Parasitic drain?- In need of some guidance/help

[StefSmith]

Hey everyone!

I'm new to this epic site and would love to get some help.

I have a 2007 Ford E-350 diesel ambulance that I am converting into a camper/mobile home.

So far, we have gutted the chassis completely down to its insulation and exposed the ribcages.
The chassis heater and AC have both also been removed as we have no need for it.
I've also stripped down most of the electrical wiring that was associated with many of the ambulance medical items, including the right and left cot inner lights (I followed the electrical wiring diagram) among others.

I believe I have a parasitic battery drain somewhere that is affecting my two starter batteries.
The vehicle was not started for about 2.5- 3 months before today- the batteries are new, we bought them in December.
Not sure if this is the reason why the batteries were completely drained?

So far my volt meter shows that I have a 0.013 amp drain - does anyone know if this is the normal max amp drain? or is this considered a parasitic drain?
When I turn the vehicle on, my alternator kicks into high rev to charge the batteries and it shows 14 V, when the vehicle is off my batteries are at 12V- fully charged.
It also continues to show 0.013amp drain on my volt meter with the engine on.

I have pulled every fuse and relay with no drop of amp shown on my voltage meter. I have also disconnected the isolator and it still shows 0.013amp drain.

Any guidance/help is much appreciated!!

I've included some photos of where all the electrical is in case it helps.

Many thanks in advance =)

 

[marret]

Did you follow the guidance in your other thread? So you haven’t figured out what the normal drain is. Maybe an ambulance knowledgeable person will reply.

https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...ce-conversion-parasitic-battery-drain.223503/

Some will be normal on modern vehicles. 3 months of sitting is a long time. If I was going to leave it that long, I’d want it on a charger or to disconnect the batteries. My 1995 Porsche 911 would kill a battery in a few months.

 

[roving1]

Does it have a key fob? I have had two different vehicles that if I locked it with a fob the factory alarm or some other module would stay awake but if I locked it by the door lock it would not kill the battery and sit for 6 months fine with no battery drain. Otherwise it would only last 2-3 weeks.

 

[iggi]

The power lock module does draw power. Not sure exactly how much though. 3 months to drain a battery isn't unusual. I've got a 2009 Crestline with a lot more of the original electrical than you have and my power drain is .03 amps but that's on the house battery side. I've never measured on the starting batteries.

 

[Bikersmurf]

Is there still a drain with the alternator disconnected?

 

[Bikersmurf]

.013 amps doesn’t seem like much. Between the computer, clock in the radio, door locks, alarm... I’m surprised it’s not more.
It should be good for 3 months.

12v isn’t fully charged... they should be more like 12.87 v when fully charged.

I know a lot has changed... but my old Toyota will start after sitting 6 months... no problem. It even started after sitting for more than a year when engine #2 died after 21 years. I’ve got no complaints since it was a $300 runner. #3 was also $300, but it was 100x nicer... if it lasts another 20+ years I’ll be laughing. Chances are I’ll be converting to electric before it dies... although who knows what will be going on in 2045.,,

 

[TheRealPapaK]

If you are going to be adding solar,look into the Renogy dc-dc mppt charge controller. It will charge your starting batteries when your house batteries are full l

 

[Superduty]

There is a very specific procedure that must be followed in order to check for parasitic drain in many later model vehicles. I can't tell you the exact procedure for your rig. In my 99 Ford Superduty you have to wait something like 30 minutes for all the modules to go to sleep before you can take any readings, can't open or close doors at that point, and some other stuff in the procedure. Are you following the exact Ford procedure for testing?

Also, sitting for 3 months may be enough time for the batteries to die. Have you been working on the rig at all? Opening doors or hood such that the interior lights are kicking on?

 

[wgeyer88]

My ambulance has a master disconnect switch that you can flip. Does yours not have something similar?

 

[StefSmith]

Does it have a key fob? I have had two different vehicles that if I locked it with a fob the factory alarm or some other module would stay awake but if I locked it by the door lock it would not kill the battery and sit for 6 months fine with no battery drain. Otherwise it would only last 2-3 weeks.

It does have a key fob, but its not working.. not sure if its the battery on the key fob.. this is on my "next thing to solve" list.

 

[StefSmith]

If you are going to be adding solar,look into the Renogy dc-dc mppt charge controller. It will charge your starting batteries when your house batteries are full l

Thank you for this! I will be adding solar soon! Do you know if the Renogy controller is better than Victrons solar controller?

 

[StefSmith]

There is a very specific procedure that must be followed in order to check for parasitic drain in many later model vehicles. I can't tell you the exact procedure for your rig. In my 99 Ford Superduty you have to wait something like 30 minutes for all the modules to go to sleep before you can take any readings, can't open or close doors at that point, and some other stuff in the procedure. Are you following the exact Ford procedure for testing?

Also, sitting for 3 months may be enough time for the batteries to die. Have you been working on the rig at all? Opening doors or hood such that the interior lights are kicking on?

hahaha I didnt know there was a Ford procedure for testing.
I also didnt wait anytime.. Once I started the vehicle, it kicked into high rev to charge the batteries, I then turned it off and proceded to check if there was any amp draw. I did also have a door open.
The interior light is out (I need to change the bulb), and the door ajar light is unplugged for now.

I have been working on the rig, but mainly skeleton building the interior. I'm also located in Canada, so the past few months have been too cold to work outside?

My uncle stopped by today with his volt meter and checked out the rig, his indicated 0amp draw..

Perhaps 3 months out in the cold dropped the voltage on the batteries.. oops.

 

[StefSmith]

My ambulance has a master disconnect switch that you can flip. Does yours not have something similar?

Mine had an Ambulance Connect switch that controlled all the right and left cot lights. I removed that wiring as I'm planning to put LED light strips in the rig.

 

[TheRealPapaK]

Thank you for this! I will be adding solar soon! Do you know if the Renogy controller is better than Victrons solar controller?

I think Victrons is a better product. I do not think it is so much of a better product that it justifies the price difference. Viltron doesn't make a DC-DC MPPT combination charger. You would have to buy the DC-DC charger and their MPPT charger Where the Renogy unit is self contained. There are a couple little quirks with the Renogy but nothing crazy. For example. It is a 50A charger. It will charge maximum 30A off of solar(This is perfect for a 400W system) and will charge 50A off the alternator when you are driving. The problem is if the charger sees any solar production, it will limit the alternator to only 25A of charging. So I just have a relay to disconnect my solar panels when the engine is running so I get the full 50A. Or you could pull a circuit breaker. Or you could do nothing and only charge at 25A while driving and the sun is shining if you weren't worried about how full your batteries were.


Here is a review on the charger by Will Prowse

 

[kootenay]

We use a 99 E350 diesel ambulance as an ETV, it needs to be run regularly to stay charged. The old incandescent bulbs (scene lights) love to use juice. Just opening and closing the rear doors a few times can be hard for the trickle charger to keep up with.