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Resting current draw Posted by Doug W [Email] (#2371) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Doug W) on Mon, 31 Aug 2020 20:57:41 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
My son's '03 9-5 had been sitting for nearly ten days. Battery was completely flat. No, I doubt it's the battery - it's a one month old Duralast. The alternator (140A) was also new last month.
I suspect it's the lock cylinder. Sometimes turning the key does nothing. Wait ten seconds, turn the key and the car starts. This go round I recharged the battery to 12.44 volts and checked for a current drain. Sure enough: about 400 mA. I pull fuse 17 and it goes away, no drain - zilch. I start the car and drive for 20 minutes, pull it back in the garage and pull the key out SHARPLY. The cylinder clicks and it's in the UP position. Now I check the current draw WITH fuse 17 in place and it's about 90 mA, 1/4 of what it was. Even weirder is the current draw is intermittent. Sometimes it's zero.
What's the "normal" current draw on these cars? I know the LED in the dash flashes. That has to have SOME draw. I checked my wife's '04 9-5 wagon and it too has a "resting" current draw of about 90 mA. That car recently had its starter, battery, and alternator all replaced. It starts and runs fine, although we haven't let it sit for more than a couple days even in these times of COVID. It's the grocery getter.
My reason for suspecting the lock cylinder:
https://www.saabnet.com/tsn/bb/9-5/index.html?bID=269970
What's the MTBF of the lock cylinder? The one in my wife's '04 is original at 213,000 miles. I did replace the electrical switch beneath it though at 155,000 five years ago.
_______________________________________ '03 Aero 5Spd, Krona, 290 bhp (son's) Sold: '04 Aero Sport Kombi, Sport Tek, BSR '03 Linear 5 spd. Krona Mods, 350 bhp
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