TroyBoy
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Troy
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2017
- Threads
- 94
- Messages
- 1,412
- Reaction score
- 1,539
- Location
- Vancouver Island, Canada
- Vehicle(s)
- 2018 JLUR
- Thread starter
- #1
Warning! DO NOT disconnect the negative battery cable from the ground and then place the multi-meter in between. This initial hit spikes over 10A and will blow the multi-meter fuse. I tried that 4 times before I figured out a better way. The damn fuse is not easy to replace in those meters!
1) Remove this nut but leave the wire on. This is the ground for both batteries.
Set up the Multi-meter:
1) Set to Amps DC. Mine is automatic. If yours is not automatic then start with something larger first like 100A and then work your way down.
2) Make sure it says it is for DC not AC
3) Switch the red wire from 'INPUT' to '10A'
Connect the multi meter leads:
It is important that you do this while the negative battery wire is still connected to the ground! This is because the first connection of the negative battery wire to the ground spikes the current draw over 10 amps and blows your multi-meter fuse. I don't know why this is but I blew 4 fuses in my multi-meter before I came up with this way to get around the initial spike.
1) Connect the red multi-meter lead to the negative cable
2) Connect the black multi-meter lead(now a green alligator clip)
3) Push the negative cable off the bolt to begin the readings on the multi-meter
By doing it this way the negative cable always remains connected to the ground in on form or another.
My parasitic draw was 134 mA: (ignore the negative, I had the leads reversed the first time)
Playing around, I disconnected the multi-meter, disconnected the negative cable to the ground which cut the power to the Jeep. I then put the negative cable back on making sure it grounded but no nut. I quickly reattached the multi-meter and then pushed the negative cable back off the bolt.
This resulted in a 4.9 Amp reading initially and quickly dropped down to around 2.5 Amps. After about 30 seconds the current dropped down to 1.5 Amps and stayed there for 5.5 minutes. It then dropped to 230 mA. After around 20 minutes I get around 140 mA.
1) Remove this nut but leave the wire on. This is the ground for both batteries.
Set up the Multi-meter:
1) Set to Amps DC. Mine is automatic. If yours is not automatic then start with something larger first like 100A and then work your way down.
2) Make sure it says it is for DC not AC
3) Switch the red wire from 'INPUT' to '10A'
Connect the multi meter leads:
It is important that you do this while the negative battery wire is still connected to the ground! This is because the first connection of the negative battery wire to the ground spikes the current draw over 10 amps and blows your multi-meter fuse. I don't know why this is but I blew 4 fuses in my multi-meter before I came up with this way to get around the initial spike.
1) Connect the red multi-meter lead to the negative cable
2) Connect the black multi-meter lead(now a green alligator clip)
3) Push the negative cable off the bolt to begin the readings on the multi-meter
By doing it this way the negative cable always remains connected to the ground in on form or another.
My parasitic draw was 134 mA: (ignore the negative, I had the leads reversed the first time)
Playing around, I disconnected the multi-meter, disconnected the negative cable to the ground which cut the power to the Jeep. I then put the negative cable back on making sure it grounded but no nut. I quickly reattached the multi-meter and then pushed the negative cable back off the bolt.
This resulted in a 4.9 Amp reading initially and quickly dropped down to around 2.5 Amps. After about 30 seconds the current dropped down to 1.5 Amps and stayed there for 5.5 minutes. It then dropped to 230 mA. After around 20 minutes I get around 140 mA.
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