Parasitic battery Draw

[squidler4]

I have a new battery in my 2009 Dodge Ram Quad Cab truck but it is going dead after sitting for 2 days. I am a noobie with multimeters so I need some help interpreting the readings. I disconnected the black battery cable and am trying to figure out the current with everything "off". Here is the reading:



What I take the cable off of the fuse box I get this reading:


This is the cable I removed from the fuse box to get the reading.


For the past several months my radio has been turning off and on randomly but I have not been able to figure out the solution to this. I suspect my battery drain is related to this but I am not sure.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Hootbro]

First of all, you are on volts scale and that is not going to measure amp draw. Secondly, your meter even for amps is woefully inadequate. I would suggest finding a decent digital multimeter in the 10 amp range or even an amp clamp meter.

Plenty of Youtube video's on doing parasitic draw testing. Below is one that covers the basics.

 

[squidler4]

Thanks I had a feeling I was way off. The video helped a lot.


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[squidler4]

I bought a Digital Multimeter and got a 1.44ma reading with everything turned off. When I disconnected the stock radio the reading dropped to .44ma’s.

Does this seem to make sense? Would the radio be causing the parasitic drain on the battery?

Thanks



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[squidler4]

Here is my reading with the radio unplugged.




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[Hootbro]

I bought a Digital Multimeter and got a 1.44ma reading with everything turned off. When I disconnected the stock radio the reading dropped to .44ma’s.

Does this seem to make sense? Would the radio be causing the parasitic drain on the battery?

Thanks



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Quite possible. The video mentions normal reading should be below .50ma and you were above it before pulling the radio. Did you pull the radio circuit fuse or the radio head unit itself?

If you can live without your radio for a couple of days, fully charge your battery and run the vehicle for 2-3 days to be sure and make the call on the radio 100%

 

[squidler4]

Quite possible. The video mentions normal reading should be below .50ma and you were above it before pulling the radio. Did you pull the radio circuit fuse or the radio head unit itself?

If you can live without your radio for a couple of days, fully charge your battery and run the vehicle for 2-3 days to be sure and make the call on the radio 100%

Thanks for the reply. Ok I did the reading by just pulling the radio fuse and then just the radio head itself and got the same reading. So I will check it in a couple of days and see how it goes.

@Hootbro Thanks again for your help.


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[mondo]

Do you have a tuner that stays plugged in? Diablosport Trinity's are known for it.

 

[DKSDonnie]

I know i'm coming in late but I recently installed a new stereo in my truck and was having a problem with parasitic draw on my 2009 Dodge Ram also. I had a reading of 1.3 amps. I removed the 30 amp radio fuse and it dropped to .44 amps also. From a post in this particular subject it says anything below .50 is normal. You are getting the same reading as I am. Looks like you have a problem with your radio also. Can anyone confirm that .44 is normal. I also saw on another post that with this truck it should be 300-400 milliamps. I just want someone to confirm that .44 is normal. That would be 440 milliamps correct? I know why my radio is causing this and I can fix it. I just want to make sure I don't have something else causing an additional draw. Thanks.

 

[DKSDonnie]

Here is my reading with the radio unplugged.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I know i'm coming in late but I recently installed a new stereo in my truck and was having a problem with parasitic draw on my 2009 Dodge Ram also. I had a reading of 1.3 amps. I removed the 30 amp radio fuse and it dropped to .44 amps also. From a post in this particular subject it says anything below .50 is normal. You are getting the same reading as I am. Looks like you have a problem with your radio also. Can anyone confirm that .44 is normal. I also saw on another post that with this truck it should be 300-400 milliamps. I just want someone to confirm that .44 is normal. That would be 440 milliamps correct? I know why my radio is causing this and I can fix it. I just want to make sure I don't have something else causing an additional draw. Thanks.

I bought a Digital Multimeter and got a 1.44ma reading with everything turned off. When I disconnected the stock radio the reading dropped to .44ma’s.

Does this seem to make sense? Would the radio be causing the parasitic drain on the battery?

Thanks



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I know i'm coming in late but I recently installed a new stereo in my truck and was having a problem with parasitic draw on my 2009 Dodge Ram also. I had a reading of 1.3 amps. I removed the 30 amp radio fuse and it dropped to .44 amps also. From a post in this particular subject it says anything below .50 is normal. You are getting the same reading as I am. Looks like you have a problem with your radio also. Can anyone confirm that .44 is normal. I also saw on another post that with this truck it should be 300-400 milliamps. I just want someone to confirm that .44 is normal. That would be 440 milliamps correct? I know why my radio is causing this and I can fix it. I just want to make sure I don't have something else causing an additional draw. Thanks.

Actually, I found out that the .44 amps or 440 ma's is perfect. The dealer pulled it up for me and this is exactly what Dodge said it should be.

 

[S0CAL]

Excellent thread guys. I stumbled upon ETCG video before coming here. 2010, replaced the battery last year, do have an aftermarket stereo w/amp, a Diablo T2 tuner and a remote start kit. I am just starting the journey to isolate the issue. I am going to start by taking the battery back to the vendor (under warranty) and have it benchtested. I will pull out the Fluke after that. What a PITA.

 

[ramrocker]

I'd done a little checking on battery amps load with the truck off a couple weeks ago before I added a 600W inverter under rear seat as it draws .02A while off.

Used a several years old AC/DC clamp on meter so can't verify its accuracy.
Measured at input to the fuse box, hood light disconnected.
Truck Off .06A to .07A
Truck ready to start after touching door handle: 14.06A
Truck ramps down to 2.5A within a minute if not started, then sits at .25A about 5 minutes, then back to .06A

Hood light draws about 1A when on.