Very Small Drain but Still Kills Battery
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Car: 88 iroc
Engine: 355 tpi
Transmission: 700
Very Small Drain but Still Kills Battery
Alright I have been having a dead battery after about 3 days of sitting. I did a amp draw test on it and found the alarm/remote start/keyless entry is what is drawing the most power. With the alarm disarmed there is 0.012-0.018 amps in the 10A setting. It jumps up and down every second. With the 2 alarm fuses pulled I get 0.004 amps. From searching I think the 0.012 is
12 milliamps which is well below the 20/50 miliamps standard. I would just unhook the alarm but I live in a bad area and I shaved the lock cylinders so to get into the car I have to crawl through the hatch and have no alarm. Any ideas? I am going to look at new alarms and keyless entry tonight but with mine drawing so little I dont know that a new alarm will help. Sorry for the long post BTW the battery is a newer optima 75/35 and when driving the alternator puts out 13.8-14.2 volts.
12 milliamps which is well below the 20/50 miliamps standard. I would just unhook the alarm but I live in a bad area and I shaved the lock cylinders so to get into the car I have to crawl through the hatch and have no alarm. Any ideas? I am going to look at new alarms and keyless entry tonight but with mine drawing so little I dont know that a new alarm will help. Sorry for the long post BTW the battery is a newer optima 75/35 and when driving the alternator puts out 13.8-14.2 volts.
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Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Oslo, Norway
Engine: '85 Monte SS L69 305
Transmission: TH 200-4R
Axle/Gears: 3.23
Re: Very Small Drain but Still Kills Battery
How long is the longest time the car has been sitting unused with that setup? That draw would completely drain the battery in 7 months, and once drained a start battery doesn't recover very well. I'd suggest getting the battery tested. If you decide on a new battery you could get a yellow top (made for deep cycling) or a blue top (made for both start & deep cycle).
My old battery had been drained once, and after that it would not stand up to the 12mA draw of my stereo for any long periods.
My old battery had been drained once, and after that it would not stand up to the 12mA draw of my stereo for any long periods.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Car: 88 iroc
Engine: 355 tpi
Transmission: 700
Re: Very Small Drain but Still Kills Battery
I put an extra battery in the car and so far its been starting fine BUT I have been driving every other day since the weather is so nice here. We'll see.
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