Normal current reading when asleep

[Chefslot]

Boxer 3 2.0 hdi
Been trying to detect a parasitic draw. I found what I believe it was on the 40A fuse in the engine compartment for the fuel heater. It was reading about 180mA before. Once I pulled the fuse the meter dropped by around 100mA. I was using a clamp meter so not the most accurate way.

The fuse is back in and now when taking a reading directly into the multimeter, I'm getting 45-50mA with the occasional bounce up. This has been asleep for a hour, is this an acceptable range? (Please see video)

Secondly, I'm trying to understand why. The battery had been removed before, so if it was a stuck relay it would have lost power before I removed the fuse right? The fuse didn't seem overly corroded, or did the unit need power when I removed the fuse to change the state of another relay, if that makes sense? It hasn't came back even after starting the engine.



Kind regards

[wheeler]

I'd say anything up to 0.06A would be OK.

[Chefslot]

Thank you, the sudden increase, is this the alarm system?

[wheeler]

What does it bounce up to & how long does it last?

[Chefslot]

Bounces up to 156 ish for a second then back down sometimes quickly back up again every 1-2 minutes. Trying to work out if the previous owner has a tracker fitted and forgot to remove it when sold or if its the original alarm system. Removed all other aftermarket items like flashing lights and towbar equipment.

[Gibbo2286]

If you have an aftermarket alarm they are, or used to be, the first thing to look at when batteries were going flat.

[Chefslot]

As far as I'm aware it's just the standard alarm system.