Bouncing Parasitic Draw
Thread Starter
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Joined: Feb 2021
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From: Reston, VA
Bouncing Parasitic Draw
I replaced my old battery and decided to test for parasitic draw when dropping the new battery in. I'm seeing some odd behavior and wanted to know what the experts thought.
It stays in the low 30mA range, which should be normal, but it randomly spikes up to the 60mA range.
Video says it all, is there something else I should be looking into? Do I just have a bad connection from the multimeter to the car? Is the car looking for keys every 10 seconds causing the spike? Is there a security LED or pulse somewhere that could be causing this?
I'm more or less just looking to confirm whether this is normal or something I need to track down.
Full link:
https://youtube.com/shorts/OKZb30z2rrY?feature=share
It stays in the low 30mA range, which should be normal, but it randomly spikes up to the 60mA range.
Video says it all, is there something else I should be looking into? Do I just have a bad connection from the multimeter to the car? Is the car looking for keys every 10 seconds causing the spike? Is there a security LED or pulse somewhere that could be causing this?
I'm more or less just looking to confirm whether this is normal or something I need to track down.
Full link:
https://youtube.com/shorts/OKZb30z2rrY?feature=share
Last edited by She_Thicc; Feb 17, 2022 at 01:56 PM.
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Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 11,351
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From: Eastern
You can try to remove the onstar fuse and try the test again to see if the reading steadies out. Try a test with your key fob not close to the car. It's not a serious draw, but a reading of less than 3 milliamps would be considered satisfatory.
Thread Starter
Banned Scam/Spammer
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 787
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From: Reston, VA
Plugged in, yes, but I don't subscribe.
Race Director
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From: Edmond Oklahoma
All systems must be in "Sleep" mode before doing the parasitic draw test. It is even better is the car sits overnight before doing the test just to make sure everything is in sleep mode.
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I'm pretty sure the C6 doesn't have an external proximity sensor, so the external location of the fob shouldn't matter. You need to press an unlock button or pad on the car, or a button on the fob to initiate any kind of communication. Some cars do have a proximity sensor, like our CrossTrek. It actually turns on the interior lights when you get close to the car. Might was well remove the Onstar fuse in any case if 3G networks are disappearing.