Hey everyone, recently I've had problems starting my '92 vert due to a lack of power. I've replaced my battery twice already but there are still issues. With the car turned off, I find that there is a 0.35 AMP current. That seems awfully high to me and I just wanted to check with you guys to make sure. I think I have a leak, but what can I do to absolve the situation? Thanks, you guys have always been helpful.

 

That draw is fine. 30 to 45mA is normal draw on a FC.

 

Um, wouldn't .35A be 350mA? That's a bit of a large current draw with the key off. You might want to go through your fuses, pulling them one by one to see which circuit is drawing the current.

 

^ +1. Pull fuse, measure draw, repeat. When the 0.35A drops to something more normal like 0.035A, look at the name of the last fuse you pulled. That's where the problem is.

It shouldn't take long to test, but if you're really short on time I'd remove the negative battery terminal every time you park your car. That'll keep it from draining any power until the problem is solved.

 

Actually that's what I have been doing (removing the negative battery terminal). And I've already tried pulling every fuse. The ones under the hood, and the ones under the steering wheel. Still leaking. And yes; it's 350 mA not 35 mA

 

bump

 

Maybe check your grounds around the engine bay? My girls old taurus had a problem where the starter ground was getting physically worn in two by another part, and eventually it got to where there was so little copper left that the resistance started making more heat than work so it quit starting. Spliced the wire back together and it worked fine. I know this wouldn't explain the amp draw, but if you are always having starting problems then it may help. I have several meters I use for cars too, and only one will accurately read in less than 1 amp increments, so maybe you aren't getting a short if you couldn't find a fuse to change the amp draw. Also, did you pull the main and check that too?

 

Pull all the fuses at the same time to make sure? If you still get a drain even then, I'd check the wiring. I think the problem would then be near the battery or starter, but I'm not sure.

It should take 3-5 days for that draw to drain your battery. If you just remove the negative battery terminal whenever you park at home and whenever you start work (but don't bother for quicker things like errands), you should be fine until you solve the problem.

You could also get a trickle charger for not too much money to keep the battery full when the car is at home. Or one of those battery powered jump boxes to start it when the car dies. That'll be handy for emergencies even after your problem is solved.