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How To Fix Your Power Drain

Know the Hows and Whys
By Douglas R. Glad
Photography by Douglas R. Glad
116 0501 Drain 1 Z
116 0501 Drain 2 Z
First the obvious stuff. Headlight... 
   
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116 0501 Drain 2 Z
First the obvious stuff. Headlight doors are notorious for staying onand drawing power, so we checked them and took note of the brake lightsand headlights, and we looked for anything that was humming with thebattery connected. If there is a draw that is more than 10 A, you'llneed to find it before you hook the amp meter up or you'll blow itsfuse.
116 0501 Drain 3 Z
We disconnected the negative... 
   
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116 0501 Drain 3 Z
We disconnected the negative battery cable to hook the meter in serieswith the entire vehicle electrical system. It doesn't matter which cableyou disconnect, reversing polarity will add a negative to the ampreading but will still indicate the amp draw.
116 0501 Drain 4 Z
The meter we used has a 10A... 
   
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116 0501 Drain 4 Z
The meter we used has a 10A and a 300mA port and a common ground. Bothof the amp ports have corresponding rated fuses. In a pinch, we've usedautomotive-type glass fuses in the 10A port after popping the one itcame with. See the Buy a Meter sidebar for prices and where to buy.

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