How to Measure Car Battery Drain with a Multimeter?

[SebastianMarie]

Using a multimeter to measure car battery drain: 1. First, set the multimeter to the correct range. The multimeter has ranges for measuring voltage, resistance, and current; to measure car battery drain, turn the dial to the current measurement range. 2. Next, select the measurement range—generally, 20A is suitable for cars—then insert the red probe into the socket labeled 20A. 3. After setting up the multimeter, turn off the car engine, shut down all electrical devices, and lock the doors. 4. Open the hood, disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, connect the red probe of the multimeter to the car's ground wire, and the black probe to the negative terminal of the battery. Observe the current displayed on the multimeter. Note: Normal battery drain should be below 30-50mA (0.03-0.05). If the multimeter shows a value exceeding 0.05, it indicates significant battery drain in the car.