When to look for a parasitic power draw?
Your battery could be near the end of its service life and it should be recycled and replaced with a new one. If the battery test shows that it is still good, then it’s time to start looking at a parasitic power draw. While you’re under the hood (or at Advance Auto Parts), test the alternator.
What does parasitic draw on a multimeter mean?
It typically happens due to a short circuit that can be tricky to pin down. This is known as parasitic draw. A certain amount of draw is normal – in the region of 25mA (milliamps) – but if you have 100mA or more being lost, something is up.
How to find and fix a parasitic battery drain?
You should see the multimeter display the number of Amps that are actively causing your battery drain. Use zip ties or small clamps to keep the multimeter leads connected to the battery terminal and battery wire. Tip: A normal operating vehicle will have about 50 milliamps of Amp draw on the battery.
What kind of DMM do I need to test for parasitic draw?
A DMM with the ability to measure continuous current to 10A will be fine in most cases, though one rated 20A would be less prone to blowing a fuse. You also need a milliamp range for higher resolution to pick up minimal current draw as most faults tend to be of the trickle variety.
Your battery could be near the end of its service life and it should be recycled and replaced with a new one. If the battery test shows that it is still good, then it’s time to start looking at a parasitic power draw. While you’re under the hood (or at Advance Auto Parts), test the alternator.
How to diagnose a parasitic battery drain test?
Car battery problems, specially a parasitic battery drain, are difficult to diagnose sometimes. New vehicle models make it specially difficult, time consuming, and frustrating. They come with more control modules than previous year models and hundreds more electrical circuits.
What should my parasitic power draw be on my car?
Power draw should be under 50 milliamps. This will display as 0.05 amps. If it’s higher, that is your parasitic power draw. Well under 50 milliamps, and you’ll need to be shopping for a battery.
Is there such thing as a parasitic battery?
It doesn’t involve parasites in your battery, so that’s a good thing. No need for HazMat suits, yet! A parasitic battery drain is just something that consistently and continually drains your battery. This could be a faulty relay, a headlight/dome-light switch, alternator, or any other electrical gremlins.