WW7

I have been searching for a parasitic drain on my car.. The drain I have is 90 milliamps , the max on my 89 is suppose to be only 50 milliamps..I pulled all the fuses including the 3 square metel fuses in the fusebox while watching the meter and it never moved off of .09 milliamps..Does anyone have any ideas where else to look for a drain??...I also removed all the hookups from the altermator and still nothing..If I charge the battery to near full ( 12.80) and let it sit 2 days, when I check it again it's down to around ( 12.36), does this sound like the right amount of voltage loss for a 90 milliamp draw?..Thanks WW

Klyde

No. That is not enough to kill a battery in two days. If you have the electronic climate control there is a 12vdc feed that is on all the time that maintains the temperature setting and a few others. Ninety milliamps is like running a couple of Led's or memory chips or even a small relay. I believe there are a few other things that are fed all the time also. With the car running the battery voltage should be more like 13.7vdc. Have you checked it with it running? That voltage seems a little low. You may just have a bad/week battery. Take it to Autozone and have them test it for free.

pcolt94

But wondering how the battery is being charged. By means of a charger or running the engine?



I would not answer the battery voltage drain problem as battery age and condition would influence a valid, matter of fact absolute answer. Voltage will decay somewhat over time and does not mean battery is bad.

What is the original problem? How did you discover this problem? Were you having a dead battery in a week or so or similar situation?

Obviously 90 ma is too much. On my 94 I pull 30 ma. But I think the older C4 pull only about 25ma (understood max is 50 but the norm is in the 20s).

Are you sure you are getting a good accurate reading. Got another meter to try?

Everything is usually fused except the lead to the alternator. However you have eliminated that. I know this is probably redundant for you but did you pull every fuse? Did you check lights in the sun visor, center console, hood and any other lamps. You may have to remove all fuses at one time rather the one at a time. Environmental control, PCM, body module get power all the time for memory. Not sure exactly what boxes your car has, but just giving some suggestions.

WW7

The alternator is putting out the proper voltage, 14.4-14.6 at startup, 13.9 after running a few miles..The battery is 11 months old and was working properly before I started having the drain problem....WW



Thanks for the responses...I descovered the car was pulling 90 MA when my car sit for about 3 days without being driven, and when I went to start it , it struggled to start..I hooked up the tester between the positive cable and the battery and it read 90 ma... I had tested it a year before that and it tested about 38 ma, so I knew I had a new drain.. I charged the "11 month" old battery with my charger up to about 12.80 volts and within 2-3 days it had dropped to 12.36 again..If the battery is down a bit and I drive the car awhile, the battery is fully charged when I get home. I also have the manual heat/AC control......WW

WVZR-1

I would start with the headlamps. Yours has the control module. An actuator might not be parking.

Klyde

Having a battery drop a half a volt over several days after charging is not unheard of. A charger can artificially pump a battery a little higher then is normal for it. Once charger is removed the battery will electrically drift back down to a more normal level. I thought you were saying that the battery was dead after two days of setting. That small of a drain should not be enough to do that. That being said, you do have a higher then normal drain. Check visor mirror lights, console light, any additions since last year when you checked it. I leave mine on a battery tender all the time. My driving pattern fluctuates a lot so it could be days or months between runs.

WW7

I will check that ,thanks. Could it also be the headlight switch is bad??..WW

Klyde

More than likely it would be one of the headlight buckets is not hitting the park switch and continues to draw power trying to park an already parked headlight.

pcolt94

Getting battery checked is not a bad idea either.

In reviewing my (limited) 89 schematics.

Headlight module not a bad thought. I had that though but discounted it because I don’t believe there is any manual switch to close. I think the headlight module senses the motor current and powers the motor down when it believes it has stopped and parked. I think the stops position will not affect proper operation. The module makes all decisions.

On the other hand if the module is defective, that is a whole different ball game. But there is no fuse for this module. It uses fuse links which I know you did not pull! So power would still be on it.

If the 89 is not like this or if I am all wet on this, just take it as a mistake.

WW7

Any idea where the headlight module is located?? It's not the headlights themselves because I just went out in the garage a minite ago and diconnected both of the headlight connections and I still have the 90 ma draw.My headlights work fine with no problem....My underhood lights have always been disconnected so it's not them....Could it be the headlight switch?? ..Im going to have the battery checked tomorrow like your suggesting , I know new doesn't always mean a batterys good...I may have 2 different problems at play here, ..1.The battery and 2.. the 90 ma drain.....WW

BrianCunningham

Mine turned out to be a chafe in the headlight harness

kept blowing fusible links it was so bad

pull each fuse out till you find the circuit

94z07fx3

Oil leak onto the starter's electrics?

WW7

I don't have any oil leaks, but I do need a new starter.... I have a new starter sitting down in the garage that I have to put on my car ,my original 25 year old starter is acting up..The bendix is having problems with engaging when I turn the key to start the car ... Is the starter active with the key off.?? Could this cause my drain.??...WW

pcolt94

I can't tell you for sure on the 89. But on my 94 it's on the driver's side in the headlight area kind of in line with the radiator but lower on a bracket assembly. About the size of your fist with couple connectors to it. It's kind of in an out of the way place and not very noticeable.

I would not think the starter would cause this (my opinion).

94z07fx3

Worth a look. I don't think there is anything between the battery's positive cable and the solenoid. I think it is a straight shot. The switching takes place inside the solenoid. If you disco the battery cable from the solenoid and do your test again you could confirm. It, as you well know, is in a tight spot for access.

WW7

Well, I have to change the starter anyway, may a well do it tomorrow.....I guess it's possible it could be a short of some sort in the starter....Thanks ..WW

randy ransome

My car had over 50 ma and it was one of the visor mirrors. The mirror wasn't staying on but it was corroded where the bulb is. worth checking.

vetteoz

Front drv side of inner wheel well ;where the square box shown in pic below is
( earlier relay version shown , your solid state controller is a black box the size of a cig packet with 2 weatherpak connectors it it

WW7

Im tall and removed my visors years ago to open up my field of view. But I will check to make sure the open socket isn't touching anything..... Thanks ......WW

94z07fx3

Good hunting. There's just precious little that is still hooked up once all fuses are out.