12.0v draw

[Niva]

Having problems with my battery continually going flat, last night i turned everything off and put a multi meter in between the posertive lead and the battery and im getting almost 12v draw... surely this means the battery would only last 20 minutes but if the car isnt used it normally takes a couple of days...

were do i start?

[joshg123]

you measure draw in amps not volts champ.

give us an amperage reading and then i can start giving advice, but dont blow up your multimeter :)

[Tocchi]

exactly my issue in the EF

1) connect -VE battery lead to -VE battery terminal
2) connect +VE meter lead to +VE battery terminal
2) connect -VE meter lead to +VE battery lead

and put it on Amps DC, should be 0 Amps (if there was no drain)

and then work your way up the connections/looms, eliminating sections of looms as you go :)

[joshg123]

Once you see your draw, start pulling fuses one by one untill it drops to 0. The fuse that changed the reading, is where your problem lies.

Usually in dodgey alarm wiring

Tested your battery? No dead cells?

[Niva]

battery was replaced as i thought this was the problem.

Just realised stereo can be turned on without the keys..

fail?

[kirbo]

Batteries should read upward of 12.2 when on the shelf. When the engine is running it should read between 14.2-14.4. & as tocchi said check your draw, when the key is out of the ignition & all doors are shut you should get next to zero if not zero draw.


Check the wiring on your headunit. Generally yellow should be constant 12V fused and depending on the head unit it should be rigged up to accessories (usually red). Also; are you running amplifiers?

Multimeter all the way, no guesses.

[Lui]

Batteries should read upward of 12.2 when on the shelf. When the engine is running it should read between 14.2-14.4. & as tocchi said check your draw, when the key is out of the ignition & all doors are shut you should get next to zero if not zero draw.

My AFC Neo always reads around 13.5v when the car is running and Multimeter reads around the same too. It's a new battery, is that normal or should it be reading higher?

[kirbo]

If its a new battery it should be reading over 14V.
Check the output voltage of your altenator. Perhaps upgrade your earth & power run between the altenator & battery. Use 4Ga or thicker.

In reality, anything over 13V will suffice (remember cars only need 12V). Only stereo nerds want over 14V at all times.

[Niva]

Once you see your draw, start pulling fuses one by one untill it drops to 0. The fuse that changed the reading, is where your problem lies.

Usually in dodgey alarm wiring

Tested your battery? No dead cells?

cheers man, turned out to be extra lights installed by previous owner running of the same fuse as the dome lights, they were always on but couldnt notice it with doors closed..

[kirbo]

Solid advice Josh.