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Parasitic draw 

 

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 Post subject: Parasitic draw
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 2:57 pm 
Stock as a Rock
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Ride: Falcon BA 6 cyl

Location: Far Canal
QLD, Australia

Hi
Anyone know what the normal parasitic draw (Amps) is on a BA XR6T?
Out of the blue my xr6t battery has started going flat after a couple of days
My original Battery CCA was getting weak due to sulfation anyway, so I bought a brand new one but she still goes flat if I don't drive it for two days.
Sometimes this vehicle sits for weeks without being driven, & it only has 26,000 km's on the clock.
So as u can see she doesn't get driven much. This sitting idle is causing the battery to become sulfated after about 2 years.
Anywho,,I want to do a parasitic draw test but knowing what is a normal draw first would be best.
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 Post subject: Re: Parasitic draw
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2016 7:56 pm 
Getting Side Ways
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BongoKongo wrote:
Hi
Anyone know what the normal parasitic draw (Amps) is on a BA XR6T?
Out of the blue my xr6t battery has started going flat after a couple of days
My original Battery CCA was getting weak due to sulfation anyway, so I bought a brand new one but she still goes flat if I don't drive it for two days.
Sometimes this vehicle sits for weeks without being driven, & it only has 26,000 km's on the clock.
So as u can see she doesn't get driven much. This sitting idle is causing the battery to become sulfated after about 2 years.
Anywho,,I want to do a parasitic draw test but knowing what is a normal draw first would be best.



IF i get a chance over the weekend ill chuck a meter on mine and have a look, i was having the same problem at one point, turns out me boot was open, and me battery was old.
havent been keeping the battery in mine lately, easier to drop one in when/if i need to start and move it, and i really need to get a dry cell one that hopefully will last well.

 

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 Post subject: Re: Parasitic draw
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 12:32 am 
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The door actuators will draw power if they're unlocked.
Provided the battery hasn't dropped a cell or the plates aren't badly buckled or they've shed too much plate material, you can prolong their life by treating them with Epsom salts.

 

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 Post subject: Re: Parasitic draw
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 2:27 pm 
Stock as a Rock
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Hey dude thanks for the info on the doors drawing power when they are unlocked. I reckon that could be it because for the last couple of months I have been leaving the car locked up in the garage with the doors unlocked.
This parasitic draw has only recently started to happen, at about the same time I have been leaving it unlocked.
Hopefully this is what is causing it, I will do a test and let u know
cheers
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 Post subject: Re: Parasitic draw
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 3:08 pm 
Stock as a Rock
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Ride: Falcon BA 6 cyl

Location: Far Canal
QLD, Australia

Ok I pulled the neg battery terminal and connected a 1ohm-10amp resistor jumper cable between the cable & the battery post to keep the circuit alive. waste of time if you try to do it with an open circuit on these b-series beasts.
Then I connected the multimeter probes to each side of the resistor.
while its awake it reads 0.13A (locked)..After it goes to sleep it reads 0.09A locked or unlocked.
Might be time for the fuse pull test I think.

EDIT: Nope you were correct, I just hadn't given it long enough to go to sleep.
After 10 min it reads 0.09A awake or asleep. But after 20 minutes rest it reads 0.00 Locked & stays 0.09A unlocked.
Other than for when the doors are unlocked the car hardly has any parasitic draw at all, just a couple of mili-amps to run the clock, and the ecu.

So, Cheers,, I think u may have done your good deed for the day. Thanks a bunch
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 Post subject: Re: Parasitic draw
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2016 9:15 pm 
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Yeah, we found same with a couple of retired BA cabs housed in the workshop. Doesn't sound like a great current draw, but it's enough to flatten the battery. Keeping them locked made a big difference.

 

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96 XH Longreach 'S': LPG, Alarm, 3.23:1 LSD, Cruise, Trip Comp, ABS, Power Windows, Mid Series Dome Lt, Climate Ctrl
97 EL Futura S/W: LPG, Alarm, LED int Lts, Trip Comp, F/Lane Dome Lt, Climate Ctrl, T5 Conversion

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