Battery has been draining overnight for about two weeks now. Alternator seems to be fine, battery's at a steady 14.5v when running. I researched how to do a parasitic drain test, found multiple sources with the same method, and went ahead and tried. Multimeter set to DC 10A(red test lead plugged into DC 10A hole). When I touched both the negative battery post and the negative cable with the leads, a small spark would appear every few seconds. Everytime it sparked, the multimeter would jump to somewhere around 1.5-2. But when no spark was present, the meter would read 0. I'm angry.
Also, any reading over 50mA is supposed to be bad, if I got 1.5A, that's absolutely horrible.

 

What do you mean by alternator seemed fine?

The alternator might charge fine, yet might have a bad diode. This would cause the discharge issue.

Getting angry won't solve your issue.

 

And how would one go about checking the diode?

 

Do you have an aftermarket alarm system. Sometimes they will cause a a parasitic load. But the 1.5a sounds like too much. You may want to try pulling fuses one by one to see what circuit is causing the load, and do some investigation on the circuit. Might you have a trunk light or a glove box light that is not shutting off ? Is there a red security light on the dash that blinks when the car is off ? Also, the remote lock system has to keep polling the universe looking for a signal. That will be a small parasitic load 24x7.

Just some random thoughts...

 

I do have an aftermarket alarm system, but it's been installed for over a year, I highly doubt that's what's doing it. This bs just started when it got cold lol I planned on pulling fuses one by one, but I only get readings for a second when it sparks.

 

sooooooooooooooo pull fuses until it stops "sparking" and you get a low reading on your meter.

It's really not that hard. When you figure out what fuse it is, go to the FSM and look at what's on that circuit. Then you can narrow it down from there.

Or you can just get angry, that's easier I suppose...

 

I mean it's my first time working with electrical stuff, I'm clueless. You're saying it's sparking because the draw is that high?

 

Yep.

 

You say you keep getting sparks. That sounds like you keep connecting the meter and disconnecting it. Get some clips to hold the meter leads in place and keep the meter connected all the time while you pull fuses.

 

When the power is first connected it will spark. Disregard the high reading at the first contact. Use something to keep the meter, battery and terminal solidly connected. Then go through and pull fuses one by one. The drain might be a component turning on and off, so the surge might take a bit of time to show up. If your meter has a max/min storage mode, that would cut down on the amount of time spent staring at it.