Slow electrical drain....i think

[nh9095]

Car has a 6 month old battery but if it sits in the garage its volt reading will drop from 12.3 ++ after driving to 11.99 or lower after sitting for 3-4 days. I think it has a slow drain somewhere but not sure where. Durametric only shows that i need a new sensor for my auto lights on/off which I do. When i have my lights set to auto in the day they are on which they shouldn't be. No big deal to me as I just leave them in off position and don't use the auto function. Any ideas on what the drain could be or how to trouble shoot it? No problems starting the car but just don't like knowing I have a slow drain. thanks guys

[JFP in PA]

The best way to find an electrical drain it to put a multi-meter between the positive battery cable and the battery terminal, and set it on current (mA). Should read in the 40 - 60 mA range, if it is higher, start pulling the fuses one at a time until the draw suddenly drops. That circuit is the issue..........................

Edited February 6, 2011 by JFP in PA

[wvicary]

You can't locate a battery drain on these vehicles by pulling fuses. You need to have the key removed, all doors/hood/tailgate closed and the drivers and passengers door latches tripped. Leave the vehicle untouched for a minuim of 25 minutes to allow it to hibernate and then without touching any doors handle and such you measure the voltage drop across the fuses with a good quality DVOM.

There are also a few TSB's that address drains and the hardware/software updates to correct the issues. What year is your Cayenne?

[nh9095]

You can't locate a battery drain on these vehicles by pulling fuses. You need to have the key removed, all doors/hood/tailgate closed and the drivers and passengers door latches tripped. Leave the vehicle untouched for a minuim of 25 minutes to allow it to hibernate and then without touching any doors handle and such you measure the voltage drop across the fuses with a good quality DVOM.

There are also a few TSB's that address drains and the hardware/software updates to correct the issues. What year is your Cayenne?

2005. are tsb's covered if i am out of warranty?

[wvicary]

TSB's are not recalls so you'll have to pay.

[RFM]

If you follow the advice of "JFP in PA" and "wvicary" be sure that the multi-meter is already installed before before you disconnect the + cable from the battery terminal, the circuit should never be interrupted otherwise the suspected control boxes will be reset and will often not identify abnormal measurements.

[SA321]

There are also a few TSB's that address drains and the hardware/software updates to correct the issues. What year is your Cayenne?

Hi wvicary,

I have looked through all TSBs but found nothing. Which one do you refer to? thanks in advance (2009 CT)

[wvicary]

There are also a few TSB's that address drains and the hardware/software updates to correct the issues. What year is your Cayenne?

Hi wvicary,

I have looked through all TSBs but found nothing. Which one do you refer to? thanks in advance (2009 CT)

There are no TSB's for battery drains that I know of for your model year, they only applied to older models. What issues are you having??