Sometimes an owner may be looking for a parasitic draw, but is really only dealing with a weak battery. There’s no sense in trying to find a potential problem, while ignoring something we know is wrong. Otherwise, unplug one electrical component at a time until the meter indicates that the draw has diminished. That’s about three times more draw than our spec of 35 milliamps. This setting is used for measuring amps or milliamps. To give you an example of a circuit with a draw versus a circuit without a draw, I’ll test the radio fuse. This is also a perfect time to check the charging voltage. A parasitic current draw is one of those tests that there are multiple ways of doing, and while none of them are really wrong, there are certain techniques to do a better job, more accurately and faster than others. If you get anything higher than that or if you wiggle the leads around and the numbers are jumping all over the place, it’s time to get new meter leads. The Importance of Consistent TPMS Tool Updates, New Updates Available for John Bean EZ-ADAS App, BendPak Redesigns MaxJax Portable 2-Post Lift, Sonic Offers New Accountability Solutions, Opus IVS Introduces ScanSafe Collision Scanning Technology, Reprogram Top Makes with Bosch’s Mastertech II VCI, Limit Contamination with New Pig Cleaning Wipes, TechShop's Tool Minute: DTCs P0171 and P0174, Elring: Properly Replacing Intake Manifold Gaskets on European Vehicles, TechShop’s Tool Minute: DTCs P0171 and P0174, The Humble Mechanic: How Good Documentation Will Make You a Better Technician. We also want to load the battery by starting the car and making sure it doesn’t drop below 10 volts. Next Video: Rear Shock Adjustment and Drive Belt Service, Enter in your email and password to create a FREE account, Harley Brake Caliper 2000 – 2003 Front & Rear Service. That tells us that we have some current going through the circuit. I’m going to use my Volkswagen Passat to demonstrate this test. First we’re going to check that the battery is good. The tools we’ll be using are a multimeter and a chart showing a relationship between voltage drop and current draw. This way is great because you don’t have to open up any circuits, you don’t have to disconnect the battery to get your meter hooked up to it or break out any big test equipment. Bob and Mark demonstrate the professional technique for finding the tight spot in a Sportster’s rear wheel belt.

Simply turn your multimeter to Ohms and touch the leads together, you should get about .1 or .2 Ohms. They teach you how to check for belt tension and deflection and how to retorque the axle so you can give your bike a smoother ride. We’ll measure the voltage drop across the fuse. Which test you use also can depend on the age of the vehicle and the equipment — the way I do the test on my 1998 GTI is going to be different from the way I would test 2015 Touareg. There’s no volt drop across the fuse. Especially when that electrical component may not have been specifically engineered for the motorcycle. Connect the multimeter with alligator clips. A parasitic draw test is required when a vehicle battery becomes discharged with the key in the off position. Connect the multimeter with alligator clips. We then look at the numbers on the left. While finding the circuit that’s causing the draw is really easy, finding the component on that circuit might be a little more challenging.

The reading from our high beams’ fuse was nearly 30 milliamps. One of my tips is to mark the doors in an obvious way (say with blue painter’s tape) so you don’t walk by one of the doors and slam it shut. Next we’ll prep the car. Once we know the amount of volt drop across the fuse, we’ll use our fuse chart to see how much amp draw that volt drop is causing. But when I turn the radio on, the multimeter reads 3.4 millivolts. One lead needs to be connected to the battery’s negative post and the other lead, to the negative battery cable.

After you’ve done this a few times, you can run down checking each one of these fuses, and maybe only spend about 10 minutes max. Now, read the meter’s result and compare it to the spec in your electrical manual. Then we’ll check the chart and see how much current that draws. Bob walks us through Harley rear wheel alignment. So it’s better to latch the hood, all the doors and the trunk and then lock the doors and put the car to sleep. Harley tools are not only specialty tools like JIMS and Kent Moore but many that you have in your garage already. Listen to the latest episode of "The Code Reader". I know you’re thinking that this is going to take forever to do a proper current draw this way, and you’re wondering why can’t you just pull the fuses out and see if the draw on the meter goes away? This setting is used for measuring amps or milliamps. A touring Milwaukee Eight or Twin Cam that has a radio, and alarm system will have more draw on a battery than a Softail or Sportster. If the battery has a weak state of charge, it can affect the reading of the current draw test. This test will show you how to quickly pinpoint the source of the draw using voltage drop across fuses. I’m going to show you how to do it on the most modern vehicles. If I’m concerned about them being bad at all, I get new leads. Marking the doors with something such as painter’s tape helps you remember not to shut them accidentally. Well, like I mentioned earlier, that can upset the rest of the car and the computers that are running things on virtual powers, modules powering other modules, so that just may not be the best way. Bob demonstrates how to service the front and rear brake calipers on a Sportster. Latch the hood, the trunk and all of the vehicle’s doors before putting the car to sleep. Once the car is fully asleep, we’ll take another multimeter, and put it on millivolts. And it goes really fast if you don’t find a problem at all. Different years and models will vary greatly.

We don’t want the doors shut, because we’ll need to access the fuse panel. A component or components are drawing current from the battery when they should not be.

Always be sure that you are using a quality, known good battery in your motorcycle. But when I turn the radio on, the multimeter reads 3.4 millivolts. Bob shows us that tools are only part of…. There’s no way to rely on accurate readings if you’re not 100% sure your test equipment is good. That goes for issues in the starting/charging system as well. You have electric mirrors, heated memory seats, GPS, trackers, and a slew of gadgets. Some of these … There are a few changes that Harley has made over the years, so you should be sure to pay attention to the differences; they could affect how you service your bike. And if the doors are shut, we’ll have to unlock them and that will defeat our current draw test. Use the guide at the top to determine the correct fuse you’re measuring.

When trying to determine the source of a parasitic draw, start by looking at any accessories that may have been added to the motorcycle. It takes about 3-5 seconds per fuse for it to drop all the way down.

Now let’s take a look at the kind of draw that can kill a battery in just a few hours. The only way to definitively determine a battery’s health is to have it professionally load tested at a local garage. We had a 3.4 reading, which the chart shows we had a current draw of about 1 amp. Before we get started on this test we want to check our multimeter’s leads. Remember, before wrapping it up, you want to unlock the car, open all the doors and remove the tape (or whatever you used to remind you not to slam the doors). With a multimeter in hand, Charles shows how he efficiently performs a parasitic current draw test.

That tells us that we have some current going through the circuit. There’s no volt drop across the fuse. Celebrate ‘Back To The Future’ Day By Watching The Time Machine Get A 2015 Detail. As you do that, you’re going to get a reading and then it should drop down to zero — if it doesn’t drop to zero, we know we might have a problem. Start with latching the hood and all the doors. Normally the way I do it is I measure each fuse, and I look at my meter to see the drop. Disconnect the ground cable from the battery. When testing for a parasitic draw, it is important to use a multimeter that has a DC AMP setting.

In this video, Mike covers a parasitic draw test for checking for, or measuring a draw on the battery of your Harley Davidson.

Bob LaRosa gives us a great overview on some of the basic tools we need to service our Harley-Davidson from oil-change to custom part install. This article is based on the Humble Mechanic’s video, The BEST Way To Perform a Parasitic Draw Test; view it at youtube.com/watch?v=lRcj1fQcWwU. You should see a reading in the neighborhood of 14 volts, but be sure all the loads are off (such as the air conditioning, heated seats, defroster, the radio, etc.). Measuring voltage drop across the fuse is as simple as putting a meter lead on each side of the contact. While that’s not going to cause the battery to die in 15 minutes, after an extended period of time that can lead to a dead battery. Another thing that I like to do is double check on the instrument cluster to make sure that it doesn’t show that any of the doors, hood or trunk is still open. Some of newer vehicles can be a real pain to diagnose parasitic draw test with a multimeter due to all the added electrical circuits, computers and control modules. (I’m using one from Power Probe’s website: info.powerprobe.com/fusechartsdownload.). Your fuse panel may be in a different location than my vehicle, but the testing will be the same. After we’ve confirmed the battery is good, we want to fix any known issues, such as a door latch that’s not locking or any faults stored in any of the vehicle’s computers — we want to make sure we take care of those first. When testing for a parasitic draw, it is important to use a multimeter that has a DC AMP setting. I think it’s pretty safe to say that if we had a high beam on, we would see it, but that gives you an idea of how much current one bulb can draw. You have to watch all the videos in this multi-hour project series: found mike;s description of what he was doing and why he was hooking up the meter very poor. Those are a common source of voltage draw.

We find that we get a reading of over 4 amps. He’ll just loosen the rear axle nut and with a homemade tool he’ll measure the proper distance and adjust accordingly. Pulling fuses and disrupting circuits even with the key off can cause the draw to go away temporarily, and lead to you not finding a problem with the car at that moment when there’s something actually going on. Watch TechShop's latest discussions and explanations. Also remember that you’re battery needs to be in good condition as well as your starting and charging system — otherwise you may be wasting your time doing this test and not fixing a known problem. The battery is reading a bit low, so we’ll charge it before continuing on with our tests.

To give you an example of a circuit with a draw versus a circuit without a draw, I’ll test the radio fuse. If it does, you might have a problem with one of the latches and that could be your draw problem. That’s as simple as putting a meter lead on each side of the contact. Disconnect the ground cable from the battery. Stay up to date with all the latest TechShop news.

Next we’re going to lock the car and give it about an hour to two hours for it to fully go to sleep. The fuse is a 10-amp mini fuse. 6, News: Tech Pioneer Brings Repair Shop Software to Entire Aftermarket, Equipment: New Updates Available for John Bean EZ-ADAS App, Podcasts: TechShop Podcast: Punches & Chisels, New Americana Limited-Edition ArcticPRO Machine Helps Operation Support Our Troops. So I thought I would show you the way I do them. Are You Regularly Maintaining Your Equipment? In our example with the radio fuse, it’s a yellow, 20-amp fuse. This fuse is for one side of the vehicle’s high beams. Fully charge a battery before performing a load test. From the Magazine: Shop Profile: Haglin Automotive, From the Magazine: The Top Drawer: Open Doors for an Auto Technician, News: VISION 2021 Going Virtual in March, New Event in July, Video: BOLT ON TECHNOLOGY Tech Tip Series No.

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