Main IndexAuto Repair Home Search Posts SEARCH
POSTS 		Who's Online WHO'S
ONLINE 		Log in LOG
IN




Automotive Repair
Car Troubleshooting Topics
  Car Troubleshooting
  Engine Troubleshooting
  Engine Fault Codes
  Electrical and Wiring
  Transmission Problems

Car Repair Topics
  Car Making Noises
  Car Stereo Repair
  Heating or AC Issues
  Motorcycles and ATVs
  Tricks of the Trade
  Truck Repair Advice

Site Options:   
  Login
  Sign up here!



battery being drained

Search for (search options)
 



cschill
New User

Aug 29, 2009, 3:05 AM

Post #1 of 2 (2507 views)
battery being drained Sign In
Hi, first time poster here.

I have an 87 bmw 325 with electrical issues (go figure!). The car has about 260,000 miles on and the engine (a 2.5 I believe) runs great. There is, however, an electrical problem. When the car is parked (no key in the ignition) the batter is being drained. I am trying to test this and need some advice. Here is what Ive done so far.

I have a dmm which I setup for the 10ADC connection. I then disconnected the negative connection from the car battery. With the car off and no key, I was getting a reading of about 0.5 (connecting the terminals of the dmm to the neg terminal on the battery and the terminal connector). Now, I turn the car key to the on position and (with the battery about half charged) I am getting a reading of about 5A or so. I am not sure what to make of these numbers.

I guess the 0.5A worries me when the car is off.

I am not sure what the next step is? Should I start pulling fuses and seeing if the 0.5 drops? What to do after that?

On that note, does anyone know where I can find a fuse diagram for the 87? Finally, if pulling fuses tells me nothing, what do I do?

Thanks a million
Chris S.


cschill
New User

Aug 29, 2009, 3:29 AM

Post #2 of 2 (2500 views)
Re: battery being drained Sign In
Hi Again,

Update2: I found the fuse diagram. Apparently the fuse was partially for the trunk light, which was indeed coming on when I put the fuse back in and tested with the dmm. Once I hatched down all the lights I found that the dmm was reading .01. This is damn good. But I do not understand how on earth the battery was being drained if there is no current pull when the car is off. Ill keep running tests...

An update: I started pulling fuses and found one that seemed to suck a lot of juice. After I pulled the fuse with the key off, the reading on the dmm went from 0.5 to 0.16. I pulled the rest, but still get a residual reading of 0.16. Still seems like a lot for the car being off.
Still look forward to any ideas/suggestions.

Thanks
Chris S.


(This post was edited by cschill on Aug 29, 2009, 4:09 AM)





 
 
 






Search for (options) Privacy Sitemap