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Another Battery Drain


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Hello gang and a newbie here.  I just got an 98 Eldo ETC from my father and with all that has been going on with it, I thought it would be unwise not to join this amazing forum.

Here is my question with some information about what is going on and thank you in advance for any info:

  • The battery drains down after a few days when the drivers side memory seat module is connected to power.

Are the powered seats supposed to loose power after the timeout period from the Body Control Module?

If I replace the memory module with another one will it need any dealer programming?

The windows and radio do power down but the tilt mirrors, trunk and fuel door still work. I saw a checklist in another post that those should go out too.

The drain has been isolated at the memory module. I disconnected the harness that provides power to it and the drain goes away. It is fully functional when attached. The heated seat on the drivers side does not work (don't care about that but figure include that info).

I would like to be able to use the seat adjuster but plugging and unplugging that connector is less than ideal and at some point I'll forget to unplug it!

Thoughts appreciated!

-Dean

 

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Welcome.  If the seat is 'stuck' or somewhat stuck, the motor may be staying on which is causing the power drain.  When it has power does the seat move freely under control of the motor?

 

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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:welcomesmiley:

The memory seat module controls the heated seat ground too. Disconnect the heated seat connectors and retest for current draw with the seat module still connected. The mirrors and fuel door release may use the same ground circuit, not sure at this point without checking the circuit diagram.

 

THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB RIGHT - THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB AGAIN !!!

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Will do.  I have a photo of the module from an Ebay replacement. If you could point me in the right direction as to which module connector I would need to unhook, I'll put my ammeter inline and see whats what.  Thank you.Module.jpg

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I think I've been led down the wrong path!  My Father's mechanic said that if I left the memory seat unpowered the drain would go away. Now I just got this meter today and it is pulling 2.2 Amps with it unplugged. No change when the module is connected.  This car has been sitting for maybe a week and would think this would result in a dead battery. It started with no problems. That's a high draw right?  I'll start pulling fuses and see where it's actually coming from.  Trust but verify huh?!  

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The rear fuse box 10A Radio/Phone fuse is the culprit.  Pulling .56 Amp with the memory seat module connected.  Hmmm manual says fuse controls quite a few things:

Radio Reciever/RIM/Phone(don't have that option)/DAB Relay/Trunk Release Relay/Fuel Door Release Relay/High/Low-Beam Relay

I just noticed after pulling back the ceiling carpet in the trunk that the wiring to the antennae looks jury rigged/very shoddy.  It goes up and down but no reception.  

I'll start there.

 

Thanks much for the help!

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I'm not sure what path the mechanic was leading you down, but I think it went into the rabbit hole.

Disconnect the drivers seat heater at the heating element connection. and let it power down completely. Sometimes simply doing the test "wakes" it up.

A 2.2 amp draw is quite a bit. It is like leaving a light on. If the vehicle sat for a week and still started it didn't have a 2.2 amp draw. Are you sure you were powered down when you got that reading?

RIM is  Rear Integration Module, which controls a LOT of circuits.

I'll do some research, but .56 amp draw is a lot closer to where you want to be than 2.2 amps .

THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB RIGHT - THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB AGAIN !!!

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I need to know how you are doing the parasitic load test. What scale are you using on the DVOM?

Divide the reserve capacity of the battery by 4 to get the max allowed parasitic draw, for a battery that is in good health and fully charged.

THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB RIGHT - THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB AGAIN !!!

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During the test I disconnected the red lead at the battery and took a measure. Didn't wait to take measure. Figured it was powered down as it had no power source.  I put it in-line with the positive battery cable and the positive battery terminal. The rest of the scale ranges 2m/20m/200m and says not to use with high voltages.  Am I using it correctly?

Here is a photo of the config I used it in.IMG_2937.JPG

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Looks like you're using it on 10A scale which is where it should be to start then switched to 2A scale when the reading is under 2 amps, it should be on 2m - (milii-amp scale) for the final reading.

it's best to use a draw-switch but wait for approximately 10-15 minutes for the final readings.

THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB RIGHT - THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB AGAIN !!!

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Looks like it's a manual range unit.  I'll upgrade to a better unit. Newbie purchase. 

I put the meter on my 2004 Rendezvous which has never had a drained battery and sits at the airport for up to ten days at a time and it showed a 1.9A draw.  Something is up. I'll get a premium meter and report back.  Thanks for the support men!

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I can't see the brand name or the model number, and the numbers and settings are hard to read cuz I can't enlarge the pic enough.

Post the make and model numbers and I'll look the manual up online and see if it will work. It looks like it should anyway.

THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB RIGHT - THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB AGAIN !!!

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No need and appreciated!  I have a better one coming in on Friday with alligator clips that is auto-ranging. I'll put it in-line on the negative side (read that is a safer approach), let it sit for a bit so everything shuts down and get a true read on what's really going on. With the old meter I could not leave it connected so probably got a number with things still pre-shutdown.  Like you mentioned earlier, a 2.2A draw should drain the batt after a prolonged sit. I'll report back this Saturday and we can go from there.

Thanks again!  Nice to not be alone in this and it's actually kinda fun to figure out these sort of things.

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I love new tools, despite what women say YA CAN'T HAVE TOO MANY TOOLS :shaka:

THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB RIGHT - THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB AGAIN !!!

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A few years ago, we had a member here diagnose the drain to a bad battery cable.  A tiny pin hole in the shielding caused the copper wire to corrode, turn green, and cause battery drain.  Not sure how.  My suggestion is to check both the + and -. Cables for damage.

 

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3 hours ago, winterset said:

A tiny pin hole in the shielding caused the copper wire to corrode, turn green, and cause battery drain.  Not sure how.

Good point, and definitely something to check for.

This doesn't cause a parasitic draw. the cable corrosion causes resistance in the cable that prevents the battery from being fully charged, this lowers the battery's reserve capacity to a point where normal  draw causes the battery to go dead. As an example, if the battery has a reserve capacity of 100, divide that by 4 = a max current draw of .25 or 250 milliamps. That same battery, now with a high resistance cable only has a reserve capacity of 50, divide that by 4 = a max draw of 12.5 or .125 amps or 125 milliamps. So a battery that could hold a charge for, lets say a week, now only lasts a couple of days.

THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB RIGHT - THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB AGAIN !!!

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Look at your battery reserve and then do the math, that will give you your max allowable parasitic draw.

Looks like you should be okay depending on battery condition.

 

THERE IS ALWAYS ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB RIGHT - THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH TIME TO DO THE JOB AGAIN !!!

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