche expert there that was at Newport Porsche for a long time. I bet they could diagnose it. You might call Dario (the manager) and mention my name (Keith Greer) and talk to him on the phone about it before you drive out. His number is 949-494-9420.
#9
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
I live in Laguna Beach. I work with an Indy named Frank's Motor Cars. Their hourly rate is much more reasonable. They have a Porsche expert there that was at Newport Porsche for a long time. I bet they could diagnose it. You might call Dario (the manager) and mention my name (Keith Greer) and talk to him on the phone about it before you drive out. His number is 949-494-9420.
#11
Rennlist Member
Dan,
If I remember correctly from my testing the current draw for a static car is about 60 ma. That was with all dome, engine and trunk lights off, ignition off and Driveblock set. Just as if you were parking the car locked up in your driveway.
If you can test this yourself and are in the ballpark for current draw, you may want to look at the battery or alternator as Andreas suggested. Your post didn't say if you have already eliminated these possibilities.
If you've got a fully charged and healthy battery that is a lot of current draw to go dead in a day or two. But if you've got Robin on the job you've probably eliminated the battery and alternator - no one knows more about the 993.
If I remember correctly from my testing the current draw for a static car is about 60 ma. That was with all dome, engine and trunk lights off, ignition off and Driveblock set. Just as if you were parking the car locked up in your driveway.
If you can test this yourself and are in the ballpark for current draw, you may want to look at the battery or alternator as Andreas suggested. Your post didn't say if you have already eliminated these possibilities.
If you've got a fully charged and healthy battery that is a lot of current draw to go dead in a day or two. But if you've got Robin on the job you've probably eliminated the battery and alternator - no one knows more about the 993.
#12
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
andreas, it checks above 13.5V (my meter isn't that sophisticated, it shows the values in "ranges") after i shut it down. 6-8 hours later the meter shows 7.5V and flashes a yellow" indicator saying it's low. exasperating...thanks!
#13
Rennlist Member
Thread Starter
Dan,
If I remember correctly from my testing the current draw for a static car is about 60 ma. That was with all dome, engine and trunk lights off, ignition off and Driveblock set. Just as if you were parking the car locked up in your driveway.
If you can test this yourself and are in the ballpark for current draw, you may want to look at the battery or alternator as Andreas suggested. Your post didn't say if you have already eliminated these possibilities.
If you've got a fully charged and healthy battery that is a lot of current draw to go dead in a day or two. But if you've got Robin on the job you've probably eliminated the battery and alternator - no one knows more about the 993.
If I remember correctly from my testing the current draw for a static car is about 60 ma. That was with all dome, engine and trunk lights off, ignition off and Driveblock set. Just as if you were parking the car locked up in your driveway.
If you can test this yourself and are in the ballpark for current draw, you may want to look at the battery or alternator as Andreas suggested. Your post didn't say if you have already eliminated these possibilities.
If you've got a fully charged and healthy battery that is a lot of current draw to go dead in a day or two. But if you've got Robin on the job you've probably eliminated the battery and alternator - no one knows more about the 993.
i'm not a DIY, neither the knowledge nor the tools, so i'm trying to leverage the collective (immense) wisdom and good will of our 993 community. thanks for your help.
--dan
#14
Burning Brakes
Strange thought:
Never considered a thermal scanner. After the car has been sitting, draining the battery, do you think one of those thermal scanners (the fancy one with the imaging) would show a warm spot?
Another thought is use the cheap harbor freight IR scanner, and see if you could find any fuses or relays warmer than the others? It is pretty sensitive, and that big a drain should show up warm.
Never considered a thermal scanner. After the car has been sitting, draining the battery, do you think one of those thermal scanners (the fancy one with the imaging) would show a warm spot?
Another thought is use the cheap harbor freight IR scanner, and see if you could find any fuses or relays warmer than the others? It is pretty sensitive, and that big a drain should show up warm.
#15
Rennlist Member
Get yourself a digital multimeter and be done with the guessing. You can get this one at Walmart for $12. I keep one in my roadside repair kit.
Dan, find a local RLer that knows what they are doing. They can do some simple tests in a matter of minutes.
Although unlikely, just because you installed a new battery does not mean it can't be a dud. With the engine running, your battery voltage should be 14.0 to 14.4V, provided the battery is health and fully charged. An on-board voltmeter is a handy device.
Dan, find a local RLer that knows what they are doing. They can do some simple tests in a matter of minutes.
Although unlikely, just because you installed a new battery does not mean it can't be a dud. With the engine running, your battery voltage should be 14.0 to 14.4V, provided the battery is health and fully charged. An on-board voltmeter is a handy device.