A Simple Subaru Battery Draw - Easy!

In this video I have a look at a customers Subaru Outback that has a customer complaint that the battery dies after sitting a few weeks. We end up finding the problem pretty fast and I show you a few tips and things to look out for.
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South Main Auto Repair
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Avoca, NY 14809
Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. South Main Auto Repair assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. South Main Auto Repair recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of South Main Auto Repair, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained.

[@SouthMainAuto]

*UPDATE:* Customer decided he did not want to go any further with the repair or diagnosing because it is just his winter beater. He told me if he wants his radio to work he'll just reinstall the fuse 🤷🏼‍♂. Any how, we did what we were hired to do and it's off to the next one. Thanks for watching! -Eric O.

[@arjanvanraaij8440]

Strange, I would unhook the battery or hook up a trickelcharger if this thing goes in storage.

[@Troy_Built]

I have a problem with the radio in one of my cars. Just switching it to key on power only fixed it for me. Having to lose a radio preset every time is a little annoying but it isn't driven often.

[@munthirkhan1217]

wise customer

[@Guysm1l3y]

And people wonder why garages charge a min hours diag fee. Your time is valuable!

[@betomendez4304]

Same thing with my Ford truck pull the fuse for radio last few days without killing battery better then one day but didn't fix it all the way Soo now I just disconnecte battery. Only drive it twice a month

[@wenpyle]

I have worked on electronics for 40 years and it never occurred to me to check the voltage drop over a fuse for current draw thru the circuit. I have used that method to check for blown fuses , but that is an amazing new insight. Thank you

[@sharedknowledge6640]

It’s worth noting you need a halfway decent meter for this. The Amazon and Harbor Freight Chinese specials won’t reliably read voltages this low. You ideally want a name brand 4.5 digit meter with a 200mV range.

[@throttlebottle5906]

@@sharedknowledge6640 or break out an old dinosaur VTVOM and warm the tubes up. lol, they'll measure a fart wafting through the air. 🤣

[@steadyeddie7453]

@@sharedknowledge6640 A quality meter is a must, for sure. I also try to never use the auto-ranging function. First, it's takes extra time for the display to settle every time you probe a circuit. And second, if you not paying attention in the auto-ranging mode you could think you're reading volts when you're actually reading millivolts, for example.

[@MrGardman]

Always like these battery draw videos. It amazes me what part of the car can cause these draws.

[@Eric_the_Hiking]

Dark current is a hypothetical form of current thought to account for approximately 85% of the current in the universe.

[@markh.6687]

Stop yer babblin', man! Ye canna change de laws of Physics, Eric! :)

[@robertrosicki9290]

I remember the " good old days " of pulling the fuses one at a time in the dark at see which one sparked .

[@clintprice2123]

Eric O is as real as they come, not only in automotive repair but in other aspects about life. He does throw out some great and honest zingers that are on point.

[@jimm1819]

One of the many Roy Rogers one liners - "If you take the boy out of the man, you ain't got much left"

[@handymandev03]

Hey if it sits for a period of time like that I myself would just put a battery maintainer on it.

[@jhorton1600]

Or a battery cutoff switch.

[@MicroSoftner]

​@@jhorton1600big trucks got em

[@Boga217]

​@@jhorton1600maintainer is much easier

[@kahrnivor]

Or unhook it.

[@Boga217]

@@kahrnivor still easier to just clip 2 alligator clips and plug a cord in...a battery that just sits can still die too..much better on 1-2 amp maintainer.

[@CouchMan88]

Mr Subaru had a video on his channel of a similar issue. Turned out to be the factory cd changer. When that was unplugged from the harness to the radio the draw went away.

[@tubeDude48]

My daughter went out to her truck one morning and it was dead! I found the battery flat. I jumper-ed the truck to get it started and saw that the alternator was fine, so I put the DMM across the battery and saw a huge amount of current draw. After pulling fuses, the current went down after the brake-light fuse was pulled. It turned out that the switch on the pedal was bad. Simple fix!

[@trotva]

The fact I am up this early on a Sunday is only bearable because you downloaded a video ! Thanks

[@josephdavis4201]

I was thinking the same thing. 😂😂😂😂

[@msnoonan]

Had a 2000 Toyota Sienna with a similar problem. If it sat for more than a few days, the battery was dead. Battery was fairly old at that time so even a small amount of parasitic draw would kill it after a few days. Did the draw test and found it was the radio doing the damage. Turned out the previous owner had an after-market radio installed. The draw was pretty close to that 150 number on Eric's meter. Got an original radio off eBay, installed it, and the draw went way down to around 15. Funny thing was that I went through the previous owners service records, which he kept meticulously, and found out that around 90 days after he had that after-market radio installed, he had a "hard starting" problem. He took it into a shop and they fired off the parts cannon, replacing the starter and the battery. Problem likely went away for a while because the newer battery would have been less likely to be affected by the 150 parasitic draw. That shop obviously was not of the caliber of SMA.

[@bobhudson6659]

You are a good all round operator. Your missus said in a previous video that you have not been beaten (yet) on any problem that comes into your shop. I can see why. You tackle stuff that others can't/won't/have tried and failed. You also like a challenge. There are a lot of internet so called mechanics that show how easy it is to fix something. I have a neighbour who looks at many of those videos, but when we actually do the jobs together, I get him to look back and then compare what we did to what the video says to do. There are omissions or worse, just incorrect info, or assumptions that the viewer can use certain tools, like micrometers. The neighbour has never used a feeler gauge - how can he, or anyone else, be expected to get the "feel" of a micrometer by using looking at a video. Keep educating all of us. Even me as 72 yr old retired mechanic/machinist in Land Down Under is still learning from watching you in action. Well done to you and Mrs O. By the way, how old are you?

[@neile9435]

She did not speak about the mini fog light being from a European country it was watching and shouting at the TV.😂

[@Conqueef-tadoor]

Unless you want to count "being beaten" as the few vehicles he has given up on. I've seen a few with intermittent problems that Eric gave up on due to lack of time. After 20-30 mins he was getting nowhere because everything happened to be working at the time. It's difficult to chase ghosts, so I would have thrown in the towel as well. Just tell the customer to at least try to get a good video recording, preferably with good clear audio the next time the problem presents itself. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@markh.6687]

Or assuming the viewer even HAS those tools!

[@DeeTacoWilson]

Another good informative video, I know you have done draw videos before but there is always something different and I learn something every time. Don't hesitate to make a video even if you think you have covered something similar, it really does help folks!

[@GarnConstructionInc]

A buzzer beater! Sharp meter leads are a great tip to connect through weathered fuse tops. Nice diag!

[@glennallen7129]

Subaru tech here. Watch out for the 17-19 outback/legacy for the current draw. I found that the DCM is causing the draw which is the 7.5a fuse under the hood. The fix is either leave the fuse out or have the dealer reset it back to “Factory Mode”. The dcm in those years are 3g and since they’re discontinued, they tend to look for that signal and stay awake.

[@guess1866]

Does this affect the same years of forester?

[@glennallen7129]

@@guess1866 I don’t think so. Forester do have a reprogram available for battery issues. If you think your car is affected, the dealer should change your battery and reprogram your ecm to rectify the issue. You may have to pay some. Subaru had a lawsuit with their battery from interstate.

[@chrisforker7487]

What’s a DCM? My neighbor has one of these and the battery is dead every couple days. The dealership won’t fix it.

[@glennallen7129]

@@chrisforker7487 data control module or telematics. If that car doesn’t have any aftermarket parts, chances are it’s that module that kills the battery.

[@chrisforker7487]

@@glennallen7129 his is all stock, nothing added to it. It’s just unfortunate the the dealer won’t touch it.

[@rpross1986]

My Subaru 2016 Outback has a power draw and this was incredibly helpful seeing your method of identifying the parasitic draw. I feel it’s important to have some information when you bring your car into a shop so you can help narrow down the issues. Even seeing where the fuse box next to the battery was is great. Thanks again for making this !!

[@puremayhemFTW]

You have been putting out so many videos lately and we are all here for it! Thanks for all you do Eric!

[@crackermcwhitey1364]

Hunting season is approaching. Freezer filling season, less time for wrench turning.😬

[@djmartin4776]

I've always gone with the old school method because that was all I was taught. Got so irritated with waking up modules. This method is HUGE. Thanks for sharing the knowledge

[@rickproulx6667]

Something as simple as a battery draw could turn into a rabbit trail if you don’t do your homework. Great video Eric keep them coming!!

[@BigDog50001]

Darn, I was hoping we could plug something into the extension cord!

[@Akadectra]

For this problem I use my Amp Hound. Learned it to know from a Video of Joe's Autoelectric 👍. KZbin is so perfect for learning if you watch the right channels. Thanks to all youtubers for their great work 🎉.

[@LadyAnuB]

Yep, the standard procedure to check for parasitic draw. A good refresher for me at least.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Good video on Parasitic draw testing don't normally see a 25 amp fuse for a stereo there normally always a 10 amp fuse great work Eric O @South Main Auto Repair LLC

[@jeffdriver3000]

Back when I worked at a Chrysler dealership we ran into a few vehicles with and ignition off draw draining the battery and there limit at that time was 75 ma.. One quick test that I found was is using a standard 1156 bulb inline on the negative battery cable. If it lights up it's too mush current draw.

[@mikef8745]

All towns need to have a mechanical genius like that. I wish he was closer to my area. Honesty is his middle name. Has. Taught me a lot. I just can't remember it all. Great person.

[@aciddiver1978]

Anyway, if it sits 6 months a year, it will need a new battery more frequently than if car is used normally. No question about that.

[@dannyw7662]

unless it has a maintainer on it.

[@richardsauer599]

Good job! Love the camera work. Your channel is really enjoyable to watch.

[@t5ruxlee210]

The audio quality is also tops, especially for a "garage studio" workplace. I watch some news media shows from around the world that are, shall we say, major violators of all the basic rules for achieving minimally acceptable broadcasting sound quality.

[@wallebo]

Very easy to understand video on voltage drop. I know it can get complicated, but I need to start somewhere.

[@s.j.5850]

Great information. One could (wrongly) easily ignore .2 millivolts as being insignificant or just meter error. The fact that you showed it definitely means current is flowing through the fuse is very important for diagnosis. Another good tip video!

[@mrnimeh]

Thank You Mr O for the experience of how to find issues of battery draw. You are a great teacher !!!!! I mean that

[@waynecarney4519]

Love your videos. The only thing with which I disagree is your refrain “if I can do it you can do it”. I don’t see me doing most of the things that you do in your video; however, they give a level of confidence when it comes to talking about issues with our dealership. Many thanks.

[@joegustin7158]

You Are A Good Mechanic Eric Helping People Out

[@jayjudd6518]

❤ again you Mr. O found the problem quickly. Now I know more than I did before. 😊😊😊😊

[@jima3129]

Hi Eric. I had a parasitic draw on my old 94 F150. I knew the battery was good, but it would drain overnight. I charged the battery and reconnected it, then i waited a while and booted up my Infared Imager that I use for finding building envelope problems. The back of my alternator was hot in the imager. I tracked it to a bad diode there. I changed out the alternator as it had so many miles, hours on it. Problem solved.

[@russellstephan6844]

If the car sits for extended periods, my suggestion would be for a smart trickle charger. I have a 1993 C1500 pickup truck that only gets used for the occasional run to the hardware store or to pick up some large garage sale score. As such, connecting and disconnecting a trickle charger is not really a big deal. And, given that the vehicle is so old (lacking constant-draw security and computer modules) I also installed a knife switch at the battery. The knife switch is not really an option with today's examples. But, the trickle charger certainly is.

[@soulshinobi]

I had forgotten how to test for parasitic draw now it seems so obvious after having seen you do it, adding this video to my favorites list.

[@advancedleveldiagnostics]

Great diag, Thanks for sharing! I'm going to start calling it Dark current😂

[@SouthMainAuto]

Same lol 🤣

[@BlueDinnie]

When he said it I heard the Darth Vader theme music play inside my head 😞

[@dn5043]

Always love how you explain your diagnosis theory.

[@davebarcus7118]

This one brought back memories. Years ago, my wife had a 2000 Plymouth Neon that kept eating batteries. I did a similar test on it, and it turned out the the drive motor in the CD Changer was constantly running. The fix was to remove the CD Changer.

[@meyertkg]

unbelievable diagnosis, thanks !

[@toddhoffmaster6057]

I like watching your electrical videos as that is not my strong area of maintenance. I will log this into my memory bank and save it for future battery issues.

[@keithglynn9237]

Hey there ! ...a car guy from New Jersey. I see you are somtimes quite involved with tracing out electrical circuits to find broken wires, blown fuses, shorted components, battery drains, etc. I brought this tone line tracer from Harbor Freight thinking it was practically a kids toy but I found that it works great. I just located a blown fuse in one of three fuse boxes way up under the dash of a 2019 Ford full size transit van. The accessory socket (cigarette lighter socket) decided to stop working when a usb charger must not have been plugged in straight, causing a quick touch to metal on the side. Anyway, these vehicles are a real challenge just to find the fuse chart. I went online a found a general one for this vehicle but it did not show the proper fuse. I pulled out the tone tracer, plugged one end to the dead outlet, and within a minute picked up a clear tone at the exact fuse even with other fuses in close proximity. Just a thought for anyone interested. I have used this thing several times already and it works pretty darn good.

[@RenegadesGarage]

South Main Auto.. Nice process of elimination. Thanks for sharing it Eric.

[@mazzg1966]

Great short video....love to hear your explanations of the techniques you use to diagnosis problems...Keep the coming!

[@DconBlueZ]

Thanks for the video, always enjoy watching!

[@josephsfields]

This video came at exactly the right time as a refresher tutorial.

[@gjk1504]

Love these current draw videos!

[@robertanderson2118]

I would have disconnected the radio just to make sure it was the radio no matter what the customer heard or thought he heard . Love your channel!!

[@markstuck4925]

My daughters Subaru does the same thing. I'll just give the ol South Main Auto check. Very nice.

[@timothy7754]

Great information, better than I could have learned from a book.

[@glenharper3136]

Thanks for the video Eric. Always helpful.

[@jeffjankiewicz5100]

Always a pleasurable learning experience Professor O. Thanks.

[@rogerbasker6970]

Great video! It sure is funny how the letters are getting smaller and the shop is getting dimmer as we age. I reach for my light and glasses more and more every day. Keep up the great work!

[@joejohnson7097]

Thanks for the video. Your teaching really helps

[@stevenfuchs2548]

Always, always informative and valuable, thanks Eric for taking us along and (hopefully) teaching us something!

[@dlewis9760]

I'll send this to my nephew. He doesn't have the problem, but he does have this year and model. Always good to have "USELESS" knowledge until it's not useless. Like a "It's only temporary unless it works".

[@waiting4aliens]

Great diagnostic video, thank you.

[@josephbradshaw5353]

I still remember the one and only vehicle I couldn’t fix for a no start, 98 dodge avenger with the speed sensor wires switched around by a shady mechanic. That vehicle still haunts me to this day the endless hours it took to hunt down every wire and module. In the end a 40 year vet master tech found the issue.

[@gregscott9170]

Love this electrical troubleshooting Eric!

[@aarondean8299]

Great education video as always. I like your approach and thinking. Aaron from Canada

[@vincentlallo6543]

this video and the dodge pick up are my favorites. you teach the basics. you have a big heart

[@GetReal3327]

I did not know and now I do. Thank you Eric for the lesson of the day:)

[@rogerrambit4447]

Always enjoy your contents and to this day has never let me down as DIY'er...Thank you and stay blessed

[@mariobueno3368]

Good basic process for finding a parasitic draw. Now, I gotta get my hands dirty and fix mine. Haha

[@buffsheeri]

Wow that service bulletin was very informative

[@ThunderbirdRocket]

Excellent lesson ! Super helpful !! Learning lots here !!! Thanks !!!!

[@johnmorykwas2343]

Every video watched is a learning experience. Keep up the good work!

[@garygentry583]

Love your dark current vids.. thank you for your content..

[@slocavky]

Great video Eric. I love watching this kind of stuff. As a matter of fact I used what I learned watching one of yours about a electric blower motor and how to read resistance on one that is considered a short. My friend has a 24 volt electric scooter that burned the motor controller up. He got a new controller and it was pulling a ton of current enough to pop a 30 amp fuse. I had him measure the resistance across the motor and boom 2 Mega ohms... So I have learned so much from this type of video so keep it going for sure.

[@MrClaushk]

Thanks from Denmark for the entless hours of education you give away for free 👍💪

[@Dan_LTL_909]

another great video, was not sure how to do this yet, glad i know now s a start. THANK YOU.

[@onlyactingup]

So Eric it was one of your videos that helped me find and fix a current draw on my Holden VY Calais 2003 (GM product in Australia). I spoke with various mechanics and an auto sparkie about the issue in-depth and it was as if they didn't have a clue how to repair a battery draw. So not wanting to waste diag time with them I had a go myself and managed to find the problem which was the OE amplifier keeping the stereo alive but draining the battery. So thank you to yourself and others for showing the process without the BS to help me and others who enjoy auto repair.

[@Gunshy55]

I have "exactly" the same problem. Glad to see confirmation of my diagnosis🤩

[@cobra646]

Very helpful thank you. Some of us need some of these basic troubleshooting resources!

[@mikemilburn7823]

Great tip on testing for voltage across the fuse, I've always used the haul the fuse out method and it is indeed a pia.

[@peterhodgkins6985]

Excellent! Precision and understanding exactly what you're looking for is the name of the game. Darned good info!

[@robhunter2435]

Thanks Eric , great video as usual.

[@stuartmcnicol2914]

My pick up 2001 F250 7.3 has a draw that the old school method just couldn’t find. Now armed with this new knowledge I will tackle it again. Thanks for an approach I didn’t know about.

[@joelplotecher7051]

High value rating on this helpful video! Always, thank you!

[@edman1015]

Very good advice and instruction. My education continues. Thanks again South Main Auto. Also for me, I keep a battery maintainer on my cars and mowers all year round. Batteries cost too much in today's world. My mower went 13 years before I had to replace the battery and without a maintainer on it, I could only get 4-5 years out of a battery.

[@dandearman2871]

Another dive into The World of Dark Current. Great job, great video.

[@TheRayvone]

Customers, I always love the way they tell you the key piece of information after you’ve figured out what the problem is 😂😂

[@scrappy7571]

Service writers are 10X worse, customer tell the writer, but never informs the tech until after he has wasted time.

[@desotosky1372]

Perry Masons clients NEVER told him the truth or whole story. It's a constant theme but he always figures it out and saves them. (in less than an hour)

[@stationaryenginesworldwide]

Now that was very informative. Thanks Eric always the best educational videos from SMA.!

[@erescue1]

Good job, Eric! I have an older Subby and always glad to learn something new about it.

[@richard1835]

Great video on a parasitic current draw. Thank you

[@gh0stcat387]

I'm a plucker but I look forward to trying the voltage drop next time. Thanks for the tip!

[@DRDROP-fj4bo]

Solid gold👍 Going in my saved video folder.

[@stevenrobinson2381]

OUTSTANDING troubleshooting skills ! Them pesky electrons !

[@scottyparker2534]

Thank you for another good video Eric appreciate the info on the low amp draw on a high amp fuse

[@zeke1eod]

Sound advice as always. Thanks for all you do. Stay safe and God bless

[@fdeee]

Totally dig all your videos! I find them so relaxing to watch and you are a genius. Thanks

[@SouthMainAuto]

Come on man. We're just finding a parasitic draw not curing cancer.

[@fdeee]

Not only a genius, but humble too!

[@jdmackable]

Just imagine if Eric actually was curing cancer. Do you think he'd still say "If I can do it, you can do it"?? 😅😅

[@signalcar]

Excellent tip for checking voltage drops, here in Brazil we do the old-fashioned way by removing the fuses, great tip Eric.

[@michaeld9731]

This was interesting. Well, all your videos are interesting, but this one was a bit unique. You’re a really good teacher.

[@CraigArndt]

Super helpful Eric.

[@stevej8478]

Thank you. I definately learned something. Old days could just pull the fuses. Was helping neighbor with his firebird. Same issue. Pulled all fuses one at a time and only way we were testing for draw was the little spark when put the cable back on batt. Now I know that does not help at all. Will do the test with my Fluke and should be able to locate the correct circuit. Kudos to you for that info.

[@danielkennelly6757]

Very nice job with the in-focus service bulletin close ups. Keep it up and thanks from your buddy in California who likes to visit you.

[@dewalt10-2-4]

Thanks for good information..always enlightening.

[@PineHollowAutoDiagnostics]

"dark current" sounds like a Halloween car! Was an amplifier equipped on this Subaru Eric?

[@SouthMainAuto]

No, no nav and no amp on this one. I'm definitely using the term dark current from now on, sounds way cooler than parasitic draw 😏

[@jgeorges3061]

Eric, I been long time subscriber since u start ur channel found till this day ur videos are full of information and good humour never get board from listening to you thanks for all u do and u will be AWESOME in my book for years to come. cheeeeeers

[@timothyodonnell8591]

Yes. I learned something from this video. Thanks!