Parasitic draw (power draw) issue. Help!

What type of amp meter are you guys using to measure parasitic draw? Is it the clamp on style donut thing that goes around the wire to measure amps? Are you measuring negative or positive wire?

I am having a problem too but haven’t gotten around to measuring yet.

 

Start with basics. You didn’t have the issue before the AGM I’d lean towards it being the AGM.

 

I got the UNI-T UT210E Clamp meter. Its pretty darn good and just fits over the positive terminal cables. Even with my aftermarket stuff. I would really love to get the FLUKE with memory to record over time.

If u r using a regular meter test should be done with negative terminal. Check YouTube.

Totally. However there were a few other things added around the same time. Tested the AGM and its fine, so the conclusion would be that AGM batteries just suck. lol

 

Cool. Thanks, I just ordered the same meter from Amazon.

 

I've been running an AGM for a year and a half without issues. And, this is without the voltage booster or trickle charger (I know I really should be doing this). The biggest difference would be that I have a tendency to drive it for several hours at a time pretty much every other weekend.

If the problem came up around the time your commute went from one hour to 10 minutes, I would think that had something to do with it. But, it seems like you are doing all of the right things, so this is pretty confusing to me.

Possible stupid question: is your trickle charger designed for AGM batteries?

 

Yeah, even though my battery tests fine ~80%+ maybe that's just not enough with my short commute.

Yes, I got a NOCO 5A that has and is set to AGM. Just annoying I have to use it every week, but a 7 hour ride every week would do the same thing.

 

Side note i should mention.

I got a Arclightleds booster with 3 settings OEM/+.5v/+1.0v. It was suggested to put it at +.5v in summer and 1.0v in winter but it seems I may need the 1.0v boost all year round.


Didn't seem to do much in the winter with the 1.0v boost, I still needed to charge over the winter. Would it be an issue boosting 1.0v in the summer?

Thoughts?

 

If you are not daily driving long enough you’ll need to charge it frequently, maybe overnight once a week.

Did you get a good reading for your standby current?

 

Could a crimped or clogged AGM vent cause any issues?

 

I have been charging it with a

$70 NOCO GENIUS5 , 5A Smart Car Battery Charger, 6V and 12V Automotive Charger, Battery Maintainer, Trickle Charger, Float Charger and Desulfator for Motorcycle, ATV, Lithium and Deep Cycle Batteries

NOCO GENIUS5 once a week set to AGM charge (think I may need a better charger). The stand by current as in voltage over time? Usually gets to 12.7 after charging up over night, then drops overnight to 12.5, after a few days with my short commute charging to 12.7 it it will be 12.4 in the AM.

Hmm, ill have to look.

 

Ok, so I decided to call AutoZone and they will replace my battery at no charge. Problem is they have no stock so I have to keep calling till its in stock.

Figured starting with a new fresh battery after all the testing I have done is a good next step. Hopefully they get them back in soon.....

 

Think i finally confirmed what the extra draw is/was. My 4Runner should draw ~70ma with the normal items i have added but i confirmed that the Compustar remote start pulls about 40ma which would equal the 120ma draw i have been having consistently.

So i unsubscribed to the app and disconnected the LTE antenna to insure it pulls as little as needed and it seems better. The key fob can notify me up to 3mi away so i really don't need the LTE/app. I should have stuck with my DEI Python alarm that pulls less but didn't know at the time. Guess i'll see over the next month or so.