[kamjah]

So I've been having problems with my battery dying down for over a year now. I've had the battery and starter replaced, and all tests show that the alternator is ok.

So now I'm doing a parasitic draw test and I'm getting some weird behavior (or at least what i think is weird). When i first attach the multimeter I get a readout of around 500-600mA, but after a few seconds the readout drops to around 20mA.

With my car off, shouldn't the readout be constant?

Either way, I went ahead and start pulling fuses to see what's causing the draw. When I unplug the #15 40A Fuse (Back Up ACC) the amps drop to zero. When i plug it back in, the amps jump up to 500-600mA, and then after a few seconds drops back down to 20A.

Does anyone have any idea why the readout on the multimeter is fluctuating? And any advice on where to go from here?

 

[tottenham12712]

resistors, capasitors, etc. They can change load, Take a light bulb and disconnect the negative terminal. Put the bulb in between the battery and the ground wire and if that lights up than you have a draw. Normal draw is around .05 .1 amps, usually a max is around .3 or so. A half amp all though isnt crazy is enough to kill a battery.

Do you have any custom audio, fog lights, any aftermarket lights gauges etc?

Make sure your dome light switches are off. Also make sure that all the door switches (including the hood and trunk) are in working order. (Car should beep after two lock presses if they are)

 

[kamjah]

resistors, capasitors, etc. They can change load, Take a light bulb and disconnect the negative terminal. Put the bulb in between the battery and the ground wire and if that lights up than you have a draw. Normal draw is around .05 .1 amps, usually a max is around .3 or so. A half amp all though isnt crazy is enough to kill a battery.

Do you have any custom audio, fog lights, any aftermarket lights gauges etc?

Make sure your dome light switches are off. Also make sure that all the door switches (including the hood and trunk) are in working order. (Car should beep after two lock presses if they are)

Thanks for the reply tottenham. To answer your questions, the only custom mod I have is a DICE ipod adapter. When I remove it, the multimeter readout behaves similarly, just slightly lower on the initial amp draw (like 400-500mA isntead of 500-600mA)

I've done a thorough check of all the lights and latches and there are no other odd behaviors of my electronics other than the startup problems (buzzing, clicking, dash lights flickering) when the battery gets run down. With the amps being high on the initial readout and dropping after a few seconds. Is this normal behavior, or is it something else that needs to be diagnosed?

As soon as I get a clamp from my buddy, I'm going to disable the door switch so I can start pulling fuses from under the dash. Honestly though, I could use guidance on trying to diagnose this thing. All I'm going off of right now is google articles and youtube videos.

On a side note, the car does sit on the street for several days at a time. I'm a student who takes the train to class, so I really only use the car to drive to the grocery store about once a week(5min drive), or back home once a month or so (30min drive). Is it possible that my driving habits are what's running the battery down? A friend of mine was pointing to this as the possible cause, but I feel like in this day and age, a car should be able to sit for days or even a week or two without the battery dying to the point that it wont start.

 

[tottenham12712]

Yes your driving habits could be a reason this is occurring. But you still have a draw, how did you measure the draw?

Basically the easy way is to just hold the door switch shut and start pulling fuses, have someone either look at your test light or the multimeter and when it drops you found where the issue is. Than you need to troubleshoot that circuit.

 

[kamjah]

Yes your driving habits could be a reason this is occurring. But you still have a draw, how did you measure the draw?

Basically the easy way is to just hold the door switch shut and start pulling fuses, have someone either look at your test light or the multimeter and when it drops you found where the issue is. Than you need to troubleshoot that circuit.

i borrowed a multimeter from a friend. i'm just waiting to borrow a clamp from a buddy so i can hold the door switch shut and start testing the under-dash fuses.

 

[GrannysTSX]

Hey my TSX is doing the same thing did u ever figure out the problem?