Parasitic Amp Draw

just my first thought...
the regulator and/or alternator
a couple different failure modes, possible regulator keeping the field hot or a diode draining through stator

quote:

the regulator and/or alternator

I had the same symptoms a few years ago and it proved to be a faulty voltage regulator.

Do you have a solid state, or mechanical (relay) regulator?

You could unplug the regulator pretty easily, and that should tell you if the 2A goes away.

That's a pretty hefty current draw (2A * 12V = 24 Watts)... I would think the culprit might be warm to the touch (regulator or alternator).

Or disconnect the wires (one at a time) from the Alternator, and use your current meter there to see if you are getting current from the cable, to the terminal. If so, this is where the "leak" is.

Good luck

Rocky

regulator or alternoatr paths

2 amp is a pretty large draw. A rellay improperly wired would be something I would look into but I dont think a relay held open would be anywhere near 2a .

Put a different new battery in it. I chased a false "draw" for weeks and it turned out to be a faulty battery. The faulty battery also checked out to be "good".
Someone here on the forum gave me the advice. He was right.
Try it.
On an other unrelated note, what kind of quick disconnect do you have?

You could also hook up your multimeter and watch the amperage draw. Pull each fuse one at a time and see if/when the draw goes away. At least then you will know what circuit is drawing the 2 amps. if it doesnt go away you can start working on the unfused stuff.

Hey Jag, These can be frustrating...but when I win then..all of a sudden they were a good challenge. Let's see if we can turn this one into a good challenge.... I think unplugging the VR is a good first step. I was thinking from here, identify all direct wire components, starter solenoid, any relays etc..all items that don't go through the fuse box (as you have already identified that the issue is upstream of the box). Then disconnect one at a time. To help me with this task, I have a turn signal flasher relay wired with male/female spades and alligator clips on both ends (use whichever is needed for specific task). I connect/clip this in series from battery to hot lead cable. So long as the draw is enough it cycles the relay and gives me an audible tone which I can hear anywhere around the car. When (ultimately ;-) I pull the right plug...the clicking noise stops. This isn't going to help you identify which lead is the problem, but it aids in the process. Just thought it could be helpful for you. Sorry...off on a bit of a tangent...back to the issue.. Don't forget to add to the list items such as ignition switch. I have to refresh my memory with the wire diagram before I made more suggestions, but I guess that's my first thoughts.

Appreciate all the suggestions. With the holidays past, started trouble shooting the amp draw problem and it appears the newly purchased voltage regulator was either defective or wrong application. Pulled the gang plug from regulator and amp draw went to "0". Reinstalled the old original regulator, amp draw remained at "0", with proper charging.
Once again, thanks for the suggestions.

thanks for the update.

"What a coincidence"... today I chased a parasitic amp draw on my driver (2001 Yukon). after changing the battery, I hooked up a test amp meter and discovered the radio's amplifier was sucking 1/2 amp all the time.

Glad to hear it JAG!

quote:

it appears the newly purchased voltage regulator was either defective or wrong application. Pulled the gang plug from regulator and amp draw went to "0". Reinstalled the old original regulator, amp draw remained at "0", with proper charging.

Congrats Jag! Always nice to solve a problem!

So what prompted you to replace the regulator to begin with?

Husker: When I replaced the old, non working, alternator with a new alternator, I was receiving an over charging condition; therefore, a new voltage regulator was warranted as a precautionary move and an inexpensive electrical update.

Just when I thought I had the problem solved, I've encountered a different problem.
In reviewing my previous posts, I started with a 2 amp parasitic draw as my original problem, which was isolated at the regulator once the gang plug was removed. Received a number of good responses and trouble shooting suggestions.
A brief recap:
1.) The solid state electronic regulator created a 2 amp draw. When I removed the yellow wire from the "A" terminal of the regulator to the "Battery" side of the starter solenoid the 2 amp draw stopped. Otherwise, every thing worked fine. My conclusion was a bad regulator.
2.) I reinstalled my old mechanical regulator, no amp draw, charges properly; however, when I shut the key to "off", the engine continues to "run on" and I can literally remove the key and the engine continues to run.
3.) Purchased a new mechanical regulator (same as OE), installed it, and the same results occur with the new mechanical regulator as with the old regulator - everything works fine with the exception that the engine continues to "run on" with the key off.
Possibly an ignition switch hanging up? Why with one regulator but not the other?
A hot wire "back feeding"?
ANY SUGGESTIONS APPRECIATED !!!!

Intersting...not your problem per say, but the first I ever looked at the wiring diagram for the interconnection between alternator and ignition coil. My first glance is "how does it NOT keep running?" I see the wiring through the charging lamp would keep power to to coil. hopefully someone can explain to us how that works and what is going wrong with your car

Do you still have the "charging lamp"? has it been shorted accross? (I am assuming the bulb and resistor would limit current to to coil when key is turned off)

JFB #05177: Additional info:
I have wired the bulb area three different ways:
1.) Bulb in the circuit
2.) Jumper wire with bulb out of circuit
3.) A jumper wire connecting the two wires, bulb omitted, with a 15 ohm resistor in the jumper.

To confuse the issue more, I installed Duraspark II, and am running through a relay as depicted in the various wiring schematics (George P.) and I would think once the ignition switch is in the off position the relay would open thereby cutting power to the coil.
What is further confusing is the solid state regulator shuts the engine down, but the mechanical regulator does not.

There is an issue where fans can act as generators and feed back voltage.

You can eliminate this simply by only running for 30 sec to be sure your fans aren't spinning.

Not saying this is the problem, just checking. And I'm not sure why my theory would have anything to do with a mechanical regulator

IF you have your relay installed so that the alternator flashing circuit is connected to coil side of the aux relay, then the low current that would backfeed through the charging lamp would be sufficient to hold the coil in with the key off.

where the original wiring, I would think the current limit of the charging lamp path would not be enough for the ignition coil