ALEV8

So either my 12/17 Optima red top is toast or I have to keep my car on the CTEK trickle charger as usual. Well full charge lasted maybe a day or so and we begin diagnosis. I barely drive btw. Alternator was replaced in 2015. I have the final length of battery cable to alternator and starter on the way from Porsche Marin just to be certain. My battery tests fine using a SOLAR BA-7 and running everything it suggests on the battery. So I placed the multimeter in-line with battery and NEG cable. Left car closed and frunk switch closed manually for about an hour to power everything down. Watch and be amazed.

BLU997

So what's the draw? It senses you are near and gets excited?

Petza914

What does it do if you lock the car, which puts things to sleep? Should drop considerably. If not, you have a parasitic draw somewhere. What aftermarket stuff is installed - stereo, backup camera, Bluetooth, phone charging, etc?

ALEV8

Sony aftermarket HU plus backup camera and that’s it. I was told not to lock the car by my tech at PPP dealership. He felt .6 was too high.

I have a separate thread for the new wing/deck lid I installed which will not raise or lower via interior switch; even replaced it to no avail......I will reinstall durametric on my MBPro again and take a look at what is doing what to make myself feel better before handing it back to the tech!

Petza914

Why were you told to not lock the car. Unless you lock the car, or keep it on a battery tender, the battery will be dead in a week. Locking the car outs a lot of the current drawing subsystems to sleep. I don't lock mine, but they stay on Battery Tenders whenever they're parked in the garage and I'm getting years and years out of my optima batteries. The one I changed in my 914 was 12 years old. The one in my 997 is 7 years old. The one in my wife's is 6 years old.

Either lock it or plug it in, but while you have the meter hooked up, lock it and after 1 minute, see what the amperage drawn is. If it's still high, I'm betting on the aftermarket stereo connections and how those were tapped in. You could pull the stereo separate fuse on the main power supply wore and see if the amp draw goes away or if they used the same wire that originally powers the PCM, pull that fuse and see.

ALEV8

I followed the process to use the factory plug and wiring by connecting the corresponding female Metra plug and soldering everything. I do put it on the charger if car is going to mostly sit. I agree this Optima should last a looooong time! Battery should not be croaking in a day or two though....I can re-test with locking car added. My understanding is the alarm and Inneraumsensor (interior radar) will draw some current. Battery drain is same as before new stereo. I just used the CTEK constantly.

How quickly does entire car power down? 25min?

lowbee

double click on your remote disable the interior sensors (signal light stay solid for 2 seconds) so you draw even less current when locked.

ADias

This is the correct method. 997s draw about 45mA.

Optima's RedTop should always be above 80% capacity.

Petza914

I don't think it takes even that long, but could be wrong. If locked, I would think a couple minutes.

ALEV8

I think the car should be hooked up to PIWIS anyway to see where the draw is.....it’s drawing for sure if the battery croaks almost in two days.

ejabour

Find the draw the old fashioned way. Pull the fuses one by one until hopefully you find one that when removed reduces your draw significantly. Then look at the components on that circuit.

Balr14

My battery went dead in 2 days if I left 997.2 unlocked. Never had a problem when I locked it.

ALEV8

Another quick exchange of texts with the tech, and I need to hunt for it manually. PIWIS doesn’t monitor the car voltage by module as it falls asleep, as I thought it does.

ALEV8

So disable interior alarm monitoring, lock doors with me inside, and I somehow will contort my body from the passenger side to access fuse panel, manipulate light source and fuses, but I don’t have a helper.......this could get interesting! I think this is the way.

ejabour

I wouldn't lock the doors. I would turn the interior lights off though.