What Causes Vehicle Power Leakage and How to Deal with It?
2 Answers
Vehicle power leakage causes: Battery depletion due to unswitched electrical appliances when parking; Self-discharge and depletion caused by short circuits or oxidation shedding of battery plates; Leakage caused by grounding of automotive electrical components, wiring harnesses, sensors, controllers, and other electronic components and circuits. Solutions for vehicle power leakage: Open the engine hood, loosen the fixing nut of the battery negative terminal with a wrench, and pull out the negative terminal connector; Set the multimeter to the DC 10A or 20A range, touch the red probe to the vehicle's grounding part, and the black probe to the battery negative terminal connector; Observe the value displayed on the multimeter, where normal leakage current should be below 30 to 50mA.
I've been driving for over 20 years. Once my car wouldn't start after sitting idle for a few days, which was really frustrating. After inspection, it turned out to be battery drain, usually caused by aging circuits, poor wire connections, or improperly turned-off accessories. Some cars with upgraded audio systems may still consume power when parked, or maybe the headlights were left on. Battery drain can quickly deplete your battery, even causing breakdowns on the road. The solution isn't complicated: first use a multimeter to check the battery current. If it's higher than the standard value, start troubleshooting by removing fuses one by one from the fuse box. Once you locate the faulty part, replace it with a new one. Always remember to turn off all non-essential equipment when parking to avoid trouble. I recommend regular maintenance, especially for older vehicles - pay close attention to wiring harness conditions. Don't underestimate this, it can save you considerable time and money.
