[V8] High Current Drain

[Ingo Rautenberg]

Ah, I understand.  As a way to test the fuse, the current draw, and  
prevent damage to the meter, eh?

Ingo

On Apr 16, 2007, at 2:31 PM, S_Matus wrote:

> Ingo -
>
> It is really simple circuit, but remember Amps can only be measured  
> in series with the load.
>
> Solder 1 wire to the Socket directly to the blown fuse,
> Solder 2nd wire to blown fuse and to a Banana plug
> Solder other wire to Socket and to 2nd Banana plug.
>
> I did not care about the polarity of the banana plugs, because the  
> current drain will be positive by definition.  Besides my meter  
> auto ranges to +/- polarity.
>
> I remove the fuse, insert it into the socket and then insert the  
> tester into the fuse position in the Fuse Panel.
>
> With this arrangement it took 2-3 minutes to check all 30  
> positions.  I will be using this tool to check other circuits while  
> I troubleshoot when the engine/accessories are running.  I'd like  
> to post in the near future current drains for all 30 circuits when  
> energized.
>
> I think this would be a great baseline for others to troubleshoot  
> their problems.  It needs to be in the Knowledgebase" for sure.
>
> Scott.
>
> Ingo Rautenberg <ingo.rautenberg at gmail.com> wrote:
> Scott,
>
> Interesting. Good baseline to check from, Scott. I know my '91 5-
> speed drains the battery quickly (over more than three days), whereas
> the '93 has no drain problem whatsoever. Do you have any issues with
> either of your instrument clusters? I replaced mine because of that
> pegged water temp gauge and have a feeling that was the cluprit.
> Haven't let the car sit long enough to tell, though.
>
> Ingo
>
> PS - I thought I understood that circuit tester, but am not sure
> now. Could you explain. Specifically wrt the Fuse socket. I would
> have thought the banana plugs to the blown fuse would have been
> enough to check current drain?
>
> On Apr 16, 2007, at 1:07 PM, S_Matus wrote:
>
> > This weekend I decided to investigate why my cars batteries were
> > alway loosing charge. I do not drive my V8s everyday and often
> > find the batteries drained, barely able to start the car.
> >
> > I made this simple tester with a Fuse Socket, Banana Plugs and a
> > blown fuse -
> >
> > http://picasaweb.google.com/scott.matus/CircuitTerster/
> > photo#5054064481260063250
> >
> >
> > Findings -
> >
> > The readings on the '90 Auto and the '91 5-sp were almost
> > identical. I read the current drain with my new tool on every fuse
> > (all 30) in the car after the interior light illumination shut
> > off. I have the connector for the cell phone removed.
> >
> > Fuse Description Amps
> > ____ ____________________ _______
> >
> > 4 Interior Lights - Misc 5.3 mA
> > 19 Central Lock, Lock Heater 21 (5-sp) 0.2 mA (Auto)
> > 25 Power Seats 0.1 mA
> > 27 Engine Motronic 1.4 mA
> > 28 Instrument u-Processor 190 mA
> >
> > Other fuse positions read 0.0 mA - nada!
> >
> > I know a lot about battery technology, if you have this HUGE
> > current drain on a battery continuously your battery will not live
> > very long. I have to put the battery on a float charger overnight
> > when not driving the car.
> >
> > Questions -
> >
> > Why is the instrument cluster micro-processor pulling 190 mA?
> > There is nothing going on in the car for that much current drain.
> > Is this baseline for all v8s?
> >
> > Has anyone on the list experienced this drain on your battery? Can
> > anyone confirm their car is pulling 190 mA on fuse 28? I would
> > feel better knowing that my cars are no different then any other V8
> > and I have to live with it.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Scott
> > '90 V8
> > '91 V8 5-sp
> > '03 RS6
> > '04 Phaeton (Cheap mans A8)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
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>
>
>
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