92LuminaRS Posted February 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 Thanks for all the offers guys, but I live kinda in the middle of vermont, so I'm sure nobody lives even remotely close to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveFromColorado Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 get ready for a blizzard! I'm jealous of the snow you're gettin' too! here I am, in MN, with no snow, and a snowmobile. if I were closer, I'd offer to go for the drive. --Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted February 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 I'm not a snow person really, I origionally come from NY but got screwed into living up here. I'll make a deal with you... I'll give you all my snow if you take it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveFromColorado Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 sounds like a deal ... send it this way, I want the snow!! --Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rudefyet Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 I might be going to New Hampshire in a couple weeks, but I dunno if you wanna wait that long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted February 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 Allright, let me get my Type-R teleporter, I'll slap a few extra stickers on there and make sure the weedwacker is at full buzz so it'll make it over to you... Ya ready?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveFromColorado Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 I'm ready!! wait... maybe it's those stickerchargers that's drain' that .81 amps outta there ... --Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted February 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 I might be going to New Hampshire in a couple weeks, but I dunno if you wanna wait that long It's going to DIAF before then wait... maybe it's those stickerchargers that's drain' that .81 amps outta there ... --Dave. That's fucking hysterical!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyBilly9Mile Posted February 12, 2006 Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 You know cowboy, that's a really good idea. I thought it might have been a bad relay also beucase I had a bad relay on one of my fans in my '92, and that killed the battery beucause it was feeding enough current to the fan that it wouldn't spin; but it would drain the battery. As soon as it warms up (It's currently a warm -18* today) I'm going to have to tinker and see where I get. @ cutlsp: I did in fact pull the fuse a while back because I thought I might have had a short in the cig lighter but the battery still drained... Thank you for the suggestion though, it's appreciated. I shall post the problem as soon as I trace the damn thing down, thank you to all that helped! I went through this exercise of finding a mystery drain last fall on a Dodge (lol). Identifying the problem circuit wasn't the problem, finding the relay was not the funnest thing I've ever had to do. On the courtesy light fuse, I got a little surprise pulling that a few weeks ago. I had shampooed some of the interior on my Regal and left the door open, with a breeze box going, and the fuse pulled for the night. Next morning.....nearly a dead battery. I've got the factory service manual so I suppose I could see exactly why this happened, but who would ever suspect that it would. After all, no lights so one would *think* everything would be fine. I thought wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted February 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2006 How did you test the relay without removing it from the car? I'm trying to spend as little time outside working on it aspossible beucase today it was 12* out and it's just too damn cold to go out there and work on it. The crappy part is that I don't have access to my other lumina's to test the wiring on those to have a comparison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted February 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 *bump* Does anyone know if the current draws that I posted are normal? What is the actual normal total current draw on the battery, and where does it come from? I really want to narrow this problem down and fix it asap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteMonteZZZ Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 We had a mystery drain on our 93 Vette. Though it actually turned out the Optima Red Top we had had a bad cell. The batt woudl drain over 1-2 days of not driving. But in asking (before we knew it was the batt) how to test for elec draw on the vette forum, I got the following: Connect your ammeter between batt cable and batt, like you did. Make sure your ctsy lmp fuse isn't in. Then just go to town unplugging fuse after fuse (starting inside) until there is a significant drop in draw (shown on multimeter). If none of the interior fuses help, then proceed to underhood fuses. SOMEWHERE one of the fuses/relays will cut power to the problem circuit. Unfortunately, this isn't the process you wanted to hear for troubleshooting in the middle of winter . Sorry But Good Luck! You'll get it figured out!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terryk2003 Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 *bump* Does anyone know if the current draws that I posted are normal? What is the actual normal total current draw on the battery, and where does it come from? I really want to narrow this problem down and fix it asap how did u find out the draw?...hook a multi-meter up between the battery and the battery cable?...if thats how u figured it out, start pulling fuses til the draw is gone...then you'll @ least have an idea where to start...if thats nOT how u figured it out, take a test light and hook it between the battery terminal and the battery cable...the light will be on, pull fuses til the light goes off, that will tell u where to start looking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted February 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Thanks you two for that idea, I never really thought about doing that actually. I think i might have to recruit mygirlfriend to watch the multimeter while I pull fuses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyBilly9Mile Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Interior Current Draws: Panel (5A) .02A draw Tail (20A) .02A draw Elec (15A) .03A draw Are those normal? There was only one draw in electrical center under the hood (the one above the computer). It was one of those bigass fuses (30A) and it was a .03A draw. A pic of the electrical center with the fuse circled below: So I disconnected the battery's negative terminal and connected the multimeter to the negative terminal and grounded it to the chassis. A 1.81A TOTAL DRAW!!! Where the hell is this other .81A coming from!?!?!? IMO, the total draw should probably be under 200mA, and closer to 100mA. Your 1.8A draw is equivalent to running a 22 watt light bulb so of course this will drain a battery, especially in cold weather. You're gonna have to go in there, with the ammeter connected on the battery and a battery cable, and pull fuses until you find the problem circuit. As I noted earlier, don't overlook the possibility of an alternater that, for whatever reason, is causing this draw. *Not to offend, but from the numbers you're showing you need to shift the decimal point in your calculation one place to the left when you add them up . The draws you noted add up to 100mA (.1 amp), not 1 amp. So to answer your question, yes, those draws you noted seem *reasonable*. However, you have something sucking 1.71 amps; this is what needs to be found. It may sound odd, but consider this a blessing. Life would be more sucky if you had to track down a .81 and a 1 amp draw (more work and potential hassles). I will assume that you took all reading from the ammeter hooked to the battery and a battery cable, and that the 30 mA draw caused by the fuse in the electrical center is not a duplicate finding of a current draw from a fuse pulled from the fuse panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted February 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Not to offend, but from the numbers you're showing you need to shift the decimal point in your calculation one place to the left when you add them up Shit, I suck at math Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slick Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 *bump* Does anyone know if the current draws that I posted are normal? What is the actual normal total current draw on the battery, and where does it come from? I really want to narrow this problem down and fix it asap ... take a test light and hook it between the battery terminal and the battery cable... I would never use a test light on auto electronics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted February 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 using a test light can bevery useful at times though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1138 Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 We used a test light quite often in auto class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP1138 Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 We used a test light quite often in auto class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john99gtp Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Thanks for all the offers guys, but I live kinda in the middle of vermont, so I'm sure nobody lives even remotely close to me where in VT? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted February 13, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 I would tell you but you wouldn't know of the town, but the neighboring town that's RIGHT next to me is St. Johnsbury, it's kinda popularish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john99gtp Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 pfffff, thats only 3 hours or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowboyBilly9Mile Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Test lights are of most value in determining if a terminal/wire is hot (ie, as a substitute for a voltmeter) and of less/little use in determing current flow, especially when it's a very small current flow. They don't quantify anything. Only exception might be a very high current flow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92LuminaRS Posted February 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 For anything over 10A I use a test light because >10A would kill it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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