battery being drained what can i do?

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sexyvic1

Copper - Posts: 144

Joined: April 29, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: January 21, 2006 at 1:40 PM / IP Logged

hello, everyone,

i have a 2001 chevy tahoe.

something is draining my battery and i have no clue what it is

does anyone know how i can isolate the problem, or what i have to do in order to test to find the draw.

it can be anything from an accessory i installed to the actual things that came factory with the truck.

please help.

any and all tips and ideas are appriciated.

thank you

electrostatic

Copper - Posts: 154

Joined: January 06, 2006

Location: United States

Posted: January 21, 2006 at 5:32 PM / IP Logged

do you have a dmm? if you do you can measure for parasitic current drain. the drain on your battery from clocks, computers, and security systems when your engine is off? I'm assuming thats what your talking about? parasitic loads typically run 20 to 30 milliamps.

to take such measurements disconnect your neg battery cable placing your dmm set for amps dc between the disconnected cable and battery post without the engine running. read the meter and take note of the current measurement. begin removing fuses one at a time until the current measurement lowers. you have now identified the offending circuit. you mentioned you installed accessories. you can use this method to test powered up accessories provided their current draw doesnt exceed what the meter is fused at (commonly 10amps) otherwise you'll blow the meters fuse. next step would be to inspect the wiring of the offending circuit. if the wiring checks out good, now you need to inspect the electrical component/s. and proceed from there.

hope that helps!

electrostatic

Copper - Posts: 154

Joined: January 06, 2006

Location: United States

Posted: January 21, 2006 at 5:36 PM / IP Logged

hey where did that extra question mark come from? oops!

sexyvic1

Copper - Posts: 144

Joined: April 29, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: January 21, 2006 at 5:38 PM / IP Logged

so place the dmm in the line of the negative cable?

thanks i really appriciate it i will do this tommorrow, it is too dark out now :(

electrostatic

Copper - Posts: 154

Joined: January 06, 2006

Location: United States

Posted: January 21, 2006 at 5:48 PM / IP Logged

correct. now if after pulling fuses you dont identify the offending circuit, you likely have a short somwhere else. but pull the fuses first.

sexyvic1

Copper - Posts: 144

Joined: April 29, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: January 23, 2006 at 4:08 PM / IP Logged

haven't had a chance to do it yet, hopefully the weather will be nice tuesday. i will post back up what happens...i hope this finds the draw.

sexyvic1

Copper - Posts: 144

Joined: April 29, 2004

Location: United States

Posted: January 27, 2006 at 3:18 PM / IP Logged

i tried the dmm on the positive side and the ground side and the meter read nothing, i checked the meter to make sure it was on the correct settings and it was.

then i tried the test light in line with the positive side and it lit up. so i started pulling fuses and it still stayed on then i disconnected all me stuf fand my alarm and it still was on.

i am so confused :(

the only thing that bothered me was that my truck has 4 or 5 different ignition fuses, 2 of them are maxi fuses under the hood, which when i pulled the fuse out and tested each side they were both hot even though the car was off.

the other little fuses did not have power untill the ignition was turned on.

i spoke to someone and they told me the reason why both of the others have power is because of a short somewhere and that would cause that to happen.

does this give anyone any ideas i am dumb founded.

any ideas why the meter did not read anything but the test light lit up?

i appriciate all ur time and help

chriswallace187

Gold - Posts: 1,661

Joined: March 11, 2002

Location: Pennsylvania, United States

Posted: January 27, 2006 at 3:51 PM / IP Logged

Make sure that your meter is set for DC amps, and the leads are in the correct location on the front of the meter...if your meter's like mine, it's got a separate terminal for measuring amperage.

C Renner's Auto Electronix

My service is cheap, quick, and good - pick any two

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geepherder

Platinum - Posts: 3,668

This member consistently provides reliable information

Joined: October 27, 2003

Posted: January 27, 2006 at 4:34 PM / IP Logged

Exactly. Where the probes plug in at the bottom, the red one will probably have a seperate terminal it needs to be plugged into labeled for amps or current.

My ex once told me I have a perfect face for radio.

electrostatic

Copper - Posts: 154

Joined: January 06, 2006

Location: United States

Posted: January 27, 2006 at 5:16 PM / IP Logged

first determine if your meter's fuses are good. with your meter set for ohm's and the red lead in the ohm/volt socket insert the pointed end into the amp socket. if your fuse is good you'll read apx. 0 ohms. if your fuse is blown you will not get a reading (open circuit). replace the fuse if need be. when taking unknown current measurements make sure you're using the highest scale possible (10 amps in this case).

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