2006 Convertible Mysterious Battery Drain
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 12
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From: Florida
2006 Convertible Mysterious Battery Drain
My mom's 2006 convertible just started a mysterious battery drain. With the Covid crap the last couple of years it doesn't get driven much as my 85 yo mother's friends are scared of exposure. So, we replaced the old battery with a new one as it was about 4 years old. We tested the alternator and it's charging as it should. We then went through every circuit with an Amp Hound and everything tested zero draw. When you hook up the battery there's a definite big draw as it sparks pretty good. I thought we would find it with the Amp Hound, but no, so now I'm stumped. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Frank
Thanks,
Frank
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 6,568
Likes: 755
From: Orange County CA.
Re: 2006 Convertible Mysterious Battery Drain
Are you connecting the negative cable last as you should do? Usually a battery drain is caused by the old internal batteries shorting out in the alarm siren.
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Joined: Jun 2009
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From: Fort Worth, Texas
Re: 2006 Convertible Mysterious Battery Drain
1) A spark when connecting the battery cable is not a sign of "battery drain", it is indicative of modules powering up and capacitive charging of items in the system.
2) If you think there is too much current flowing when the car sits, disconnect the battery ground cable and insert an ammeter and DIRECTLY MEASURE the current.
Attached is a PDF I wrote that addresses the Crossfire-specific aspects of "finding battery drain". It could use some proofreading, please excuse the fact that it is not well written.
2) If you think there is too much current flowing when the car sits, disconnect the battery ground cable and insert an ammeter and DIRECTLY MEASURE the current.
Now, there are some things you must know about how to make this measurement.
a) When you restore the connection, various modules will "wake up" and current flow will be as much as .5 to 1.5 amps. THIS IS TEMPORARY, keep the connection intact and wait THREE MINUTES, after this wait, the current you see is real and is the long-term value you are looking for.
b) If you don't wait, as in a) above, you will ALWAYS see current draw and you will chase your tail for days.
c) The Amp Hound is a good start, but when you want to know EXACTLY what current flow you have, you MUST break the ground cable connection and insert an actual ammeter. The Amp Hound is measuring voltage drop across the slight resistance of the fuse and interpreting what the current is, but this is an approximate measurement. To prove what I say, use BOTH the Amp Hound and ammeter at the same time - you will see how far off the Amp Hound's readings are.
dklfnlnkfda) When you restore the connection, various modules will "wake up" and current flow will be as much as .5 to 1.5 amps. THIS IS TEMPORARY, keep the connection intact and wait THREE MINUTES, after this wait, the current you see is real and is the long-term value you are looking for.
b) If you don't wait, as in a) above, you will ALWAYS see current draw and you will chase your tail for days.
c) The Amp Hound is a good start, but when you want to know EXACTLY what current flow you have, you MUST break the ground cable connection and insert an actual ammeter. The Amp Hound is measuring voltage drop across the slight resistance of the fuse and interpreting what the current is, but this is an approximate measurement. To prove what I say, use BOTH the Amp Hound and ammeter at the same time - you will see how far off the Amp Hound's readings are.
Attached is a PDF I wrote that addresses the Crossfire-specific aspects of "finding battery drain". It could use some proofreading, please excuse the fact that it is not well written.
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 12
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Re: 2006 Convertible Mysterious Battery Drain
Thanks for the responses fellas. I may just report it lost due to barn fire! Nah my mom loves this thing. We'll figure it out one step at a time. We've already debugged a lot of stuff because of the help offered on this forum. Frustrating little cars, but they are pretty cool, besides mom would not be happy if we gave up on it! Merry Christmas!
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 6,296
Likes: 762
From: Central South Carolina
Re: 2006 Convertible Mysterious Battery Drain
1) A spark when connecting the battery cable is not a sign of "battery drain", it is indicative of modules powering up and capacitive charging of items in the system.
2) If you think there is too much current flowing when the car sits, disconnect the battery ground cable and insert an ammeter and DIRECTLY MEASURE the current.
Attached is a PDF I wrote that addresses the Crossfire-specific aspects of "finding battery drain". It could use some proofreading, please excuse the fact that it is not well written.
2) If you think there is too much current flowing when the car sits, disconnect the battery ground cable and insert an ammeter and DIRECTLY MEASURE the current.
Now, there are some things you must know about how to make this measurement.
a) When you restore the connection, various modules will "wake up" and current flow will be as much as .5 to 1.5 amps. THIS IS TEMPORARY, keep the connection intact and wait THREE MINUTES, after this wait, the current you see is real and is the long-term value you are looking for.
b) If you don't wait, as in a) above, you will ALWAYS see current draw and you will chase your tail for days.
c) The Amp Hound is a good start, but when you want to know EXACTLY what current flow you have, you MUST break the ground cable connection and insert an actual ammeter. The Amp Hound is measuring voltage drop across the slight resistance of the fuse and interpreting what the current is, but this is an approximate measurement. To prove what I say, use BOTH the Amp Hound and ammeter at the same time - you will see how far off the Amp Hound's readings are.
dklfnlnkfda) When you restore the connection, various modules will "wake up" and current flow will be as much as .5 to 1.5 amps. THIS IS TEMPORARY, keep the connection intact and wait THREE MINUTES, after this wait, the current you see is real and is the long-term value you are looking for.
b) If you don't wait, as in a) above, you will ALWAYS see current draw and you will chase your tail for days.
c) The Amp Hound is a good start, but when you want to know EXACTLY what current flow you have, you MUST break the ground cable connection and insert an actual ammeter. The Amp Hound is measuring voltage drop across the slight resistance of the fuse and interpreting what the current is, but this is an approximate measurement. To prove what I say, use BOTH the Amp Hound and ammeter at the same time - you will see how far off the Amp Hound's readings are.
Attached is a PDF I wrote that addresses the Crossfire-specific aspects of "finding battery drain". It could use some proofreading, please excuse the fact that it is not well written.
SPOT-ON! Do the steps one at a time, you'll get much better results if you stick to the exact steps outlined. .
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 975
Likes: 598
From: NW FL
Re: 2006 Convertible Mysterious Battery Drain
This should probably go without saying, but do not attempt to start the car with the ammeter in the loop. At a minimum, you'll blow a fuse inside the meter. At the worst, you'll smoke the meter, and probably the leads going to it.
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Philadelphia
Re: 2006 Convertible Mysterious Battery Drain
i’m having the same issue with my 06 Crossfire as well. Brand new battery purchased last month is now dead. the car is at mechanic now and being towed back to my house soon because he was unable to find the problem. H E L P. I know nothing about cars. I rely heavily on getting good advise from good people. thanks in advance
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 12
Likes: 1
From: Florida
Re: 2006 Convertible Mysterious Battery Drain
Update… I replaced the siren with one from NeedsWings. A little more expensive, but it is a new Mercedes piece and it now chirps on lock and unlock! Nice to have feature. So far so good no battery drain. Thanks guys for your help. I tested the siren by pressing the panic button. Lights flashed but no siren. So I replaced it and now it’s quite loud in panic mode and chirps with lock and unlock. This will help my mom know it’s locked, chirps twice for lock and once for unlock or the other way around can’t remember for sure lol. Thanks again!
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