2003 Cavalier parasitic current

[ddeerrff]

Anyone know the normal parasitic current (ignition off) on a 2003 Cavalier?

Battery went dead after sitting unused a couple of months. Recharged the battery enough to get it started and drove a bit around the subdivision. It sat for another week and once again would not start.

Suspecting a failing battery (OE still installed) I replaced the battery. But out of curiosity, when I did so I also checked the parasitic current draw (ammeter in series with battery ground) and found it drawing 80 mA. Seems a bit high, but I have not been able to find any definitive source as to what it should be.

[J-Ri]

50 mA is the "maximum", however modern vehicles need to sit for quite a while for the number to drop to that. Computers stay on for a while after the key is turned off, same for security systems if equipped. Let it sit for an hour, then without even opening a door (leave the hood popped), check it again. A clamp-on meter is very nice for this, but you can use a regular meter and use a jumper wire to keep the battery connected. You just have to be sure the jumper wire stays in contact with the battery and the cable until the meter is in contact with both, otherwise you have to wait again because all the modules turn on when the battery is reconnected. I personally wouldn't worry about that extra 30mA, a half way decent battery will last weeks on that little of a draw. A typical car battery is 60 amp hours, so with a draw of 80mA, you have 750 hours until the battery is dead (31.25 days). I just got home from having a "few" beers and my brain's tired, so if you want to know how many hours you have until you can still crank it, you do that math yourself! It may be wise to double check what i gave you aswell If you want to look for the draw, pull fuses one at a time until it drops, then get a wiring diagram and see what all's on that circuit.

[ddeerrff]

Thanks J-Ri. When first hooking it up, I saw almost an amp. After 30 seconds or so it dropped to that 80 mA and stayed there for a minute or so. I didn't leave it any longer - I'll have to try that.