Local help. (1 Viewer)

[cruiserboy14]

I really hate do this but I think I have to ask for help. This is the second time my parasitic draw has come back. It’s giving me all the same indications as the last time I had it. I’m very much at my wits end. If anyone is in Tucson and is willing to help me figure this out I would be very appreciative! I’ve been working on this particular problem on and off almost all year. Thanks for looking.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

I wonder if you put a shunt between your negative battery terminal and your ground wire if you would be able to see the draw with a monitor. If you could then, I would think you could remove fuses one by one, checking the draw each time to see if/how much that particular circuit was drawing.

 

[cruiserboy14]

I’ve removed the negative terminal and read between terminal and post. There is a draw. Then I’ve read the same point while removing fuzes, still a draw, no change for all fuzes. Then I removed all the fuses and still a draw. I checked the alternator and it’s giving off the correct indications as per the FSM. I had also had it rebuilt by a denso dealer in town earlier in the year when I was first troubleshooting this problem. I also had the battery load tested then too , I was told it worked great. The starter has also been replaced with an oem gear reduction starter. Last time the fix was the ignition Switch. But now I seem to have the same problem. Hence the stumped feeling.

 

[muttsinapig]

I’ve removed the negative terminal and read between terminal and post. There is a draw. Then I’ve read the same point while removing fuzes, still a draw, no change for all fuzes. Then I removed all the fuses and still a draw. I checked the alternator and it’s giving off the correct indications as per the FSM. I had also had it rebuilt by a denso dealer in town earlier in the year when I was first troubleshooting this problem. I also had the battery load tested then too , I was told it worked great. The starter has also been replaced with an oem gear reduction starter. Last time the fix was the ignition Switch. But now I seem to have the same problem. Hence the stumped feeling.

I don’t have a wiring schematic in front of me but if the draw is not coming from a fused circuit, then it must be from an un-fused circuit, no? I think the starter would be one un-fused circuit but are there any others? (I don’t know.) Maybe disconnecting the starter wires and see if the draw goes away? If it does go away, then maybe just corrosion or bad connection or some other kind of grounding is going on related to the starter wires. (Realize it’s a new starter but what about wires/connections?) Just my thoughts!

 

[cruiserboy14]

I know the starter, ignition, and charge systems don’t go threw the fuses.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

What are the main symptoms you are experiencing and under what conditions? How much draw are you seeing?

 

[cruiserboy14]

My battery is draining overnight and in some instances it drains on one half of an outing. Sometimes it dies at start. The draw on 11/07 was .675 vdc, but yesterday after keeping the negative lead off it was .278 vdc. Last time the ignition switch fixed the problem and made it a strong starter. Could it have corroded so badly so fast? Or could it be wiring in the wiring bundle? I’m not sure…

 

[TheGrrrrr]

What is the draw in milli-amps?

 

[splitshot]

Last time the ignition switch fixed the problem and made it a strong starter. Could it have corroded so badly so fast? Or could it be wiring in the wiring bundle? I’m not sure…

I would go there first because of the history and check the wiring harness behind it for signs of getting hot all the way to the voltage regulator.
With any short, it will show up as heat. An IR thermometer on the lines of this should pick it up.

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[Somebodyelse5]

What aftermarket wiring have you added? Anything?

 

[cruiserboy14]

everything is as close to stock as I could get it back to. The only thing I have added was the new oem Toyota plug-n-play headlight upgrade.

 

[cruiserboy14]

I have new results. I disconnected the alternator a few days ago. Then forgot and drove it today and it started right up. I was headed to a car show and didn’t realize until half way threw the day! So I am now looking into the alternator and the last remaining wire that I haven’t replaced. I need to figure out where the other end of this wire is connected to. It’s a thick white and light blue (WL) from the alternator.

 

[JackA]

That blue white wire goes to the ammeter.

 

[Funner]

Are you running the oem externally regulated voltage regulator? If so, check input and output voltage with ignition in on position.

 

[cruiserboy14]

@Funner do you mean with the vehicle running or just acc?

 

[cruiserboy14]

Ok! I believe I have found it!!!! Oh my lord I think I’ve found it! My draw is currently .276. If I pull the plug off of the alternator, the draw is still .276. But if I pull off the white/blue terminal lug off, the draw drops to .032! I finally found the wire on the schematics. So I connected the white/blue wire back on the alternator and I pulled the white off of the fusible link and the draw drops to .003. I believe I need a new white/blue wire from the alternator to the ammeter and possibly white wire from the ammeter to the fusible link? What is the possibility that the ammeter would cause the draw?