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I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

davidmuller.github.io

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Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#151

Post by stocknoob »

ChuckNorris89 wrote: post #132
stocknoob wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or disconnect the battery (you’ll have to reset the clock, etc., which is annoying).

Not great advice. Most new-ish cars also store the dinamic engine calibration data in ECU RAM so if you disconnect the battery you can find your engine running harsher next time. So are the values of the headlights auto leveling system and other stuff. You're also risking to reset the radio/media unit security code (on cars that aren't too new but also not super old), which if you got the car second hand and the form…

Not ideal to cut power to the entire car, but that happens anyway on every battery swap, no?

If you want to get fancy you can isolate the exact fuse and switch just that:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/175668177479

Thinking more, given how common parasitic drains are, carmakers should have all non-essential fuses in a separate subpanel section that can be easily switched off/diagnosed.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#152

Post by sixstringtheory »

Hah. I’ve replaced the battery in our Subaru Outback on average once per year, which is way too high for this environmental minded person.

I just went out last night to grab something from the car and it was making a loud electrical whirring noise. I had driven it several hours prior, no idea how long it had been going. I recorded a video and it is clearly audible. I started it and turned it off again, and the noise stopped.

Friend of mine (and several other commenters here) has an old pickup with a switch on the steering column that cuts the circuit at the battery, I’m ready to install one on both my cars.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#153

Post by Freedom2 »

aidos wrote: post #147
ssharp wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wired in an aftermarket DVD player in an old car and tapped into a fuse that was supposed to not draw power when off. Of course, it did draw power so the DVD player never shut off. It wasn't too much of a draw but I didn't want to end up with a dead battery situation because of it so my solution was to just plug the fuse tap in when the kids were in the car and wanted to watch something. I'm sure there was a more e…

“path of least resistance” is very fitting.

Definitely a cool, new term! Thanks to the GP for introducing it to my lexicon.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#154

Post by ambicapter »

tsgagnon wrote: post #117
ambicapter wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"You will own nothing and you will be happy"

This must be the new astroturfing attack against concepts like public transportation. I've seen this phrase pop up too frequently at this point for it to be organic.

Maybe a lot of people just read the news? It was said by the leader of the World Economic Forum.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#155

Post by HeyLaughingBoy »

sokoloff wrote: post #106
lylejantzi3rd wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It seems like mechanics really don't like digging into the electrical part of the car... Tell me about it. I'm in a similar boat. My audi a4 has had a parasitic draw for the past 10 years. My mechanic didn't want to take the time to address it because that sort of thing takes a serious amount of time and he's always backed up. I got out my fluke and narrowed the cause to what I believe is the comfort control unit.…

> My mechanic won't do it because he won't confirm that's the cause. My experience is that a lot of independent mechanics will do what you ask them to do, so long as they think it’s not unsafe and have confidence that you’ll pay the bill without complaint when the task is done whether or not the problem is fixed. Probably not a good “this is my first time meeting you, but please replace my flux capacitor” but if you’…

Yes. I had a problem with a leaking transmission once and the shop refused to accept my diagnosis because "in all my years servicing transmissions, I never heard of that failing."

Finally, the service manager agreed to check it out with the understanding that if I was wrong, I still had to pay for the time they spent investigating.

I was right :-)

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#156

Post by ambicapter »

tsgagnon wrote: post #117
ambicapter wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"You will own nothing and you will be happy"

This must be the new astroturfing attack against concepts like public transportation. I've seen this phrase pop up too frequently at this point for it to be organic.

Also, car-sharing is not public transportation? Weird comment.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#157

Post by asciimov »

lylejantzi3rd wrote: post #96
cwillu wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you can identify the fuse for the unit, it might be less annoying to pull it when parking rather than hooking up a charger.

That's a great idea. I can't believe I didn't think of that. Thanks!

They also make switches for fuses, so that you can kill the circuit without pulling the fuse.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#158

Post by aftbit »

I have a parasitic draw on my 2004 Honda Civic back in college. All the mechanics I went to wanted to sell me a battery or alternator. I finally bought a meter with a 10A current limit and tested every fuse each time I parked. It turned out to be an issue with the magnetic AC clutch, so I drove it for 2 more years with the fuse for that component removed.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#159

Post by sixstringtheory »

fullstop wrote: post #143
blobbers wrote: post #11

Is it possible the key fob just needs replacement and is causing the intermittent sleep failure?

Thinking this through a little bit further, I am wondering if subsystems can wake up if someone else uses their fob but the key signal doesn't match. Surely, at some level, something has to wake up to validate this.

Back when I was commuting there was an older subaru I always parked near in the parking garage that, whenever I unlocked my newer subaru with my fob, it’s alarm would go off. I sat there one day and did it over and over again, so it was definitely casual.

Re: I fixed a parasitic drain on my car in 408 days

#160

Post by legitster »

BoorishBears wrote: post #55
addisonl wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably should get a brand more reliable than Audi...

I hear people say that about my BMW, and realistically the hassle of some reliability issues is nothing compared to driving the lifeless husks of cars they recommend instead. (there are reliable sports cars, but it significantly limits the pool you can select from)

That's fair, but it's funny because that's how I always felt about BMWs. My buddy loves them but I always felt like they were so... sterile. Unless you are at a track or love cutting off people in traffic it feels really hard to have any fun in one.
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