C5 Current Drain...

[Curious George]

Hello All,
Does anyone know the factory current drain spec on a '99 C5. I measured my '99 C5 today, and I have approximately 90mA of parasitic drain. It seems a bit much, but I have no reference.

I do not have any aftermarket electronics or anything else plugged in to the power port / lighter etc.

CG

 

[Curious George]

C5 Current Drain

Hello All,
I answered my own question! I do not have any parasitic current drain after all. If and when you go to check current drain, with your digital meter, you need to wait about 2 minutes before everything powers down; doors shut, hood light taken out, no lights on inside (vanity mirrors), etc.

After about 2 minutes, the meter should read @ 23mA, which is the factory current drain. This is well within specifications of other vehicles. I was not waiting long enough, which is why I "misread" the meter reading initially. With a fully charged battery, the vehicle can sit for at least three weeks and still start. A little math will help clarify the battery drain and how it impacts the charge left in the battery; 0.023 (mA's)*24 (hours)*21 (days) = 11.592 amps drained from battery. This may not seem like a lot, but when you factor in temperature / charge state of battery and condition (how old is it), you can see why, after a month or so, your vehicle may not start or is sluggish to start.

I have attached two pictures of how I measured the parasitic current draw. Notice that in order to measure current, you have to disconnect the main power feed to the fuse boxes by taking off the 13mm nut and isolating the 8 gauge wire attached to the red alligator clip between the battery and underhood fuse box. The 13mm nut is by the black alligator clip. After you are finished measuring current, put the red 8 gauge wire back under the 13mm nut and retighten.

CG

 

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,
Specification is 15-30ma, depending on options.
Allthebest, c4c5