Questions and Answers

VW Passatt Current Draw Q. I bought this car new in 1996, about six months ago the battery started going down if the car was not started every three or four days. I have checked to make sure the trunk light is not staying on when closed, it doesn't have a glove box so that light bulb is not an issue, there are no radar detectors or other electrical gadgets hooked up.

• 1996 Volkswagen Passatt VR6
• Manual transmission
• 90,000 miles

I replaced the battery with a new one, replaced the alternator, located and cleaned all ground connections I can find. I still have the same problem. I checked the draw on the battery with the engine not running, and my digital amp meter reads .04 amps. What am I missing here?

Thanks,
Bob

A. The maximum allowed current draw is 25mA. If the draw is above that, there is something sucking out your amps.

To do an accurate test, disconnect the battery ground cable and connect your ammeter between the negative terminal and negative cable with the meter set on it's highest setting. Turn off all the electrical consumers such as the radio, dome lights etc. CLose the doors and wait two minutes before taking a reading. This will allow time for timed systems to shut off. Now lower the setting on your meter until you get a readable indication.

If the draw is above 25mA, start removing system fuses one by one until the reading drops below 25mA. If you remove all the fuses and it is still above the 25mA, start disconnecting non-fused items, alternator, starter, ignition system and instrument cluster until you locate the draw.