When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
What is the normal parasitic drain on a 5th Gen ES350?
Not looking to rehash old posts. In Jan 2018, I acquired a 2010 ES350 with 60K miles on it. I had one instance in April last year, where the battery died on me. I had the batery tested, and it failed, so I replaced it with an Interstate battery.
No other issues for 14 months, then over the last few weeks, my battery starts draining after 3-4 days.
I checked with the multi-meter an there is a drain in the amount of .027 when i first connect in series, after 20-30 seconds, it reduces to .017. After another 10-20 seconds, it hovers at .006-.007. I don't see how this could drain the batter in a few days?
Please look at the images below (Note the settings on the multimeter) and confirm I am reading these correctly.
Thinking it may be the regulator in the alternator, I disconnected the alternator and let the car set, with the terminals connected to the battery. in 2 days, it dropped to 8.7 volts (No image). This seems like an excessive drop. I've turned off the smart key functionality and stored the fobs over 40 feet from the car.
Does anyone know the normal parasitic drain on a 2010 ES350, so I can use it for reference?
Does anyone know the normal parasitic drain on a 2010 ES350, so I can use it for reference?
Unfortunately, no. But I strongly suspect you have either a bad battery or alternator. Could be both by now - a bad alternator can damaged a good battery.
You'll need to recharge the battery or get a new one in order to test the charging system - you need a healthy battery to accurately test the charging system. Once you have a good battery, take car to an autozone type part store; they will check your charging system free with a handheld reader that is surprisingly accurate.
You can also do a quick load test on the charging system yourself if you have a voltmeter. At idle and engine warmed up, and with good battery, the voltage should, ideally, be 13.5 to 14.8 volts. With several components turned on (headlights, fan on high, defrost) the voltage at idle should not drop below 12.6 volts - rev up the engine to about 2K rpm and voltage with the components on should return to the 13.5 to 14.8 range, but not be more than half a volt difference if the components were off. Note, do not turn on the AC as that puts a mechanical load on the engine and will throw off the readings.
The voltage regulator failed the test, but i hear that is the norm with the Autozone/Oreilly's tester. Note: If i drive the car every other day, the battery does not deplete. I did this for a month with no dead battery.
Battery tests good. It was at 12.6 volts when i parked it yesterday. Today it is at 11.8 volts.
In checking for parasitic draw, I did the following:
Hood was left unlatched from last night, so opened the hood and nothing else was touched in the passenger compartment. No door, no trunk, no anything.
Disconnected the ground
Connected the multimeter in series.
Draw shows 0.000. no draw at all?
How can the battery decline to 11.8 volts without a draw?
UPDATE - No fix yet, but still troubleshooting. When I previoulsy disconnected the main wire to the alternator, i ommitted the connection below it, with all the small wires.
I have since fully charged the battery and disconnected the alternator completely from the electrical system.
So far, 0.00 draw on the battery. I reconnected both positive and negative terminals and am letting the car sit for a couple of days, measuring the voltage.
Virtually no change in volts (12.91 to 12.85 volts) in the last 8 hours. This leads me to believe you may have correctly identified the alternator earlier.
07-17-19, 07:17 PM
What is the normal parasitic drain on a 5th Gen ES350?
