A simple test to help you find why your car battery is always dead in the morning. My NEW HD VIDEO with a better method can be found here: • Improved Methods to Fi...
Your video has great humor and has very valuable information. A lot of people are not good and teaching/explaining procedures like this. Keep them coming. Thanks
Adeiza Yusuf Thanks! I would hope anyone can follow along and at least diagnose they have a parasitic draw and if so, what circuit. Now, finding the source of the draw on the circuit you suspect is a whole different matter. You usually need to be pretty slick at electrical if it isn't just a light bulb on or accessory always on or something. It's often a short circuit and finding them can be really challenging.
Matt creates videos with damn good content. The other 98% do not like him very much, it seems. "Hurry up and get to the point!," they say, when the whole video IS the point.
A tough one to find is a bad (leaky) diode on an alternator. It will pretty much charge ok.. although sometimes a little low under heavy loads (wipers/fan/headlights.. winter scenario). Sometimes the alternator will whine louder than usual with an open diode. Disconnecting the big post on the back of the alternator will usually show a big drop on the ammeter.
Best explanation of how to trace parasitic drain I've seen so far. 7 years on your videos still helping. I'll do this before a software update as my 2006 VE SS Commodore sedan is known to have faulty algorithm. Thanks.
Dear Schrodingers, So far I have watched two of your videos. I must say they are a pleasure, and a privilege to see you teach us out here in youtube land. Your teaching skills are magnificent, and am grateful to learn from them. Thank you.
Great video! I usually get frustrated with these videos because people seem to go off on rants that have nothing to do with the problem. You were a pleasure to listen to! Very relevant information and I learned a lot! Thanks you!!!
Not a pro. But I know a smart, articulate person when I hear one.This was the best video of several I watched. This guy could easily be a science teacher. Good job!!
The problem with this one is he is doing it wrong. When checking for a draw you MUST keep the meter in series at ALL times. You are guaranteed to show a draw because you are waking up all the modules everytime you reconnect it. Also you have to know how long it takes for all the modules to go to sleep. After they are asleep then you can start the test. Some of the modules can stay awake for an hour or longer. All cars are different but typically you should have no more than 50 milliamps.
Great video; the man is able to speak clearly without any difficult dialects. Practical info. REALLY LIKE his last remarks about how he knows things ha ha. We've all been down that road...
I am not a car specialist but you have improved my knowledge on this lesson I really thank you from my heart. I have Captiva 2013 which its 7 minths old battery been completely dead and I have replaced it with another one under the warranty but my inner curiousity insists the problem isnt from the old battery so am going to find a good mechanic in where I stay to check for electrical source in general. Again thanks.. subscribed
I feel that my truck has parasitic drain.. in the last 2 weeks I've needed a jump start going to work and leaving work.. I feel like there's something draining my battery while at work or over night at home... thank you for the helpful video I'll be sure to mention it to my mechanic when I take my truck into the shop
Grand! Thanks for the walk-through. Hope this will help finding an elusive battery drain in my Stratus post break-in attempt and broken door handle. Current guess for the culprit: the alarm system. Cheers
I know your informational video was uploaded in 2013 but..It helped me tremendously with my daughters car!Still great information and guidance!!Thank you!!
Oh my gosh! Thank you so much! I’ve replaced two batteries, lucky the first one was under warranty, but I knew it wasn’t a bad battery problem. Hopefully with this video I can figure out why my car battery keeps dying. Thank you so much!
Good video Matt , But as Tony Le perfectly pointed out this method though you are using won't be so accurate as you're breaking the circuit.Maybe an amp clamp to start with to confirm the amperage is excessive on the battery, then measure the the M.V. drop on every fuse it should be "0" .There's a generic chart for this you can use which will tell you how many Milliamp/amp are consumed off the voltage drop you measure.If you want I can send it you ? ( this method is great for range rovers etc..)Also depending on the make of vehicle the residue amperage with be dependant on how many ecu's are on vehicles etc..Considering you're self taught your knowledge level is very very good !
Good video sir, I've also seen a method where leaving the battery connected then voltage drop across all fuses searching for draw, same result but I like the confirmation you get by you linking in the metre initially.
@12VGS- indeed you are right on both counts- the comment and leaving the meter connected. Indeed leaving the meter connected was my first choice but it turned out with the battery being side terminal and my inability to quickly find a bolt for the battery and sufficient lengths of wire to bring the VOM to me plus the delay in camera setup, the battery had already pretty much died by the time I got started pulling fuses so I kept it disconnected. I was hoping no one would notice lol.
Lol I do indeed get a lot of hate mail from professionals. I call them out every time and show they may do this for a living but they are far from professionals.
@@SchrodingersBox I bet u do. Well, I say f them ALL. Maybe f they quit being so F'n EXPENSIVE/DISHONEST, they might not lose some customers. This is not a hard task to do, but they make it sound more difficult than it actually is, just so they can charge us more. Not to mention some even f other things up in ur auto, that u nvr had problem b-4 u took in ur car to their shop, So they can throw their hissy fit all they want, O WELL😒 Thank God for youtube😆👍
Good, straightforward procedural video. Just confirming my plan before I dig into my daughters 94 Jetta with this issue. Thanks for spending the time to post this,
I want to thank you for this video. I fixed my problem which after a lot of time I discovered the Alternator was causing the parasitic draw. Replaced and resolved. Thank you
excellent step by step instructions, good that you have highlighted the potential pitfalls and problems to watch out for when carrying out this test . thank you
How Interesting you mention that because I also had thought about a similar technique to save time. If you find a good tutorial on a voltage-drop method for determining a parasitic circuit do let me know!!
Very helpful. Wife's car has suddenly developed a parasitic problem for the 2nd time. First time was fixed by a shop that replaced a relay. Will see what happens when I pull relays and fuses.
Schrodinger. Ill tell you a better method for this day and age. Most drains now a days arent just from dome lights, trunk lighter, or some sort of light. Cars now a days have many different ECU's. And ECU's can take 5min or many hrs before it goes to sleep after the car is off. Sometimes if for whatever reason it doesnt go to sleep, then theres going to be amperage flowing in the system. But if you disconnect the negative lead like that you ll automotically put the ECUs to sleep and it will show no drain on your tests. The better way of working on it now a days is doing a closed circuit voltage drop tests. And when I say that I mean use the fuses for your test. Check the voltage on every fuse, it should read 0. If its more than 0, you know theres amperage in the circuit. Get my theory? This keeps any active ECU's from being missed by not disconnecting the circuit via the battery cable.
Freesafe, good eye. That is indeed my 2000 Trans Am WS6 6speed manual that was dyno tested at 357rwhp. Man I used to get in a LOT of trouble with that thing lol!! I rarely have ever had an issue with it so it has not appeared in any videos but I sure do wish I filmed all the performance mods I've done but that was years before RU-vid was even around lol!!
Great, helpful video. Thanks! FYI, unless I'm mistaken (and I've done this before), removing the positive battery cable at the BATTERY end (as opposed to removing the heavy positive wire from the starter, for example), does not leave the positive cable energized, bc it breaks the circuit, and no current is actually flowing through either cable bc it has no pathway to return to the positive battery post. Thus if the disconnected positive battery post touches ground, no current can flow from the positive battery terminal (or through the battery) bc nothing is attached to that terminal. Correct me if I missed something, I've been working on starter/electrical issues recently and there are zero volts at the disconnected positive cable (and hence no current flow). Your suggestion on which circuits to check first is appreciated, gonna check out the wiring to my non-existent stereo that I haven't got around to re-connecting yet. :O) Thanks again. PS. My multimeter doesn't have a 10A DC ammeter (250 mA max), so gonna try a test light (to see which fuse causes it to go off) instead. I know that won't tell me the "amount" of current that's flowing, but when I see which fuse causes the light to go out, assuming the problem is one large drain (not a combination of several smaller drains), that should tell me which circuit the problem is in (hopefully). Any thoughts on that? Thanks.
Very good instruction! Step by step, with "don't do's" as well. and yes, I'm not going to ask about how you know the battery in your meter goes dead if you don't turn it off. LOL
Thank very much, especially for tolerating the low resolution. Check out my updated video “improved methods for detecting parasitic draw” which is in HD and has better techniques than shown here.
Get a 4K and redo the video. Aside from that? Very succinct! One of the best videos I have seen and you did a spot on tutorial. Oh, and I don't know when this was made or when you acquired it, but you have the same multi meter model as I have been using for EVER~
Yes this is one of my first videos. Since then I of course have hi-def resolution for hundreds of videos. One of them is a remake of this video with better techniques for detecting parasitic draw.
Given that you made the high definition comment just for me, I have to say something :-) Why not keep the meter connected while you are pulling fuse one at a time? 2A current through the meter is not going to cause problem either for the meter or for the car or for the battery.
I have a 04 suburban my issue was a bad diode in the alternator this is common get a mechanic to check it out before you go crazy like I did.The diode allows power to escape from the battery while parked
Leaving it on amps then checking the battery voltage without switching to volts makes the leads very warm and very soft... oh and sparky too.... in a smoky sort of way. Thanks for this.
That's a very traditional approach and in fact I did a video of this technique as you explained it. But I have recently been intrigued with the technique of measuring voltage drop across the fuses individually, which may be a real time saver. The fuse with the biggest drop is the likely culprit circuit. That also gets around the complication of awakening the PCM when it's fuse is reinserted, confusing the diagnosis.
I just wached your video which is very intresting but i will need you to help me out with my car am really distourbed with that perticular problem with battery drain, my car could not start after a while i packed it
So, to speed this test, an easy way with fuses that have test points exposed on their front is to look for the voltage drop across them with no electrical loads being active intentionally. Since the current being drawn through each fuse except the branch which has an issue is going to be extremely low, the voltage drop across the fuse of good branches will also be extremely low (millivolts), but on the branch that has significant current flowing through it, expect in the neighborhood of a few tenths of a volt drop, perhaps a bit less on fuses 20 amp or greater. Some VOMs have a millivolt range that will make this test more sensitive. The fuse that has a voltage drop exceeding the voltage drop of the other fuses by an order of magnitude or more is your likely suspect. At this point, change the VOM to the 10A current measuring mode, and use the meter probes to bridge the two contacts for the pulled fuse. At this point, the fuse in the meter's Ammeter circuit is temporarily substituing for the original fuse, which is o.k. as long as you don't draw in excess of the typical 10A that it is rated at. If you see a large current, you have confirmed that the issue is downstream of the fuse in this branch. If it is easy to get to, disconnect the load that this fuse is intended to supply current to, and see if the branch still has an abnormally high parasitic current draw. If not, the issue is downstream of the connector you removed, If the branch still has an abnormally high current draw with the load disconnected close to the load, the issue is somewhere between the fuse block to the connector near the load. So, check how the wires are routed to the connector for abrasions, melted connectors, etc. Remember that in rare cases, the fuse block itself can be bad. One note on after market radios, often they are DIY installed with disregard to how electrical wires are routed around them, later on a wire rubs on a sharp edge of the radio or a support and now you have an electrical issue. -Arlen
Very clear , thanks, I found the bluetooth module on my MK8 Honda Civic EX was the cause,draining a new battery in 2 days,the previous lady owner had the battery changed by a garage several times ,(I found the receipts in the glove box) doesn't say much for the garage who couldn't fix the problem, very smelly. As I don't believe or want to use a phone whilst driving ,I simply unplugged it, Problem solved,car runs perfectly,battery stays charged even after a few weeks of standing,the acceptable drain now is around 37 MA. .I have seen reports of the same problem on other makes with this same Mexican made BT module.
That was great and easy way to understand where the amp draw is going on my little brothers mustang kills the battery constantly when its not being driven so this helps me for worrying about that issue later as i install new head gaskets and clutch throw out bearing and all that good stuff down there appreciate this video
I have 350 milli amps draining between the negative cabele and the negative post, testing with the multimeter .. and 2.89 volts with the battery disconnected .. no crank, but crank when hot wire at relay, also there is 4.44 volts on the left side of a fuse, testing with the fuse pulled out, in the electrical socket to chassis ground = 12.80 right socket, and 4.44 volts on the left socket.
Outstanding, I have been searching for hours and no one had this detail. I am going to try these tips. I contacted Just answer and paid $20 and did not get this detail.
Crappy video quality, but what great and useful content. I never knew that the basic's to finding a draw was so easy. I'm a new believer and subscriber ! Thank you !!
Real good advice. I did TV work in the 80s and 90s.. I This all makes total sense.. Liked the way you did the troubleshooting. Working on my 1999 Ford expedition. It The battery goes out in about 4 days. Thanks again.
@@SchrodingersBox Was just about to call the auto part stores and see if they had a an accurate electronic schematic on the f150 exp. and saw your message..
@@SchrodingersBox Noticed while sitting in drivers seat of my 99 expy that,before replacing charged battery, a store bought seat cover on the drivers"s side had pulled the driver's seat control to fully back. It was not fully back..but its possible I think to cause the problem..small chance..
westriding100 Thanks Man, I do put special effort into the presentation. My only regret in looking back at these older videos is that I wish I got my HD camera sooner. But overall people like you tend to appreciate the content over the cinematography anyway. The content is what makes it valuable.
Thanks. Very good video. I used jumpers cables to go from the battery which is under my passenger seat to the fuse box to have the voltmeter next to me while I pulled fuses.
I think a better method is to use is voltage drop across the fuses. It's simple and non-intrusive. Your not opening the circuit and no chance of blowing the meter fuse. Some newer BMW's and Mercedes will blow your meter as soon as you connect it in series due to the initial high current draw. Also when you disconnect the battery the modules will wake up as soon as you connect the ammeter and you have to wait a couple of hours for them to go back to sleep.
I had a 68 El Dorado that had a ton of lights under the dash to light up the feet.. lights in the roof and under the seats. It would also pull 2 monster solenoids that pulled the seat back locks and kill the battery in about 20 minutes
When the switch button on the radio got hammered and broken, the impact maybe also damaged the switch or the circuit board it is soldered to, causing a short.
Mine is a 99 ws6 in pewter. They are my favorite cars in the world. Those would have been some awesome videos. Keep up the good work. Your videos are very helpful.
Nice tut, very helpful, I had thought about checking by jumping fuse by fuse with the multimeter in amp mode to find the bat drainage, which was going to work as well but much more hassle, Thanks for taking the time to explain.
You are the most informative and easiest to follow and understand, so far. Thanks. However, my car has been on jack stands for 11 months?? No crank, No start. Engine died, backing out the driveway. Performed an Instrument Cluster/Ignition Key Test >>> !* 5 Trouble Codes p0340.. Cam, CRK, TP, Barometric PS & OilPressure Sensor. ?? Huh?? Must have a Common Denominator? YES! All on 5v DC Circuit/Wire Harness... ** Which, Tripped the Engine Shutdown Relay. (Of Course.) My battery charger is reading a FULL Charge on battery? I got in the car to crack the window (I've been haunted by Phantom Door Locks... Not EVEN in the mood to have to call AAA, for a Lock-out on a car thet doesn't RUN? Seriously, Interior Lights, A digital milelage illumination on the cluster, Key on to auxillary >> Crack the window >> ***I thought, with the key in the ignition... Let's just try turning it over >>> Turn the key one more Click to start. Bam! Nothing! No Power, No Light, Nothing! Schumacher Charger Reads 12v @ 95% Charge...??? This 5v Harness is powered & runs through the PowertrainCM?? Not through a Fuse Panel? What can I do Next? I know, I have to get under the vehicle & start tracing wire... For the Trouble Codes I'd planned to start at the Last Sensor, Nearest the Exhaust Manifold (OPS) & the Heat Shield... Check for melted insulation on the harness. But, the NO Power At ALL...?? has me baffled. Any advice?? Make me another video, to learn from, Please? 2005 Chrysler Convertible. Thanks
The guys at motor age magazine discussed it, but their videos are pretty long. Their video is on the banner just to the right on this page. I've seen it a few other places, and at one point I found a chart of expected voltage drop plotted against amperage and fuse rating. But when I went to review it again, it's lost on my hard drive somewhere, ha ha.
Great tutorial. Though in this case not related, my aftermarket radio needs permanent 12v to keep the time and bluetooth settings. Otherwise I have to reprogramne the bluetooth settings and radio clock and switch off the annoying demo mode each time the radio loses current, so each time i get out i need to remember to switch off the radio, any suggestions? My car is a French Citroën and goes into "Eco" mode since long before I installed the After market radio, this is to protect the battery and seems due to a parastic draw going by your video. Thanks for an informative video.
sweet. hopefully it's just my aftermarket stereo. Although it died, the battery problem persists. Just got a new starter and battery, plus 2 places tested the battery & charging system, saying they were fine
after years of pulling the #7 fuse over night I watched your video, hooked up an amp meter and clamped the door switch. it used to draw over one amp. I got .002 amps, only thing I can figure is it was the door switch and mashing it with a clamp fixed it because when I removed the clamp and shut the door I still got .002. I feel kind of disappointed , o well, maybe the switch is intermitant and it will do it again.
