Parasitic drain

[GTyankee]

Batram, did you live down under, NZ, or Australia a few years back
Just curious

 

[RBJRBJ]

I owned a GMC Denali and now have a 2021 RAM with Hemi V8 eTorque and own two Battery Tenders which have worked flawlessly for years. Both vehicles, if left garaged for 5 days or more would experience parasitic battery drain, prohibiting starting them. As a result, not wanting to risk overcharging, believing “simple is best” I use this battery maintainer model available at Amazon for $52.86:

Battery Tender Plus Charger and Maintainer: Automatic 12V Powersports Battery Charger and Maintainer for Motorcycle, ATVs, and More - 12 Volt, 1.25 Amp Battery Chargers - 022-0185G-DL-WH

Since then, I do not encounter a dead 12V battery.

 

[greg mayrhofer]

I'm having a similar battery drain issue as others yet different. If I leave my '13, 1500 for 5-6 days the battery will be completely dead and truck won't start. At the same time, it's currently -30c outside and the truck starts fine without even being plugged in (as long as I drive it every day). I pulled the negative cable and tested it. It's drawing over 3 amps when shut off. I tried pulling all the fuses and nothing seemed to make a difference with the amp draw. I've read that the fuel pump relay can be an issue and is soldered into the bottom of the TIPM so can't be tested without removal of the TIPM. The battery is less than a year old and I don't hear any noises coming from anywhere when the truck isn't running. Any thoughts?

 

[greg mayrhofer]

62blazer is correct, not that you have done this check, but in the past for a parasitic drain , with a meter hand held remove each fuse and check the volt and amp rating from every fuse, or you can use the prob end as well, you should find which fuse is drawing the highest draw . you should find the problem, if not check the amp output when running to ensure you have 13 plus volts charging, or you may have a shorted cell in the battery

 

[Tracy636]

I had the same issue with my 2022 classic. I had it out one day and the next morning the battery was completely dead. Took it to dodge and the did the diagnostics on it and came to the conclusion that it was the media hub that kept waking up and drawing the battery down. They replaced it and so far so good. I hope it stays that way.

Hope this helps.

 

[mcv1]

Batram, I had an erratic 3 to 4 amp draw and erratic dead dual batteries in my 2020 RAM 3500 from the first months I owned it. I wasted a number of trips to 5 dealers trying to get the erratic draws identified. It turned out to be the batteries themselves! Stellantis assigned a Star engineer. (not so stellar).,. They initially only documented the draw from one of the batteries and replaced it. That worked for about a month and then the problem recurred. I replaced both batteries myself and it has 100% solved the issue. I never would have anticipated batteries could have some kind of intermittent internal short. Anyway, be aware than even my new batteries had some kind of internal problem.

 

[RamDiver]

Batram, I had an erratic 3 to 4 amp draw and erratic dead dual batteries in my 2020 RAM 3500 from the first months I owned it. I wasted a number of trips to 5 dealers trying to get the erratic draws identified. It turned out to be the batteries themselves! Stellantis assigned a Star engineer. (not so stellar).,. They initially only documented the draw from one of the batteries and replaced it. That worked for about a month and then the problem recurred. I replaced both batteries myself and it has 100% solved the issue. I never would have anticipated batteries could have some kind of intermittent internal short. Anyway, be aware than even my new batteries had some kind of internal problem.

And that is precisely why when we have several systems misbehaving, that smart money is on load testing the battery (or batteries). Load testing is free and always provides valuable insight into the true status of a battery's capability and life expectancy.

I always say the same statement, until you load test the battery (or batteries), they are an unknown variable that could be the cause of your grief.

.

 

[drgary55]

In my experience with parasitic draws, it is a backwards search . Start with any mods performed on the vehicle, especially things like stereos, amps, external lights, and backup cameras.

 

[Marshall]

Load testing is free and always provides valuable insight into the true status of a battery's capability and life expectancy.

I thought it was free , until I went to my local dealer where I bought the car new, and a new battery from them 25months ago, it was OK and wrote a service bill for 35.oo 10.oo, I could live with that.

Last time I have been in the place.

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[RamDiver]

Last time I have been in the place.

The auto parts stores are usually free, the stealerships are always another story.

.

 

[Mister Luck]

The parasitic drain post phenomenon that stirs occasionally has piqued my curiosity and I am watching three threads

I found outlined useful information regarding practical procedure for eliminating and narrowing down suspected problem electrical actuators and devices,

To find milliamp values for conformational diagnostic measurements it’s probably best to use a graphing multimeter and or oscilloscope to illustrate/ the subtle distinction in voltages and or record the electrical current draw the battery is experiencing.

Having access to electrical diagrams with schematics like Alldata is extremely helpful in addition a thermal imaging camera to see hotspots around the vehicle’s electrical components.

 

[TC]

I am experiencing a similar issue with battery drain on a 2016 Laramie. After the truck sits for 3-4 days when I start it up, the battery light is on and remains on for 45-60 minutes of driving until the alternator charges battery, then the light turns off. Alternator is working as the voltage is 12.7 - 12.9V after driving for an hour or more. I followed the video instructions below and saw a 3.4 amp draw after disconnecting the ground cable from battery. I waited 30 minutes before testing. Pulled all fuses in fuse box. Nothing changed the amp draw. Found the radio fuse outside the fuse box and pulled it. Amp draw dropped to 0.3 amps. Does this indicate the Uconnect system is not going to sleep? Or does it take longer than 30 minutes for the Uconnect to go to sleep? I have the latest software version 18.45.01

How To Perform a Parasitic Draw Test - EricTheCarGuy

http://www.ericthecarguy.com/This video has been a long timing coming and is one of the most requested things I get is about batteries going dead overnight s...

www.youtube.com

 

[RamDiver]

With a fast idle above 1500 rpm, the voltage on the battery should measure 14.3 to 14.5 VDC.

I believe the activity of fuse pulling, could cause an awakened state. Did you wait 30 minutes before pulling the radio fuse?

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[Mister Luck]

Evap tests can be run autonomously after about 4 to 6 hours while your vehicle is parked , any circuit can be activated through CANbus You need to systematically eliminate each draw.
The first item on the list is the battery itself.

If the alternator is recharging the battery the alternator is being taxed outside of its intended purpose and will eventually need to be replaced also. ( the alternator is there to maintain the battery charge )