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Thread: 94 Camry, battery drain- what is normal background current?

  1. 3rd March 2015, 11:51 AM #1
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    94 Camry, battery drain- what is normal background current?

    My daughter has a 1994 Camry that will probably go to the scrap metal man when she graduates from uni and gets a job next year, but we are trying to keep it going for her til then. We have just got back from a 2 week holiday to find the battery in the Camry completely dead, to the extent that my smart charger would not recognise it, tried charging with my old 4amp charger and it did not accept a charge. Have replaced the battery but want to make sure there is not something draining it, I have just checked the current draw from the battery with everything switched off and my multimeter shows 240 milliamps going somewhere, i.e. with the positive cable connected to the battery and the multimeter between the battery negative post and cable, I get a reading of 240milliamps. When she gets home tonight we will pull fuses and try to identify where this 240ma is going, but I am unsure what the baseline reading should be. What reading should I expect if all is well? i.e. how much current should things like the clock, radio memory etc be drawing?
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  2. 3rd March 2015, 12:01 PM #2
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    under 50mA

    an aftermarket alarm will add another 50mA if installed.
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  3. 3rd March 2015, 03:28 PM #3
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    No alarm system fitted, we did fit a new stereo a couple of months ago (Christmas present) so that will be the first thing looked at, although just station memory and clock should surely draw very little.
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  4. 3rd March 2015, 03:35 PM #4
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    amp installed?
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  5. 3rd March 2015, 04:36 PM #5
    Busted Syncro
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    G'day,
    Check the Glovebox light and boot light or interior light is going out if you have them. Power draw is 2.88 watts which is a small globe wattage. Maybe also a GPS charging?.
    Good Luck. Chris
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  6. 3rd March 2015, 07:16 PM #6
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    No power amp, I checked the glovebox and boot lamps, neither are on. I started pulling fuses, the power draw is on the ignition circuit, which surprised me a bit. Went to zero when I pulled the ignition fuse. Had to abandon it due to mosquitos where it's parked, will look further in daylight tomorrow. Thinking perhaps a faulty ignition switch? Would appreciate any further suggestions.
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  7. 3rd March 2015, 10:26 PM #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by POD View Post
    No power amp, I checked the glovebox and boot lamps, neither are on. I started pulling fuses, the power draw is on the ignition circuit, which surprised me a bit. Went to zero when I pulled the ignition fuse. Had to abandon it due to mosquitos where it's parked, will look further in daylight tomorrow. Thinking perhaps a faulty ignition switch? Would appreciate any further suggestions.
    Could be the alternator, try unplugging the regulator plug on it.
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  8. 4th March 2015, 10:14 AM #8
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    Okay, problem solved. The ignition circuit was a wild goose chase, wife must have been not holding the multimeter probes properly when I pulled that fuse, checked again today and pulling the same fuse made no difference. Moved on to the under-bonnet fuse box, problem on the dome-light circuit, turned out to be a broken r/h/r door switch, even though the dome light was switched off, must have been still operating a relay or something I suppose. Cut the wire, wrapped the end- the car is not worth a new door switch- and now background current of 1 milliamp.
    Thanks to those who offered assistance.
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  9. 4th March 2015, 11:40 AM #9
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    well done
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  10. 4th March 2015, 02:53 PM #10
    Busted Syncro
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    Well Done. Thanks for the feedback.
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