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Battery drain insane 850

posted by  LilHelpHere on  Sun Mar 5 20:30 CST 2017
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last visit: Wed Oct 15 22:09 CST 2014
[RELATED]

Hi!
Put the phone on video and shut the glove box -light shuts off. Unplugged the USB cigar charger regularly, but not religiously (still suspect) No dome lights on. Visor seems fine. Do have a mulltimeter. Have not pulled fuses one by one. Sometimes checks out fine (no parasitic drain) and I go on my way until suddenly dead. Yes short city trips, but have been fine for ten years with same usage. Have not delved into alternator. 153K on the car. Getting a little miffed with the beloved. argh








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    posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

    I had a battery drain in our '95 855 base - I traced it to the glove box light - removed bulb but drain continued - I had to disconnect the wire to the light to stop the drain.

    Shortly thereafter I had to get a new battery!



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    posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

    How old is your battery? A couple of NYC potholes could loosen the plates and they will short out a cell quickly.

    At idle, check the charge at the battery, it should be over 14V. Before a cold start the battery should exceed 12V by a little bit. But, you already know that.

    Did you pull down the rear center arm rest and peer into the trunk? Is the light on?

    I doubt that the USB charger does more than a trickle to light the LED, besides, the power is cut off when the key is out of the ignition.

    I like the glove box light trick you employed!
    --
    Keeping it running is better than buying new



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      posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

      Battery charged well on a charger. Parasitic drain test 0.01 amps, but I saw that before (weeks ago, thought I was fine, then drain happened again). I guess next it's a test to see if battery is draining on its own. It is not that old, but past experience tells me they don't like being drained more than once or twice, and this one has been down a few or several times...thanks



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        posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

        So today, 24 hrs later, the parasitic drain still reads 0.01 But the volts read 12.3(!) on the battery, considerably less than yesterday. So, it looks like the doesn't want to hold a charge anymore, and I get myself to the interstate dealer, for a little warranty credit. Correct?
        Hope this helps someone else.



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          posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

          Is the top of the battery clean? Although this is not a common issue (and less so than it used to be - engine compartments are cleaner than the swamps they once were, when motors weren't as tight), if the top of your battery is oily/dirty, you can get a fugitive "parasitic" drain through the dirt. Generally such a loss will be worse in damp weather (moisture clings to dirt, serves as a conductor), which could explain the intermittent behavior. If it's dirty, wipe it off thoroughly with a clean rag; clean off the terminal ends and the battery cables.

          Around here, auto parts stores will test your battery for free, although the deal is you then buy your battery from them (only fair). If yours is from an Interstate dealer, I bet your local Interstate dealer will test it free, too.



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    posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

    How is the battery, any dead or weak cells ? How long does it take for the battery to be drained so much that it won't crank the engine ? If you disconnect the battery to recharge, do you get a big spark or hear and relays clicking when you reconnect ?

    The method of pulling the fuses to locate the circuit is the best place to start.

    Greg


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      posted by  someone claiming to be on  Wed Dec 31 18:00 CST 1969 [RELATED]

      Thanks! Battery seems to test and charge OK. Cranks well when charged. Works OK for almost a week, though I think it is not always draining. Then draining seems over night to drop the battery to non cranking state. I'll go over fuses and other troubleshooting more carefully. Thx



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