Power Mirror - Parasitic Draw

[madrock]

Hey all,

I’ve had an issue the last few months where my battery will die after just a few days of sitting in my driveway. Tests were inconclusive, so I replaced the alternator and starter while getting a new battery under warranty. Even then, it was still dying. I left it on a solar trickle charger to get by.

I finally used an amp hound today, and I discovered my power mirrors are drawing 0.16 amps when the ignition is off. I did replace my mirrors a while back after someone busted one of them.

I know I can replace the faulty mirrors, but can I use a jumper like some use for the fuel pump issue? Mine is a 2012 1500.

 

[chopperman1]

Did you let the modules go to sleep? Leave hood open, close and lock your doors. Leave your FOB in the house and come back in an hour and re-measure everything. Amp hound is awesome! I've been using one myself for quite a few years.

 

[madrock]

Did you let the modules go to sleep? Leave hood open, close and lock your doors. Leave your FOB in the house and come back in an hour and re-measure everything. Amp hound is awesome! I've been using one myself for quite a few years.

Yes I did. My BIL told me about amp hound. I rented this one from the auto parts store, but I definitely need to add one to my garage.

 

[chopperman1]

Yes I did. My BIL told me about amp hound. I rented this one from the auto parts store, but I definitely need to add one to my garage.

Cool, next thing I would do is take off your door panels. Unplug the mirrors one at a time from each door module and see if it's still drawing. Need to isolate if it's the module or the mirror itself. You can't "jump" the mirrors, but you can certainly unplug them.

 

[madrock]

Cool, next thing I would do is take off your door panels. Unplug the mirrors one at a time from each door module and see if it's still drawing. Need to isolate if it's the module or the mirror itself. You can't "jump" the mirrors, but you can certainly unplug them.

Okay. I unplugged each mirror separately and at the same time. The power is definitely at the module. I don’t remember the mirrors always being hot, unless I never really noticed before.

 

[madrock]

I think I found the issue: the driver door switch

 

[madrock]

The issue appears to be resolved, and it was the door switch. The old switch caused the fuse to pull upwards of 0.40 amps. Once I swapped in the new switch, it read zero amps.