Power Drain when car is off

[Ti Kan]

MATT BLIEFERNICH writes:
> I have a 1986 5000 cstq.  Recently I went out and tried to start it and the
> battery was dead.  I thought this wierd but knew the battery was old and
> replaced it after having it checked, it would not hold a charge anymore.  I
> thought everything was fine then but two days later the new battery died.  I
> went and had it checked and it held a charge fine.  I thought it might be
> the radio causing the drain but when I pulled the fuse and let it sit the
> battery still ended up dead.  I am wondering if there is a common problem
> area on 5000s that may be the culprit of if anyone has some ideas.  I am not
> very proficient at electrical testing and trouble shooting but I have a good
> friend who is an electrician and has offered to help but I don't know where
> to begin.  Any help or ideas would be great.

Time to do a bit of diagnostic work to isolate the problem...
Shut ignition and all accessories off, close all doors, then
on the fuse relay panel, remove one fuse at a time and then connect
an ammeter in its place to measure the quiescent current.  Some
circuits may exhibit a small drain (to maintain clock memory, radio
station presets, etc), but you shouldn't see anything over 100mA or so.

If you have found the circuit that has a large drain, then figure out
what's on that circuit and debug further.  The Bentley manual wiring
diagram is your friend here.

You should use a good ammeter that could handle at least 5A to prevent
meter damage in case the drain is large.

-Ti
2003 A4 1.8T multitronic
2001 S4 biturbo 6-sp
1984 5000S turbo
1980 4000 2.0 5-sp
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