key-off current drain...

[bok_yo]

what is the typical current drain sa battery on a key-off condition (carb type)? napansin ko kasi ang battery ko na drain nung di ko ginamit ang sasakyan ng 1 week. pag-start ko ayaw mag crank. nung pina-check ko battery naubos ang karga. more than a year na battery ko. nung pina-recharge ko, ok na uli ang battery. kaya ang ginagawa ko na lang kung di ko gamit ang sasakyan ay inaalis ko ang battery terminal. nawawala lang ang memory ng radio at ng clock.

[Alpha_One]

Depends on the actual car and the condition of its electrical system. For carb systems it's probably only the alarm systems and radio that'll use up current when the car key's off. Although we've had more modern EFI cars that have been unused for three weeks start up perfectly fine.

Perhaps your battery is showing its age, or the electrical system has a short somewhere.

[jick.cejoco]

what is the typical current drain sa battery on a key-off condition (carb type)? napansin ko kasi ang battery ko na drain nung di ko ginamit ang sasakyan ng 1 week. pag-start ko ayaw mag crank. nung pina-check ko battery naubos ang karga. more than a year na battery ko. nung pina-recharge ko, ok na uli ang battery. kaya ang ginagawa ko na lang kung di ko gamit ang sasakyan ay inaalis ko ang battery terminal. nawawala lang ang memory ng radio at ng clock.

bok_yo
typical parasitic drain varies from car to car. parasitic drains come from etr (electronic tuned radio), the clock, the pcm keep alive memory, bcm keep alive memory and alarm or security systems. typically, with all the parasitic drain, most cars have up to 20 milliamps of drain tolerable. as long as the battery size ( reserve capacity) is adequate or what is prescribed for your car, it should be fine up to a month without the need to jumpstart or recharge the battery
jick

[bok_yo]

right after reading your replies, i measured the key-off drain at 450ma. Is this beyond normal considering i have an alarm installed?

everything else (i think) is ok since all lights and siwtches are working well. battery is now recharged and engine starts in just a click. alternator likewise is charging well.

[oj88]

Do you have an amplifier in the trunk? Maybe the remote wire isn't working and is keeping the amp powered up?

Anyway, here's how I'd do it:
1. Get an ammeter that can measure at least 10A
2. Turn off the ignition and remove the key
3. Disconnect the NEGATIVE terminal on the battery and install the ammeter in between the battery (-) terminal and the other on the cable you removed. On digital ammeters, polarity isn't going to be a problem. But if you're using an analog ammeter, connect the (+) probe to the cable and the (-) probe to the battery (-) terminal
4. Measure the current.
4a. If it's <50mA, your car's likely normal. The battery may be losing its charge by itself
4b. If it's >50mA, proceed to #5
5. Try pulling out fuses one after another and see if you can find the culprit

You can be more methodical with the fuse pulling by beginning with the radio, alarm, amps, clock, etc... anything that is always powered up. And if you pull one fuse and see nothing happen on the ammeter readings, put it back in before pulling out the next one. BE SURE TO PUT FUSES BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL PLACES.

Good luck!

[bok_yo]

Do you have an amplifier in the trunk? Maybe the remote wire isn't working and is keeping the amp powered up?

Anyway, here's how I'd do it:
1. Get an ammeter that can measure at least 10A
2. Turn off the ignition and remove the key
3. Disconnect the NEGATIVE terminal on the battery and install the ammeter in between the battery (-) terminal and the other on the cable you removed. On digital ammeters, polarity isn't going to be a problem. But if you're using an analog ammeter, connect the (+) probe to the cable and the (-) probe to the battery (-) terminal
4. Measure the current.
4a. If it's <50mA, your car's likely normal. The battery may be losing its charge by itself
4b. If it's >50mA, proceed to #5
5. Try pulling out fuses one after another and see if you can find the culprit

You can be more methodical with the fuse pulling by beginning with the radio, alarm, amps, clock, etc... anything that is always powered up. And if you pull one fuse and see nothing happen on the ammeter readings, put it back in before pulling out the next one. BE SURE TO PUT FUSES BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL PLACES.

Good luck!

wala akong amplifier or any audio setup. all stock lights and radio. anyway, try ko rin na isolate ang fuses. tnx.

[jick.cejoco]

what is the typical current drain sa battery on a key-off condition (carb type)? napansin ko kasi ang battery ko na drain nung di ko ginamit ang sasakyan ng 1 week. pag-start ko ayaw mag crank. nung pina-check ko battery naubos ang karga. more than a year na battery ko. nung pina-recharge ko, ok na uli ang battery. kaya ang ginagawa ko na lang kung di ko gamit ang sasakyan ay inaalis ko ang battery terminal. nawawala lang ang memory ng radio at ng clock.

do you happen to have the make, model, year and body style of your car? hundreds of thousands possibilities of what kind of car you are talking about

[bok_yo]

do you happen to have the make, model, year and body style of your car? hundreds of thousands possibilities of what kind of car you are talking about

tamaraw fx 97 model. took out all the fuses but same problem. isolated all other electrical circuits but still same. finally i took out the connector of alternator and the reading drops down to 15ma. i think the culprit is the alternator. have to go to alternator shop for check up.

[bok_yo]

problem was fixed. culprit was 3 shorted positive rectifier of the alternator. other rectifiers were also replaced para bago na lahat. current drain now at key-off ---> 15mA.

thanks tsikot!