Key Switch circuit causing battery drain when switched off

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Andyzeg
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2019 8:09 am

Key Switch circuit causing battery drain when switched off

Postby Andyzeg » Mon May 06, 2019 12:55 pm

Hi All

I'm trying to get to the bottom of a battery drain issue on my R51 2007. .6amp or 620milliamps when car is left switched off...which is way too high and has been draining my brand new battery in about a day and a half! It was 620 even when I completely unplugged the IPDM unit and took it out of the car!!

After checking with a multimeter in amp mode...and pulling every fuse, relay and plug that I could see, I discovered that the main culprit was the Key Switch because when I removed the fuse in the glove box, the amp drain dropped by 450milliamps!

So for a few days I have been pulling that 10a fuse when the car is left standing. The other amp hungry circuits are Electronic Parts (possibly the computer and radio presets?) and strangely...Room Lamp...which is weird because all the interior lights are permanently off. Why this seems to be drawing about 60 milliamps, I have no idea! (I will recheck this as I might be in error)

So, can anyone think of why the Key Switch circuit would be drawing 450milliamps when the car is off and standing? A possible clue is that the keyless ignition hasn't worked since I got the car..I therefore have to insert the key to start the car. Of course, with that fuse removed...I can't even turn the key! Lol!

What else could be affecting that circuit? Where should I look?

I may end up going to the local dealer...but I'm not sure if they would know either...


ssobol
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2019 2:08 pm
Location: No. VA

Postby ssobol » Mon May 06, 2019 4:38 pm

Are you sure you really have a problem with the electrical system. I had a similar problem where the engine would not start after the truck was sitting overnight. I looked at the electrical stuff and had the battery tested and they said it was ok. Nothing conclusive was found. However, I ended up replacing the battery and everything has been fine. I just left my truck sit for 3 1/2 weeks and it started just fine.

Andyzeg
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2019 8:09 am

Postby Andyzeg » Tue May 07, 2019 5:50 am

ssobol wrote:Are you sure you really have a problem with the electrical system. I had a similar problem where the engine would not start after the truck was sitting overnight. I looked at the electrical stuff and had the battery tested and they said it was ok. Nothing conclusive was found. However, I ended up replacing the battery and everything has been fine. I just left my truck sit for 3 1/2 weeks and it started just fine.
Yes! The battery is brand new. The drain on the battery is so high that it would discharge even the best batteries in 2 or 3 days.

Otherwise...why would other owners quote much lower offline amperage figures (10 times less)?

Something is definitely not right here...but I will figure it out somehow.

Andyzeg
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2019 8:09 am

Postby Andyzeg » Tue May 07, 2019 9:18 am

Here is the double (and triple) checked breakdown of my battery drain when the car is off and left alone :-

Fuses - from glove box fuse box -

Room Lamp = .08 Amps (80 mA)

Electronic Backup = .01 Amps (10mA)

Electronic Parts = .08 Amps (80mA)

Key Sw (itch) = .41 Amps (410mA)

With all these removed there is still .04 Amps (40mA) showing

Add all these up and it makes .62 Amps (620mA)

I'm no expert...but this seems very high to me. After a couple of days my brand new fully charged battery drops to 8 volts and hasn't got the power to get any of the circuits going...and not a chance of starting.

Are there any Nissan techs out there that could shed a light on this and hopefully give some advice?

My present solution is to pull out the Key Switch fuse when car is left standing...and then pop it back in to start and drive! Lol!

08npf
Posts: 5
Joined: Sat Mar 25, 2017 6:01 pm

Postby 08npf » Sat Jun 15, 2019 10:11 am

Still having that problem?

I had a lot of problems with my 08 Pathfinder not wanting to start, I would have to jump start it a few times a week and in the winter time it was almost daily. Luckily for me when jump starting it one time I blew the ecm, replaced it about a year ago and haven't had a problem since.

When researching the problem I found that it was a common issue with people that have Pathfinders and Frontiers. From the looks of it a faulty ecm relay has a lot to do with it. Funny thing is that my in-laws have a 2010 Frontier and now they're also running into that problem, only problem is that their ipdm is a different model than mine and I'm not sure if the ecm relay is built into the unit because I can't find the relay.

ssobol
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2019 2:08 pm
Location: No. VA

Postby ssobol » Sat Jun 15, 2019 3:15 pm

I had the same problem when I first got my 08 Pathfinder. The first start of the day was tough. after that when running around town, subsequent starts would be fine. I checked the current draw when the engine was off and found that the draw is in the .5-6a range for a few minutes after the vehicle is first shut off. Then the draw will drop down to about .2-3a. After about 20 minutes, the current draw is around .04a. Apparently this is typical of modern cars.

I found that replacing the battery fixed my problem (at least so far). My Pathfinder can now sit at least 3-4 weeks and still start normally.

Andyzeg
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Apr 27, 2019 8:09 am

Postby Andyzeg » Sun Jun 16, 2019 7:50 am

Thanks for the replies folks.

I will study further...maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill??

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smj999smj
Site Admin
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Joined: Sun Jan 22, 2012 11:13 pm
Location: Prospect, VA

Postby smj999smj » Sun Jun 16, 2019 1:42 pm

When you have a parasitic draw of over 50-milliamps (0.05 amps), it is considered excessive.


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