Phanthom battery drain

[Lakeview 52]

I've been experiencing a battery drain. I don't use the vehicle every day. There seems to be a continual drain on the battery. After being idle for a day or two I have to jump it. Becoming a nuisance. Any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[EdP]

I've been experiencing a battery drain. I don't use the vehicle every day. There seems to be a continual drain on the battery. After being idle for a day or two I have to jump it. Becoming a nuisance. Any suggestions would be appreciated

How old is the battery? As they age this can happen,

 

[Lakeview 52]

How old is the battery? As they age this can happen,

Battery was replaced a year ago in March. I also had to replace the starter around the same time.

 

[Lakeview 52]

Battery was replaced a year ago in March. I also had to replace the starter around the same time.

 

[skipgen]

Battery was replaced a year ago in March. I also had to replace the starter around the same time.

I'd go have your battery/alternator tested - at least you would know if the battery is the culprit or if the alternator is charging. Most places can do it in a few minutes - I think Auto Zone & the like will even do it for free... I've seen even new batteries "tap out" in a year. If that's the case, your new one would probably be free.

 

[Lakeview 52]

thank you skipgen. I will do so tomorrow.

 

[glennk]

Build quality and reliability have gone down. I'm almost on Year 5 of my battery (installed prior to my purchase). My service advisor says it fluctuates. Some batteries last for years, while others a few months.

 

[skipgen]

Build quality and reliability have gone down. I'm almost on Year 5 of my battery (installed prior to my purchase). My service advisor says it fluctuates. Some batteries last for years, while others a few months.

No doubt - a friend of mine leased a brand new Ford Escape a few years ago and it's battery was toast @ less than 8k mi.

 

[Lakeview 52]

Thank you for your input. I took the car to NAPA to have the battery checked. It showed deficient. Thankfully it's fully warrantied.
They told me to contact the dealer to see if the computer has to be programmed for the battery change.
He said that is the case with some other makes. Anyone know if this is necessary?

 

[glennk]

No, reprogramming nor calibration is required. The German makes do.

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[skipgen]

Thank you for your input. I took the car to NAPA to have the battery checked. It showed deficient. Thankfully it's fully warrantied.
They told me to contact the dealer to see if the computer has to be programmed for the battery change.
He said that is the case with some other makes. Anyone know if this is necessary?

No. I put mine in myself. Glad it was just the battery. Although alternators are pretty reasonable for this car, nothing exotic - mine was $250 installed per my indie mechanic.

 

[GenLes]

My 2015 Genesis has been great but now seems to suffer from phantom battery drain as others have reported. Battery replaced, alternator charging - so it's not something simple.

Measured with my ammeter at the battery there's a 3 amp drain. Obviously that's going to kill the battery quickly and is not right. The new battery went from 100% charge to 85% overnight.

I first pulled every darn fuse except the big ones (there are a lot in this car) and watched the meter. I found a 2 amp drop from the Memory1 fuse and a 1 amp drop from the Module1 fuse. Together 3 amps!

I also used a meter to measure the millivolt drop from the fuses with metal test pins and got similar results, focused on Memory 1 and Module 1.

Lots of things seem to connect to those fuses but it appears one thing in common is the Electric Parking Brake switch/motor. Could that be the source?

I'm trying to figure out where those are located on the car and how to isolate and test. With 3 amps shouldn't the faulty item be heating up? I don't have an IR imaging camera but maybe one would help?

I haven't dealt with this kind of issue but am learning. Maybe someone here has more experience with this type of issue? Thanks much.

 

[joegr]

I doubt that it is the parking brake (the infotainment system is often the cause), but at 36 Watts it should be easy to check it. It is item one in the diagram below.





This is under the car, at the back, above the front of the rear differential. I don't know how well you can see it without dropping the exhaust, heatshield(s), and some covers.

 

[GenLes]

Thank you very much, I'll investigate. Maybe this is above my pay grade, as I don't have much mechanical experience but do have electronics knowledge.

If it's the infotainment how do I isolate that - remove it completely and see if the drain drops?

 

[GenLes]

I pulled at the same time the both fuses marked Multimedia in the driver's fusebox and the drain drops 1 amp.

If I pull at the same time both Memory1 and Module1 the drain drops 3 amps.

I don't see that Memory1 and Module1 have any connection to Multimedia.

Unless there's some odd hidden interaction I don't understand how the Multimedia is at fault. But maybe I'm missing something.

 

[joegr]

You are waiting for the car electronics to sleep every time you change something?

 

[GenLes]

No, I'm not waiting. How long do I need to wait? Thanks for your help.

 

[GenLes]

So I should pull both Multimedia fuses and wait half an hour before measuring again?

 

[joegr]

So I should pull both Multimedia fuses and wait half an hour before measuring again?

That should be about right, but the meter has to be in the circuit the whole time, just wait the half hour before taking the reading seriously.

 

[GenLes]

Got it, thanks. I'm using a clamp on meter so it shouldn't affect the circuits as it's an indirect connection. But I won't move it anyway.