Parasitic battery drain - SOLVED!

[njbray]

Had my car in the shop having a health check (cam deviations, suspension, etc) and gearbox oil change.
I had them spend some time on looking into the battery drain problem I have been chasing for a year or so.
Turns out it is the little red LED on the radio/dvd player! The reading shows it pulsing as it flashes, which is normal, but it is using way too much power to do so! Which was running down my battery after 5 days. Apparently they have had a few with the same problem - seems age related.
As I rarely use the radio I may just leave it disconnected or look for a new one.

[BoxsterSteve]

Originally Posted by njbray

As I rarely use the radio I may just leave it disconnected or look for a new one.

I hear ya.
Flat6 FM 986.6 is the shizzle.

But seriously, good to hear you got the battery issue sorted.

[pomerlo]

If you have a CDR-220 look in the manual there is an option to turn off this flashing led.

[pomerlo]

Here is the instructions to turn off the LED:

[thstone]

An LED caused the battery to drain in 5 days? How much power was it using?

[MWS]

I've been meaning to start a thread with my observations of interior lighting and how long different items stay on (will do so soon or soon-ish). Something you might want to look at is how long the orientation lights (LEDs in doors and by mirror) stay on....you just might be astounded.

[Gelbster]

Yes - that is a problem. But how can you shorten the delay before they turn off?

[njbray]

Originally Posted by pomerlo

Here is the instructions to turn off the LED:

I have been trying this and it will not work for me. pressing the arrow button does not do anything. Maybe this is part of the problem with the unit.

[Troy.Boxster]

Thanks for this njbray and pomero!
My car has, for years now, had the battery run down after a couple of weeks of sitting and it didn't matter how new the batteryt was. I always made a point to go start it or put it on the charger if I wasn't able to actually drive it for a while.
After changing my radio settings to turn off the LED then going away on a trip for three weeks, my car started right up when I returned! This would not have happened before.
Many, many thanks running this down (as it were) and letting us know what you found about the LED power usage. It is much appreciated!

[Gelbster]

This is a great fix. Kudos to those who have figured it out. Even better, they shared the solution. But what about the explanation of the problem?
The math for calculating the power consumption of one small LED warning light x hours active does not explain the depletion of the battery in these cases ?
When this LED is 'ON' , there must be another component(s) also consuming power ? It could be something as obscure as a leak of current to ground. So that mystery may be a challenge for someone !

[Oldcarguy]

Don’t know if I have this problem or not because the car is always on the battery tender but what the heck, I turned off the flashing led anyway. What’s not apparent in the CDR-23 directions is that you use the right radio knob push button function to cycle through the sub-menu options once you are in the ‘user’ menu.

[Philber]

I know it's an old thread, but ...

You can check for parasitic battery drain by disconnecting the negative battery terminal and connecting a digital multimeter (DMM). Turn all lights and accessories off (if you have a bonnet light, you need to remove the bulb or tape the switch closed). Set the DMM to measure current, and connect the DMM leads to the removed battery lead (red) and the negative battery terminal (black). Have someone watch the DMM while you systematically remove each fuse, one at a time. When the current drops significantly, that is the circuit that is causing the draw.

I replaced the visor cover on my 2002 986, and when I was done the visor lights did not work. I figured it was okay, because I never use them anyways. However, a week later my battery was dead. It turns out that when I inadvertently disabled the light switch within the visor, I must have created a short to ground, which was discharging the battery. I took the visor apart completely this time, and reconnected the light switch. Problem solved.

[Rob175]

After shutdown on my 98' the dash lights and interior light stay on for seemingly a longer than necessary period of time. Since I always plug my car into a battery "tender" I don't really care......but IF I did care I'd just LOCK the car with the fob, even when parked in my garage.....that shuts all of the lights off instantly.