DEAD BATTERY | How to FIND a Parasitic Battery DRAIN Using Multimeter!!! 

THE FIX!!! As mentioned in the video the "Driver door module" was bad. This is the window switch panel. I replaced the switch panel and issue has been resolved. Video removing panel here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-CnQtqbWc6x0.html

As a veteran Mechanic of 19 years, this is by far the best test proceedure I have ever come across on youtube. Well done!

My man! 3 years in and this video is still complete gold! Not only did you walk me through the entire process successfully, but you also diagnosed my exact problem all the way down to the wife!

Old video, but a 45 year tech here. You did it correct, but there is a faster way. Your DVOM will let you test for voltage drop at each fuse, any fuse that has a voltage drop is drawing current.

You’ll never know truly how much this video makes my heart scream with hope

I know we all want to save money,but based on this it makes you understand why they charge so much trying to find issues like this. Brilliant video 👍

Dude, this is one the best videos tackling this subject I’ve ever watched. Not only are you thorough, but you are clear. I’d love to see you do more electrical troubleshooting stuff personally. I love it. And I love wiring. It is one of my favorite parts of working on cars. I know that probably sounds crazy to most of these folks, but I recall you saying that with your bg, you had an affinity for it as well. So please, sensei, teach away!

Don't hang out or listen to people that tell you it's better to disconnect the positive battery terminal. They have NOOOOO idea what they're talking about. YOU are correct in why you disconnect the negative cable FIRST.....and for the exact reason you stated. Thank you for thoroughly explaining exactly why patience is VERY important when troubleshooting electrical probs.

My friend I’ve been a master tech for 45 years and I thought I was best but you blow me away that was great

Hands down the best video online on how to track down a parasitic draw. Anyone with the slightest mechanical/electrical inclination should be able to follow along step by step. Thank you for taking the time...

Great basic info video. Plain. Simple and understandable. Useful for more people and not over complicated. Too many people make videos for "look how smart I am" instead of "let me help you."

Hi, I just want to say that I have never gotten the necessary notion to comment or subscribe to ANY RU-vid videos. I will occasionally thumbs up videos I enjoyed but that’s about it. With that said, I have to say I am genuinely impressed with your video. Very good job with not just giving clear and easy to follow steps and simple straightforward explanations of what was happening, but your ability to take an issue and with common sense (something way too many folks lack these days unfortunately) you use the process of elimination to find the answer to your problem. I’ve always had an open ear to anyone sharing their opinion or knowledge cause I truly believe you can gain knowledge from anyone regardless of age or disability or anything really. I’ve noticed I have always been able to see things from a different perspective and notice things most people overlook. And I feel like you know what exactly what I mean. But anyways I felt that I needed to share my ¢.2 on how well you did with this video. Also I’m going to subscribe to your channel in hopes that you decide to continue making how-to’s like this one. Again awesome work friend, be safe and keep it up. 👍🏻

It’s a great example how to stay calm, think problems through step by step, to find a resolution. I think too many people panic, either thinking they don’t know/can’t fix issues or stressing how much it cost to have others do the work. Many times, if people will have enough faith in themselves to try they can be successful! 👍👍👍

Bubba, You're golden. 5 minutes into your vid and you demonstrated, described, and detailed your video title immediately and clearly. Thank You For Your Time, Effort, & Generosity!!!

FINALLY SOMEONE WHO EXPLAINS IN DETAIL!!! Thank you for the help you rock!! 😎😎😎

Huge thanks to your wife! Without her not mentioning the door lock upfront, we would not have got such a useful vid. ;-)

As a retired, certified electrician who also tinkers with low voltage systems it's refreshing to see someone use common sense to troubleshoot a problem. I don't have a parasitic drain but the title caught my attention. And I did learn something about vehicle systems, they need time to shut down. Thanks, good video.

Quick tip to not put your meter at risk: Instead of using the meter in series between negative terminal and negative cable when you cycle the key, use a jumper cable. Once you've cycled the key, connect the meter, and then disconnect the jumper cable. Vehicle still has power the whole time, but you avoid any potential momentary spikes which might blow the meter in the second or two after cycling the key. In theory, you could still blow your meter this way, but the biggest draws are usually momentary ones just after cycling.

I'm fixing my battery drain problem the caveman way, by disconnecting the negative cable on the battery when not using my 2004 GMC Yukon.

Got me headed in the right direction. I’ve had a conversation with the other drivers in the house, that if anything looks weird or not right, let me know to help avoid two days of troubleshooting. Great video...you’re an excellent instructor and teacher.

Thank you for posting this video. I really appreciate the people that take the time and effort to create and post these type of helpful videos. I have solved so many problems using RU-vid video.

You’re very good at making your videos I’ve been a mechanic for years but you showed me things that I didn’t know and I appreciate your videos. Good luck to you brother.

Thank you so much as a female who loves to work on her own cars I love to learn new things this video was the best and I understood everything and you where great explaining it thank you

This is by far the best method I’ve seen. I quickly found my parasitic drain on my 1997 Honda CRV in the power door locks circuit. Coincidentally I missed it the first time but realized now my probe was plugged into the voltage terminal on my meter not amps. Now that I caught that mistake I was able to measure a 180 mA drain redoing this test. I pulled the 20A fuse in the fuse box under the hood and viola, dropped to just 25 mA. Since the power door locks quit working and I never lock my doors anyway I’m just going to leave the fuse out. Thank you! I don’t need to charge my battery every morning before going to work this winter.

Thank you very much for this video it was very informative I am a 54-year-old lady and I am going to try and figure out what's wrong with my vehicle

One of the Best video, a higher level from the basic techniques of diagnosis for parasitic drain!! Surely a beneficial knowledge for DIYers!!

This video is better than my yoga clases for teaching me about patience.

Saw on another video, the chap tricked the vehicle by keeping the door switch closed. Then you don't have to wait for the cycle time. Cheers

Hi new to this but this seems to be best and most comprehensive video on parasitic drain .

Quick first pass check- after the vehicle has set for a hour+ with everything off, feel the relays and suspect any that are warm or hot.

Common sense approach to a fix by observation and cycling the ignition circuit! You rock dude!!!

my car battery dies after sitting for couple of days. it starts fine after couple of hours driving around and the same cycle repeats. I wanted to check if there is parasitic battery drain before I get a new battery. your video was exactly what I was looking for. thank you so much for this upload!!

Dynamite, the rest of the comments here concur whole heartedly. You should do more instructive videos, as you are gifted and you are of great assistance!

Great detective work. I had a door control module issue with my 2000 Corvette. Instead of spending $500 on a replacement module, I took it to a guy who de-soldered and replaced three or four relays on the module with new (and improved) relays. Fixed the problem.

A test light works better than a meter, my Klein would not drop fast enough for you to be able to recognize the issue.

Thanks that's a good reminder about the accessory power on for 10-minutes radio time or whatever.

You may have just saved me thousands of dollars because I live in a different country with demonstrably shitty mechanics, especially when it comes to electrical issues. Thanks so much for sharing. Subscribed so I can learn more.

Had my truck at the shop twice, Then decided to try diagnosing myself stumbled upon your video and I had the same exact issue. I couldn’t like this enough times to make it worth it to you. Thank you.

Great vid, well explained. I happen to have a 2000 Super Duty with a loss.....and drivers door power lock doesnt work properly. I would have never guessed the door lock could cause a long term loss but now I know how to check....THANX!!!

Just started watching these. Most helpful video yet due to some needed additional details. Example: waiting some time after you place the probes on battery terminal and - harness to let the woken systems go back to sleep.

You’re so clever mate … very well explained

I really appreciate you taking the time to thoroughly explain the function of the multi meter and explain how the computer takes time to shut down. Very helpful and appreciated. Thanx!!!

I appreciate your straight forward and thorough approach to the troubleshooting you did. Thank you for sharing those little details that make it simpler and can keep you sane if your having trouble with things. Good job and thanks. Ill approach things that way next time and with patience! Lol

Hit every button the driver can reach (door buttons, dome light door sw, etc, ask driver about any issues prior to dead battery, lesson learned. Been there, the "oh by the way" the next day, oh THANKS for letting me know THAT in advance, CHEERS to your technique, good to watch video, keep them coming!

Thank you so much I have been chasing my shorts instead of actually having a process that I should have considered God Bless & be safe

This is one of the clearest, easiest to understand videos on troubleshooting electrical issues on RU-vid. Outstanding job!

Thanks. I learned so much, especially about patience. I had been using a clamp meter, which was just too erratic. I can also see that a lot of work was put into making the instructional video itself. Really appreciate it. I might be able to find the problem now. Just takes a rudimentary knowledge of amps on my part.

I typically work on old non computer cars and this just opened up a world of knowledge on how to track an electrical problem. Thank you very much. Never would have thought to power up then down like I was driving in order to charge the system then wait until it sleeps again to track down an issue. I will for sure use it on my 2001 VW which has a drain but one that takes about a week or two to drain the battery. I have the time to wait. I had always assumed it would just go to the proper level right away.

"It was nice for the wife to tell me the door locks were not working after 2 days of testing".. lol.. Great video. Thank you.

You helped me brother. My Silverado 1500HD started draining the battery. I was two days into this process and when I saw you find your driver door module fault. I jumped ahead to that step. GM like you , door switch like you, BINGO! I GOT LUCKY. Thanks a bunch. I subbed👍

If you have an unknown draw that might be potentially over 10A based on how quickly it kills a new battery, it might be worth using a current clamp if you have one, or making a current shunt out of some 14 to 12 gauge household wire. You can use that to bridge the connection and use your DMM in the millivolt voltage range to get an idea how high it is without the risk of blowing your DMM fuses.

I have been a mechanic since I've been born hats off to you dude good job

This video showed me why I never delved into becoming an electrician! I'll stick to nuts and bolts!!

Thank You! That was tedious but I have located the offending fuse and circuit. It's the Stop lights. I also unplugged both of them in the trunk but with no joy. Time to start tracing wires etc. But I can pull a simple fuse and stop the battery drain while I locate the issue. I'll carry a pair of pliers with me and when I stop I'll pull the fuse. Don't need stop lights when parked 🙂 Thanks again for a comprehensive video!!!!!!!

Great comprehensive video! Well done and thanks so much for the effort put into this. Patience is key with this issue.

best explanation ever on how to find a parasitic drain. brian

Best parasitic draw vid out there. I've seen a few, and totally agree on being patient while everything goes to sleep. It does suck that the wife knew about the lock and you spent 2 days in troubleshooting. But an excellent vid came from it that will likely help a lot of people. 👍...still...no ice cream for her tonight. 😂

THANK YOU for making this video. This is one of the best parasitic draw videos on RU-vid!

Wow! Thanks for the great pointer. Good analysis and investigation skills. You help us be better and get better at looking after our cars. Thanks a lot!!

I came across your video among many others on battery draining...and I must admit that I tried others video on trying to find out what was causing my battery drain but had no luck at all...going through more videos I came across yours and figured what the heck and low and behold you showed me something different...to turn the ignition on to rest everything and I seen a difference in my readings but the kicker was the detail about the door lock...I bought my truck used and the back hatch never locked which wasn't a big deal but turns out to be my battery drain I've been having since I purchased the truck...thanks for the informative video!!!

Well done !! I did learn a lot watching your how-to. Thank you for your time.

I've watched probably a dozen parasitic draw vids on RU-vid and this is the best. I'm still trying to find the issue on a 2001 Lexus RX300 but I think your tip "WAIT" is probably exactly the thing I'm missing. Kudos and thanks for the video.

In the video I didn't notice if you mentioned the methodology you used for pulling fuses in order to narrow in on the offending circuit. My inclination would be to pull half the underhood fuses and measure current to see if any in that group are bad. Then replace half of the removed fuses and repeat measuring the draw. For example, suppose your underhood fuse box could be divided up into four quadrants ... I'd pull quadrants 1 and 2 and measure current. If the problem doesn't go away then one of the circuits in quadrant 3 or 4 must be the problem, so I'd put the quadrant 1 and 2 fuses back in and pull the quadrant 3 fuses. If the current draw drops off, the one of thhe quadrant 3 circuits must be faulty and, if not, then the bad circuit is in quadrant 4. Then dive down into the circuits within the offending quadrant using the same methodology. Do you see any problems with that approach? Are there circuits that will act differently depending on the status of power to other circuits? For instance, could a problem not appear because your door lock circuitry used a relay powered by circuit A that is turned on and off by a module powered by circuit B and that relay closes the door lock solenoid powered by circuit C or something along those lines?

RU-vid knew this is what I needed in my life. Great video

Nice job. Knowing how equipment works is essential to effective troubleshooting. Now why does it have to be cycled by switch to activate the problem? Pulling fuse causes relays to drop out while cycling the switch allows them to stay engaged normally and allowing to ”see” problem in real time. Again excellent presentation!

This is one of the best tuitorial video's I've seen on youtube. Thank you.

Thank you for this video. I liked how you used your meter continuity test to tell witch terminal supplied power to the fuse block inside the cab. Also that you put the key forward to activate that current draw. The only thing I would do different is to use a DC inductive amp clamp neater for the parasitic drain. 🙏👍

This electrical stuff drives me nuts. It is always so time consuming. This video is excellent! Thank for such a great lesson. Can you come to my house when I have electrical problems with my cars???

Most of the time when this happens it’s from leaving the window open while it’s raining. Once you find out what the problem is just take apart the drivers window switch and clean it with electronic spray and Q-tips. Most of the time it’s just corrosion and the problem solved.

Wow, i truly learned something with that video! Great job! Thank you!

My 2001 Impala LS with 20,000 miles on it, the battery would drain in about 2 days. I attached my meter like you did and pulled every fuse out, but the meter still showed a more than normal draw on the battery. Even when I pulled the radio fuse it still had a draw.. I found that the amplifier had a bad ground so I purchase a factory amp and that was the problem..

I had a parasitic drain on a Mercedes gl450. Dealer couldn't figure it out after having it multiple times for multiple days. The car had removable push to start button. I ended up figuring out the drain was when we would have the push to start button inserted. Didn't think it was worth the money to have the dealer tear apart the steering column. Just used the key fob as the key. Good video!!!

Great video. That was quite the electrical adventure. I'm definitely saving this for future use.

Best video on parasitic battery Drain EVER!!

thank you for this video, my envoy has a draw, so did my mustang. the only thing the same between them is my audio equipment. same headunit amps and speakers, took them out of 1 and into the other. im going to start there since its more obvious but now i know how to do it

I don't use this tool often and neither do most people, but when I see someone use it so wrong I just gotta go brush-up and make sure I'm good to go. Thanks for this video.

At 6:43, when he cycled the key, the meter read 17.xx amps. He could have blown the fuse or worse, the meter. He could have put a jumper between the meter leads just until he finished cycling the key to absorb the momentary current/amperage flow...

Thank you. I have a 1999 Ford F350 7.3L Diesel Crew Cab Long bed. Isolated what I thought was a parasitic leak on fuse #15 (Generic Electronic Module (GEM) at 152.2 mAmp. But saw your video and filmed the multimeter for 1 hour. Sure enough, at 45 minutes the multimeter went from 152.2 mAmps to 9.27-12.67 mAmps. It took 45 minutes before the GEM went to sleep. You saved me an unnecessary replacement GEM purchase. Cheers!

So how'd you fix it...I have the same EXACT problem... same exact car

Outstanding. That is instructor-style learning. Thanks. I have one question, you started by just pulling the fuses without the key on and off. Then you did the key on and off. Were those basically two types of tests you did? I'm no electrician and I have a battery drain. I will use your method in checking for my drain.

Thank you for this video. Even though I knew that you are supposed to be latient and wait for the various modules to go to sleep, I didn't realize that the wait times would be so long. Thank goodness I've got an ancient car with nowhere near as many electronics modules to wait for because patience is not one of my virtues.

So did you find and correct the problem?

I troubleshoot electronics quite often… Just not on vehicles…. Hate working on cars!!!! I like the way you broke it down and the process of elimination!!!! Cut it in half, cut that in half, cut that in half and there is the problem!!! I also work with inverters… It take time for them to discharge…. You wait for it tactic is very good!!!!! Well done!!! I would watch more if your videos if you produced similar content… Again, nice job! Good video!!! Thank you!!!

On the second day his wife decided to talk to him about his video. Gotta love married couples.

This is the fourth video that I have watched because my battery is going dead after I bought my 2018 Kia with 28,300 miles. I love the car however, after two weeks my battery went dead... got a job down at AutoZone they showed me I have a dead cell in the battery... bought a new one .... 2 days later dead again !!!! They check the charging system and the battery and everything is okay... but the battery still drained. Oddly enough, one of my neighbors told me that the door opened up. And today I found out that I can't open the side door with a remote. I've not gotten to the bottom of it but I'm going to guess it might be a door problem. I'm going to use your system of tracking down the problem. Thank you so much !!♡!! I feel like I'm closer to the truth... I know what/how to proceed now 💪 !!! When you said be patient... wait for the number to go down it reminded me of a quote from Aristotle : "Patience is bitter but the fruit is sweet". So, did you have to change an electric door switch or control module ??

Holy Cow! After watching your video, I went outside and locked my passenger door manually from the inside and after closing, testing from the outside to ensure it was locked. Then, I got inside, turned the ignition twice and IT STARTED!!! It hasn't started for a while. I too have had a locking issue with my passenger side thinking it was the locking mechanism. Turns out it was! The irony. Thanks Iron Man!

Correct, ALWAYS disconnect the negative first. Most EXCELLENT video, perfect diagnostic approach. Many thanks. I happen to have the same vehicle, but not with any problem. My GMC, however does have a parasitic draw that I will track down with my new-found confidence from your instructions. Good stuff, thank you.

Wonderful video. I know zero but you explained enough I going to try. Thank you people like you make the world so much better and no real greed just helping fellow man or women.

As an Electrical Engineer I can say well-thought-out techniques. Thank you!

This was an amazing walk through, much appreciated. I’ve been the guy before chasing draws that we’re “normal” thinking they were the issue 🤦🏾

4 year old discovery.. This is one of the best videos on this subject I've seen 👍 .. subscribing

I use a infrared thermometer,the Lazer shows were you are pointing at the fuse box to identify the hot fuse drawing the current. Sometimes you can trace a wiring heat to the short with the thermometer too,

I was so glad to find someone using the exact same multimeter, so I could follow along without assumptions or guesswork. Thank you forcall that you do...

Excellent video brother. I love how you stress the importance of patience. As with all things like this, slow and steady wins the race. Calm patience is the sign of a pro.

I like your comment about you wife mentioning the issue after your second day of testing. My wife has done the same thing to me with her car.

Very handy, and the most well explained on this difficult subject. Be patient, so says the master.

Yes, great video. You definitely taught me to be patient. I like using my meter and cycling the key really helped me from chasing my tail. Thank you.

excellent clear video

This is the best video explaining and showing how to check and fix a draw I've seen. THANK YOU

Thank you! Great video. It addressed a couple of reasons why I had not been able to identify the source of my battery drain. Excellent!