How to Check for Electrical Leakage in a Sedan?
2 Answers
To check for electrical leakage in a sedan, you can start with a simple self-inspection to see if any electrical devices in the car were left on unintentionally or if any additional accessories have been installed. If these possibilities are ruled out, the issue may indeed be electrical leakage. Electrical leakage in a car can cause sudden interruptions in the power supply, leading to the onboard computer locking up unexpectedly or system data loss. Detecting electrical leakage requires some professional testing equipment and knowledge about automotive electrical systems. Owners should take their car to a service station for a detailed inspection and have it repaired by professionals. To prevent such incidents from recurring, regular maintenance and inspections of the vehicle are also necessary.
Last time my car battery drained inexplicably, so I checked for parasitic drain myself. First, completely disconnect the car's power, close all doors and trunk, wait half an hour for the vehicle to enter sleep mode. Use a multimeter to measure the battery current - if the quiescent current exceeds 50mA, it indicates a parasitic drain. Then start pulling fuses for screening: remove each fuse in the cabin and engine compartment one by one, observing the ammeter changes after each removal. In my case, when I pulled the cigarette lighter fuse, the current suddenly dropped to normal levels, revealing that the buck converter for my dash cam had failed. I recommend recording each fuse's position to avoid incorrect reinstallation. Pay special attention to aftermarket devices when checking for parasitic drain - items like anti-theft systems and GPS trackers are frequent culprits.
