Battery drain?
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Battery drain?
I left an iPhone charger in the 12 V outlet and woke up to find my battery at 9 Volts.the next morning. It’s an eight month old superstart AGM battery. My alternator is working fine. 200 amp. Could it be possible just leaving a charger without a phone attached draw down my battery?
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10,060
Likes: 491
From: Bristol, TN.
It shouldn't, I leave mine plugged in all the time. Never take it out. Why not just make sure your battery is charged then plug it in and leave it for a couple of hours and check your battery voltage again after unplugging the charger. I have managed to run down my battery by leaving my Garmin Navigator plugged in over night and turned on.
Steve
Steve
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Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
From: Tucson, AZ
If your low battery voltage state recurs, consider the following:
SYMPTOM:
The Battery is Dead or Will Not Stay Charged OR Low Battery or Generator Voltage
Potential Causes
Typically, a drain of approximately one amp can be attributed to an engine compartment lamp, glove compartment lamp, or luggage compartment lamp staying on continually. Other component failures or wiring shorts may be located by selectively pulling fuses to pinpoint the location of the current drain. When the current drain is found, the meter reading will fall to an acceptable level. If the drain is still not located after checking all the fuses, it may be due to the generator.
To accurately test the drain on a battery, an in-line digital ammeter must be used. Using a test lamp or voltmeter is not an accurate method due to the number of electronic modules.
The preceding info is taken from the Service/Shop manual. In light of your statement that the generator is ok, the most likely cause would seem to be high key-off load.
Access to an Alternator, Regulator, Battery and Starter Tester (ARBST) is necessary to complete a thorough and accurate battery drain test.
SYMPTOM:
The Battery is Dead or Will Not Stay Charged OR Low Battery or Generator Voltage
Potential Causes
- Corroded terminal(s).
- Loose connection(s).
- High key-off load.
- Generator.
Typically, a drain of approximately one amp can be attributed to an engine compartment lamp, glove compartment lamp, or luggage compartment lamp staying on continually. Other component failures or wiring shorts may be located by selectively pulling fuses to pinpoint the location of the current drain. When the current drain is found, the meter reading will fall to an acceptable level. If the drain is still not located after checking all the fuses, it may be due to the generator.
To accurately test the drain on a battery, an in-line digital ammeter must be used. Using a test lamp or voltmeter is not an accurate method due to the number of electronic modules.
The preceding info is taken from the Service/Shop manual. In light of your statement that the generator is ok, the most likely cause would seem to be high key-off load.
Access to an Alternator, Regulator, Battery and Starter Tester (ARBST) is necessary to complete a thorough and accurate battery drain test.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 10,060
Likes: 491
From: Bristol, TN.
Since the OP's initial concern was about his phone charger, might want to focus first on that and see if the problem does recur. Or, use an amp meter to check the actual amp draw of the charger, although given the substantial overnight voltage drop is would be hard to see how the charger could still be working while drawing that many amps.
Steve
Steve
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
From: Tucson, AZ
Since the OP's initial concern was about his phone charger, might want to focus first on that and see if the problem does recur. Or, use an amp meter to check the actual amp draw of the charger, although given the substantial overnight voltage drop is would be hard to see how the charger could still be working while drawing that many amps.
Steve
Steve
The OP will want to consider the service manual info if the charger is definitively eliminated as the source of the problem. Either way, it's a no-cost testing routine.
Junior User
Joined: Aug 2020
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
From: Tucson, AZ
Excellent. You've corrected the defect and are back on the road then I presume?
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