Battery drain... E86

B

bamberjim

Member
Hi All,

Ever since I got the car it’s had a battery drain and it’s really starting to do my head in!

I have replaced the battery

Alternator is pushing out 14.7v and I have checked the diode with a multimeter, that’s all good.

Removed the bulbs from the
Boot
Glove box
Cubby hole

Still draining!

I put the multimeter on the battery today and have a 2.3amp drain from somewhere...

Any ideas as it’s going to be a long job pulling each fuse behind the glovebox and going into the boot to check the meter for each one! Or could source some longer leads I guess the meter!

Thanks for any assistance
 
2.3 amps is a ridiculously high drain. Not surprised it's doing your head in.
It will need to be a process of illimination I'm afraid. Also, do you have any aftermarket electrical items installed? dashcam, LED's etc?
Try with the more obvious culprits first like cd/nav player, cd changer if you have one. Is your head unit aftermarket?
Could also be a relay stuck open so check those. Salmon coloured relays are known to fail and cause issues.
Good luck!
 
Thanks for the replies

Standard business stereo
CD changer... can’t find that, where are the located
Have a Nav unit in the cubby hole

Can see any after market lights leds etc...
 
bamberjim said:
Would be so much easier if I could see the the multimeter when pulling fuses... it’s going to be a back breaker :rofl:
Click to expand...

Can you arrange some mirrors if you can’t get long leads? :P
Rob
 
bamberjim said:
Would be so much easier if I could see the the multimeter when pulling fuses... it’s going to be a back breaker :rofl:
Click to expand...
Just strip the ends of a couple of lengths of insulated single core coax cable.
or any cable would probably do tbh as long as it's insulated.
dont wind the stripped ends around the probes, just tape it parralel. dont touch the bare wire at the battery end. bobs yer uncle.
 
There is a simpler way, all the fuses have two small metal test points on the back of them. Put your multimeter on the millivolt range and measure the voltage drop across each fuse in turn (with them in situ). You will find the fuse that has the current through it will have a few mV across it, the rest will have virtually zero. Don’t forget the fuses under the bonnet too.
 
Doesn’t the car stay awake for a while before going to sleep? You will have to be careful, the 2.3amp draw could be from a few different modules,
have you checked the current draw when the car has been left for a few hours, don’t unlock it or open a door
 
Ok.. so I found the fuse that seems to be the Drain.. fuse 50 which is the sat Nav / phone I think... cars holds charge with this fuse removed...
where to go from here?
 
bamberjim said:
Ok.. so I found the fuse that seems to be the Drain.. fuse 50 which is the sat Nav / phone I think... cars holds charge with this fuse removed...
where to go from here?
Click to expand...

Firstly I'd check whether any aftermarket kit has been fitted in the past using fuse 49 or 50 circuits (radio/amp/Nav/coms/roof module etc) including bluetooth, as several people have posted about this in the past. Look for non-standard kit, wiring or connectors.
If not it may be that the radio/amp/Nav or any bluetooth modules are hanging and not shutting down. Disconnecting the battery for an hour may re-set for a while, but the faulty unit may need a repair and can be narrowed down by disconnecting units/modules.

Don't forget that the full shutdown of some modules only activates after locking and being left for several minutes.
Let us know how it goes :thumbsup:
 
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