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What's the current draw of the car when the ignition is off?

Old Jan 28, 2003 | 09:06 PM
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What's the current draw of the car when the ignition is off?

I can't find the spec in the FSM. I disconnected the negative battery terminal. I measured the amperage between the terminal and the battery post. I was getting 0.13 amp.
Old Jan 29, 2003 | 03:49 PM
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jmax
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I can't remember. And don't think that it is in the FSM. My guess would be considerably less than 1 amp. 0.13 amps may not be bad. If you have a non isolated cap it would explain having a higher number. I couldn't measure a current that low accurately with my DMM.
Old Jan 30, 2003 | 07:43 AM
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Sounds about right. You have stereo memory,car clock, stereo clock, and keyless entry that stay on all the time. If you are concerned about running the battery down with this load over a period of time you can estimate it by using the reserve capacity rating on your battery. Reserve capacity is how long the battery can maintain a 25 amp load and still supply at least 10.5 volts. So if the reserve capacity is 2 hrs your battery is effective at 50 amps/hr. If it can supply 50 amps for 1 hour it can supply .15 amps for 333hrs after which the voltage will be below 10.5 volts. In the real world, it could hold out even longer because the battery is not building up heat as much as under a 25 amp load. Oh yeah, dont confuse cold crank amps with reserve capacity.
Old Jan 30, 2003 | 02:12 PM
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I was trouble shooting my current draw when the ignition is off. I disconnected the negative battery terminal. I placed the test light between the terminal and battery post. The test light was on. I started pulling each fuse under the dash and then I moved onto the fuse block next to the battery. When I pulled the 15 amp "Audio Fuse", which powers the constant memory of the headunit. The light went off. Shouldn't the current draw be in the milliamps? and not .13 amp?
Old Jan 31, 2003 | 04:27 AM
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Normal current draw in most newer cars is between .018 and .035. The reading you got, .13 or 130 milliamps, is on the high side. When you test for draw, make sure all accessories are off or unplugged. Stuff like phone chargers, etc.

To find the source of the current draw, you are on the right track. Remove the negative battery cable and put your meter in line with that as you did. Now, unplug non-factory fuses. Stuff like amplifier power leads, etc. If the draw does not go away, then start pulling factory fuses. Oh, of course, do all this with the doors shut so the dome lights don't give you a higher reading.
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