Hello all.

Looking for some clarity here.

These are 3 shots with my car "sleeping".

The DMM is run between earth negative and the Neg terminal on the battery.

With the DMM on 2M amps I get .027A
On 20M I get 0.27A
On 200M I get 2.7A

Forgive me. But what am I looking at and which setting should I be using to check for a parasitic draw/drain?

2Mil

20Mil

200Mil

 

I am thinking that this may not be an automatic range finding meter and the proper range would then be down to the lowest readable range ( in your case, the 2mA setting which is reading 0.027ma.----a good Jaguar reading!). The red probe should be inserted into the adjacent jack to the right marked “FUSE mA”. (I do not know if doing this will activate an automatic range function or not)

Here are similar instructions for your meter that I have attempted to put in order for reading DC mA’s:

AC Current Measurements

Measure AC conductors carrying up to 20 amperes. 1. Turn the Range Selector Switch to the 20A~ position. Start with the highest range if the amperage is unknown. 2. Plug the red lead into the 20A Jack. (For current under 20A, plug the red lead into the mA Jack.) Plug the black lead into the COM Jack. Switch the Multimeter ON. 3. Carefully touch the exposed conductors with the tips of the probes to measure the amperage. Note: Amperage is always tested in series with the circuit under test. 4. Read measurement. If the reading is less than 0.2 amps, switch the red lead to the VΩmA Jack and set the Range Selector Switch to the 200 mA setting. 5. When testing is complete, remove Test Leads and store with multimeter.

DC Current Measurements

Measure DC conductors carrying up to 20 amperes. 1. Turn the Range Selector Switch to the 20A position. Start with the highest range if the amperage is unknown. 2. Follow the directions above under “AC Current Measurements”, only use the DC settings instead.

1. Measure DC conductors carrying up to 20 amperes. 1. Turn the Range Selector Switch to the 20A position. Start with the highest range if the amperage is unknown

2. 2. Follow the directions above under “AC Current Measurements”, only use the DC settings instead.

3. Measure AC conductors carrying up to 20 amperes. 1. Turn the Range Selector Switch to the 20A~ position. Start with the highest range if the amperage is unknown.

4. 2. Plug the red lead into the 20A Jack. (For current under 20A, plug the red lead into the mA Jack.)

5. Plug the black lead into the COM Jack. Switch the Multimeter ON.

6. . 3. Carefully touch the exposed conductors with the tips of the probes to measure the amperage. Note: Amperage is always tested in series with the circuit under test.

7. 4. Read measurement. If the reading is less than 0.2 amps, switch the red lead to the VΩmA Jack and set the Range Selector Switch to the 200 mA setting.

8. 5. When testing is complete, remove Test Leads and store with multimeter.

 

It looks like you have the lead plugged into the wrong socket on the multimeter and is giving bogus readings. Surely the lead should be in the mA socket?

 

I'm not sure... Really!

I used the fused path to play it safe.
It seemed to give readings that changed with dial turn on the 20A setting thru the various milli amp readings.

Since you posted I checked with the mA plug and got ZERO. Maybe that fuse is blown...?

 

I think you need to verify your meter is working correctly and that you understand how to use it. If you have some resistors lying around you can test your meter - for example a 1K resistor would show 12mA when connected to a 12v supply. Failing that you could RTFM and see if that decimal point actually is a decimal point or some other indicator, because as it stands its difficult to understand what the readings are supposed to be that you are getting.

 

Good Dr. Thank you...

I basically followed those instructions after watching a guy (Eric the car guy) test a vehicle in a YouTube video - added your instructions to that... I found that the Nav system was not shutting down in the car. I disabled it, waited for the car to go back to sleep, tested again.

Amperage never went below 2mA. So, I stayed away from the mA fused socket. Didn't matter because I think the fuse in the DMM is blown anyways. On the 20amp setting I got NO whole numbers,,, just decimals. If I clicked the remote amps would jump momentarily to 2, 3, 4 whole number amps... I would let it settle... Once settled, as I cycled thru the ranges on the DMM the decimal moved predictably as I cycled thru to a lesser and lesser mA range... At and around "27"....

So, I guess I'm still at my original question.
Does that seem right?

Unlike others here I CANNOT just go and buy a new battery. Either the car is draining batteries or the battery is not holding a charge. I am trying to figure out what's what. Mind you, I've just gotten to the point where I feel ok driving the car (driving an unreliable car around NYC, unlike the burbs, is a butt clenching affair - and prior to this it would sit for fairly long periods.

 

Good Brother... You do understand that these are precisely the points of the questions I've asked, yes? The point of the thread I started. Asking for help...

 

30 ma is about normal. (.030 AMPS)
.027 amps is close enough.

 

Hi Jay, if you want to measure drain, yes you will measure current (amperes). You said between earth negative battery negative terminal. I assume that means between a ground rod outside your house and battery negative terminal?

Maybe you meant to say this but one properly measures drain between any one of the battery's terminals and the disconnected cable for that terminal.

You have the right item selected, DC current.

If the fuse in your DMM is blown, you will get no reading. The same fuse is used for ma and for 20A selection. As someone said, the probe is in the wrong hole for current readings. Jay don't forget to reposition the probe before you measure voltage.

John

 

Thank you, Bob!

John.
One probe on the battery post (neg).
The other on the unattached ground cable OF the car (earth/ground).

The 20A receptor is UNFUSED as labeled...

The 20A port reads into tenths I believe (maybe hundredths). 20.xx... xx being less than 1amp...

In the 20A socket, as move thru 2mA, 20mA and 200mA the decimal point shifts with each turn... The xx value stays the same.

 

JJJ:
OK ,I was only concerned with your DMM. I should have picked up that you are having a battery drain concern also. Here are my followup thoughts:

• My posted directions lack a step.
  DC Current Measurements
  
  Measure DC conductors carrying up to 20 amperes. 1. Turn the Range Selector Switch to the 20A position. Start with the highest range if the amperage is unknown. 2. Follow the directions above under “AC Current Measurements”, only use the DC settings instead. After "Start with the highest range" , I think it should have instructed to keep turning to the next lowest range intil the display reads either 1(without a decimal point) or a 0.00. Then you would click back up one range for the proper decimal reading. Of course in your case, the .027 reading was indeed in the lowest range and is correct without clicking back up one notch.
• Concerning the 2 jacks, I suspect that the 200mA circuit fuse is blown, but I also think that using the unfused jack is reporting number just as accurate as the fused jack would based on your list of readings. The difference being the higher current risk damage that may or may not occur. I would certainly check that fuse.
• Concerning battery drain: I agree with Bob, <30mA is good. I do not think that anyone has mentioned on the thread to insure that the ignition key flap is lubricated and closes when the key is removed. When I would check current similar to what you are doing, I would put a shunt switch across the DMM probes so as to not "wake up" the system when I would switch ranges. I do not know if a battery tender would be feasible for you, but it has worked well for me.

Again, Just my thoughts, Good luck