solving amp draw??

jimisouljah

jimisouljah

Active Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Location
Kannapolis
I've posted the question before but I'm just now geting around to it. I wanna make sure I'm gooing about it right. 88 4runner--the battery dies after sitting about 4 or 5 days. In trying to figure out what is causing this I need to disconnect the positive on the battery and put my Amp meter in between the cable and the terminal...then start pulling fuses until I get a 0 reading to find the circuit that is drawing? I'm getting a 0.20A reading. Is it correct that I should be getting 0.00A? thanks in advance.
 
Disconnect the negative terminal, then hook a test light up, alligator clip on the negative battery cable and the pointed end on the negative post of the battery, if it lights up, you've got a drain, pull fuses until the light goes out. Sometimes the alternator has a short in it that will cause a drain, if that's the case, disconnect the power wire (largest wire) from the atlernator and see if the test light goes out. I've tested for drains like this for 20 years, never used an amp gauge.
 
Do you have more than one cable on the Positive side of the battery, if so try narrowing it down by removing the one by one. Like Woody said it could be the Alt pulling it down.

Also are there any aftermarket electronics on it, CB, Stereo, and so on. They may not be tied to a fuse box but tied in with a inline fuse.
 
jimisouljah said:
I've pulled very fuse I know (in engine compartment and drivers kick panel). Light doesn't go off... Now what?
Click to expand...

How well do you know the electrical system in your rig? Was it bone stock when you got it and you added all the "extra" electronics in it?

If you pulled every fuse and the light was still on, you didn't disconnect every load from the battery. There's something else connected you have to find.
 
A little update of where I stand....I ended up unhooking the winch, the stereo, and the CB to see if that would kill the test light. I also cleaned up the ignition coil wiring because there was corrosion on the contacts to the coil. Still no luck! The only time I saw the light change (it didn't go all the way out, just dimmed) was when I took the 30A and the 40A fuse under the hood out at the same time. I'm not sure which direction to go with this? Does anybody no a good automobile wiring guy in the Kannapolis-Concord area?
 
you are doing it wrong...

Leave the positive post alone.

Disconnect the negative completely.
Clamp the aligator clip to the negative cable (which is well away from the battery) and then touch the battery post with the light. If it is a bright light...Id start with the alternator as suggested
 
That's the way I've approached after bigwoody's post. I unhooked the alternator all the way...light still shines. The only wAy I can get the light to go out is by pulling the 40A fusible link and the 10A horn/hazard fuses under the hood at the same time
 
Not trying to HI-jack, but troubleshooting same problem on 85 4Runner. Battery was dead yesterday, hooked up the charger for 12 hrs. Started fine today, but after sitting for 4hrs approx the voltage had dropped to 11.5v. I drove it to Autozone for them to check it, said it was fully charged. Pulled positive post to check alternator, stayed running.
Pulled negative post and used test light, bright light. Pulled stereo Amp cable off, no change, pulled all 3 cables off positive terminal and still had dim light to ground???? My radar detector has a volt meter on it, last week it would stay about 13.5, today was at 14.5...voltage regulator in alternator??
 
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