Amp draw Hey what would you say would be a max amp draw using am amp clamp to find a slow battery drain

Try unhooking the alternator and check for your draw. A diode can go bad causing a direct draw, but the alternator can still charge. I have had it happen more than once.

sure , the ALTERnator swap must be done step #1 battery NEG lug pulled but if not the HUGE alternator fuse blew up.
jumper start engine,
now with a running engine battery voltage 13v to 15vdc
bellow that is dead ALT.
dead means, off line, , or fuses blew. (1 ,2, or 3 fuses)
offline means battery shorted or open it goes off line. not bad.
that is answer #1 and test #1 on all cars. (not EV)
now problem #2 and its testing
called PHANTOM drain, I have posted this 5 times here.

key off.

1. charge battery fully,
2. using and amp clamp meter, DMM + clamp ,connect the AMP clap to the battery + plus main huge cable. (5amp meter range is good)
3. max allowed amps is 0.050a. or 50mA. max. if see 1000mA that is lamp glowing somewhere, (a wise guess) so test the car in the dark, for lamps on , every inch of car,
4. if still have iillegal drains , pull fuses 1 by 1, out ,and in to see if the drain, goes to spec, or 0amps. BINGO?
5. if one fuse pulled cures it , we the read the service manual pages called schematics, for that fuse, power distribution and then pull all things on that feed until the culprit is found
6. https://eautorepair.net/Marketing/Default.asp

this answer assumes the scan tool finds nothing bad.

the meter is not expensive at all, and must DO DC AMPS.
AC AMP CHEAPER METER ARE NO GOOD.

40AMPS OR LESS, 500 AMP METER ARE FOR SOLAR ARRAYS.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/PM2118-Smart-AC-DC-Clamp-Meter-AC-Current-Measurement-Tester-Current-Clamp-Tester-Digital-Ohm-Volt-Amp-Multimeter-with-LCD-Back-Light/1459385888

wow no year car told our country , nor engine, there, or if A/T tranny.
wiring varies greatly by all that in fact. and is first to say.


secondary positive wire
we can;t guess what that means.
using amp clamp ammeter finds all drains and shorts easy.
max drain is 0.050 amps on most cars max.
more than that is in fact class of short, the real name in pure electronics is and overload. OK" easy word to learn and covers it all.
it is overloaded. and drains the battery as all cars do overloaded key off
a real tech uses an AMMETER, or super savvy and AMP clamp meter so we do not need to disconnect wires, pins and worse..

there are 2 main power feeds on cars, (or 3)
1: hot all the time as you just witnessed.
2: key on only power,
3: IOD, my jeep has this Ignition off drain, (we call it computer memory power) the car is shipped from the factory with all IOD fuses pulled.
that is how it works, besides starter feeds. etc.
what tech does is simple really, using REAL tools modern
is connect the ammeter clamp on that huge hot wire. key off
and omg reads 1000mA drain (that is an Illegall drain)
aka overloaded.
we do call it dark current and phantom drains.
and 1000 MA smacks hard as a 1 Lamp stuck on , so look at the car
in pure darkness, to see a lamp stuck on,OMG the silly glove box glows door closed, ETCnot having the manual I and forced to do 2 crazy acts (labor max)
trace every inch of that colored wires, on the whole car, (not me)
or pulled everything (every load) off the the car blind, to see the one that ends DRAIN illegall (bingo found it) the HARD way.

it really is simple with real tools and a real; manual.

the meter to use is is here, DC AMP clamp (not AC only)(
the most cheap ones are NO GOOD, AC only. AMps $15 USELESS here.
$30 gets the goods (must say DC current is offered)<,on the clamp.
2amp low range is best. not 40a low range,only meters.


https://www.amazon.com/Proster-Auto-Ranging-Capacitance-Temperature-Non-Contact/dp/B075Z1GH5L/ref=sr_1_2?crid=11PRMB57YLFZ5&keywords=ammeter+clamp+type+DC+current&qid=1665837064&s=hi&sprefix=ammeter+clamp+type+dc+current%2Ctools%2C108&sr=1-2

0.10 amps is only 100 milliamps, and that is not enough to drain a battery. In fact, if your Ute has an engine computer, that may account for the amp draw. I'm not familiar with this car, as it is not sold in the US as that name. On some US cars, that circuit would be known as IOD (ignition off draw), and specifically for clock, radio pre sets, computer memory, and security parts if used. It is said as long as the amp draw is less than 150 milliamps (0.150A), everything is fine.
So, probably the engine computer, or radio pre-sets, or security apparatus, hey?

Alternator tested 'On Vehicle' of 'Bench Tested' ??
I recommend begining with a scan,followed by our shop's standard fault tracing procedure....
INSPECT BATTERY ELECTROLYTE LEVEL
INSPECT BATTERY RESTRAINT
INSPECT BATTERY CABLES/TERMINALS
****LOAD TEST BATTERY,_______VOLTS @ 150 AMPS (Min SPEC 10.2 VOLTS @ 150 AMPS.)
TEST STARTER AMP DRAW,______AMPS INITAL,_____
AMPS SUSTAINED.
****INSPECT BELT(s),
****TEST ALTERNATOR OUTPUT,_____AMPS @ 12 VOLTS @ 2500 RPM (SPEC ______ AMPS.]
****TEST FOR DRAW,______(MAX ALLOWABLE 350 Ma),

If you need further help, reach me via phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/ralph_2f0886b7d6af32ce

with ampmeter take the current draw of battery max amp 30mA
if more than 30mA remove fuse one at a time and watch if current draw go down.
when current draw go down on a fuse than that is the circuit that drain your battery

use this
http://www.fixkick.com/tools/my-amp-clamp.jpg

sold at mcm elctronics or amazon
seen here
http://www.fixkick.com/nocrank.html


and here
http://www.fixkick.com/drain/drain.html

finding drain, the techniques are the same for all cars.
clamp on , and look.

take your battery to a parts store. they will test it. It is probably shorting out inside and causing the loss. buy new battery.

replace the alternator one more time. . .