Current Leak in 1993 Corrado

Start looking for what circuit the current is going to. It may have it's own fuse or it may not be used. Do you have any after market devices installed, like security systems or audio equipment?

how was the alternator checked? have you tried disconnecting the alternator and trying again? have seen a Corrado alt. with a bad diode "check" good before, depending on who's doing the testing (e.g. some places will just spin them up and see if they're putting out voltage.)

nate

Define, exactly what this 'small' current draw is, in milliamps.

kick your AC Lincoln welder up a notch small.

With the security system disconnected it is 0.25 Amp. This is an improvement but the battery will die in less than two weeks; so I can just park the car and depend on its starting.

Want to buy a Solar battery maintenance panel from VW?

2-3 days is too short a time. I found a problem like that on an Audi and it was defective wiring to the vanity mirror lighting. One on a '97 Passat that was a right front door handle One on my Jeeps where the wiring was crossed on the alternator and the alternator was bad.

Maybe a defective headlight switch.

Keep searching and you will find the problem and you don't have to disconnect the battery every night. ;-)

I have one of those VW solar panels. I bought it at a hamfest for 5 bucks. (I knew I'd find a use for it some day).

But with this draw, I hope the sun shines at midnight.

My mechanic did the following:

1. First replaced the battery since it was 8 years old.

1. Put an ammeter between the positive battery post and the clamp with the wires that went to that post.

2. He pulled every fuse and relay and looked for a drop in the leakage current.

1. When he didn't detect any change; he assumed the problem had to be at the fuse panel itself due to resistance tracking.

2. So I found a brand new fuse panel (for a 93 Corrado---I'm proud of that :) ) He replaced the panel. No difference.

1. He disconnected the security system which cut the leakage by 3/4.

2. He ran some test on the alternator and said it was okay.

So I'm about to repeat his tracing myself. Maybe he missed something?

Thanks for your help.

Rick

Way too much. General 40 to 50 MA (that's 0.04 to 0.05) is considered the limit. Yea, 0.25 will run down the battery. There is a parasitic draw somewhere.

I'd start by keeping the meter attached, and start pulling fuses. You will have to work on the dome light to keep it off, for those fuses that are only accessible with the door open (I'm not sure about your vehicle). I'm sure you will find something aftermarket added (audio system, GPS, whatever) that is drawing the current.

disconnect all plugs at the fusebox and then reconnect one at a time watching that meter. there should be some inductive meters that you hold close to a wire to find a draw.

Is this a VR6 engine? fuse & relay for Secondary Air Pump is in the engine compartment if so equipped. Secondary Water Pump is in the engine compartment if so equipped. Is there a fan module in the engine compartment too? Any corroded wiring under a leaking battery?

Narrowing down the possibilities is the only way IMO.

250mA is a significant draw, and could indeed be expected to render an average battery flat in several days. If as I understand this is a new problem and nothing has been worked on or changed recently my pick would be glove box light, boot light or some other low illumination bulb not switching off. another possibility is an audio power amp remaining powered because of sticking contacts in an ignition switch / relay.....

Good luck, VERY frustrating.

Dave

schreef in bericht news: snipped-for-privacy@news.newsrazor.net...

Your mechanic did the right thing but some electrical components don't have fuses. So pull the connectors of some of them. Also check for hidden in-line fuses on audio stuff.

SFC

Found the source of the problem: a current leak through one of the automatic seatbelt circuits.

Thanks for all of your help.

Had that same problem on a '91 Passat. Then the other seat belt system went bad soon after = same problem.