Re: [DML] Re: tracking down a power drain

[Rod Dillman <rhdillman@xxxxxxxxx>]

Andy,  One possible source of a power drain with an easy fix is the door light switches. The end of the switch which the closed door pushes in should have a plastic cover on it. If that cover is gone or if it is pushed in too far,  the door may not be making enough contact to close the switch. If that is the case your door light(s) may still be on when the door is closed. An easy way to check is to close the door slowly to see if the light goes out before the door is fully closed. If it doesn't, close the door and then carefully insert a small screwdriver between the rubber seal and the door where the lights are. If you can see the light burning, the rubber cover needs to be pulled out to make the shaft longer. You can see the light easier in the dark. While all three of my switches have the rubber boot or cover on them, I can not find a part number for them in the manual. Rod 10921

--- On Tue, 5/26/09, twinenginedmc12 <twinenginedmc12@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:


From: twinenginedmc12 <twinenginedmc12@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [DML] Re: tracking down a power drain
To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Tuesday, May 26, 2009, 4:56 AM








Hi Andy.

There may or may not be something wrong with the amplifier. Lots of devices chew up standby current. If they specify a standby current in the user's manual, you can compare it to what yours draws to see whether it's excessive. 

That current draw, 0.05A, would typically not be enough to deplete a new charged battery in 5-6 days. But repeated exposure to overdraining will degrade a battery relatively quickly compared to a battery without such a drain. If you multiply the parasitic current an Amperes times the time in hours, and make sure that the product of those two numbers is only a small fraction of the battery storage capacity specified on the label in Ampere*hours (Ah), say 1/10 for example, battery longevity and charge retention will improve. The lower the parasitic drain, the better.

Let the battery drain and sit discharged, and it won't last long, and will hold a smaller and smaller charge over time. It seems plausible that's what's going on here.

Rick.

--- In dmcnews@yahoogroups .com, Soma576@... wrote:
>
> Hi Group,
> 
> I'm trying to determine why my battery is too drained to start the car 
> after 5 to 6 days of sitting. By inserting a digital multimeter in-line with 
> my battery, I determined that my Lockzilla draws about .01 A while sitting 
> (drops to zero when Lockzilla is disconnected) . In addition, I have a 
> stereo system with an amplifier. The amplifier, when isolated, seems to be 
> drawing about .03 - .04 A with the key out of the ignition. The draw is 
> constant even when I remove the remote and speaker leads from it. The amp is 
> not on as per the LED's on it, but it is definitely pulling some power. When 
> I disconnect this amp and the Lockzilla, my DMM fluctuates between 0.00 and 
> 0.01A (I can't find that last half-amp by pulling fuses, maybe the meter 
> is a little off) and when both are plugged back in it reads about 0.05 A. 
> Is this enough juice to drain a battery in less than a week? I have not 
> put a meter on the battery to read the voltage after it sits for a week so I 
> don't know how low it's getting, but certainly low enough to not turn over.
> 
> I know it's not exactly DeLorean related, but the amp is a JL Audio 250/1 
> monoblock amp for a subwoofer. The instructions don't give a resting draw, 
> so I'm wondering if that is typical? Seems a little high, so aside from an 
> internal problem with the amp, what else could go wrong with it?
> 
> Andy
>

















      

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------

To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address:
moderators@xxxxxxxxxxx

For more info on the list, tech articles, cars for sale see www.dmcnews.com

To search the archives or view files, log in at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnewsYahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:dmcnews-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    mailto:dmcnews-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    dmcnews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/