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Help me out here.
I have an '01 Diamante LS. I replaced the alternator 3-4 months ago and also replaced the battery 2 weeks ago. I'm still noticing that overnight by the time I'm starting up my car, my battery is low and my headlights are fluctuating. I've had both the battery and alternator tested multiple times with the equipment from Advance Auto and am kind of stumped. Any ideas of things to start looking at?
Perhaps you have a parasitic draw issue.
The easiest way to test for a draw is to use an Ammeter.... or multimeter that has that function. Pull out each fuse one by one and replace it with the ammeter to test current draw from each circuit. With the car off, there should be pretty much no draw through every fuse. Once you find the one that pulls current with the car off, you need to go through that circuit and find the reason for the draw.
When I worked at the Mitsubishi dealership from 02-05, the diamantes were the WORST at keeping a charge, I dont know what it was about them but they were constantly needing jump starts and battery replacements (sitting on the dealership for 2 years)
That fuse idea from OBXboost sounds golden
This is pretty much the way to go. It doesn't need to be an incredibly accurate ammeter, just enough to see minimal parasitic draws versus zero draw.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hans@GZP
I bought one at walmart for CHEAP. It actually works VERY well.
Just for reference, anything over about 35 mA is parasitic draw.