parking lights - current sucker

[arensal]

Hello,

In order to cure a empty battery issue I started measuring the fuses and it turned out that the parking light fuse (the 3rd from the right side in a LHD car when beeing in the car) indicates a 0.6 amp current when the car is shut off. As the access to the front wing wiring seems difficult, I was wondering whether you guys know about a common place where things usually go wrong.
regards,

Alex

[Staggard]

Hello,

In order to cure a empty battery issue I started measuring the fuses and it turned out that the parking light fuse (the 3rd from the right side in a LHD car when beeing in the car) indicates a 0.6 amp current when the car is shut off. As the access to the front wing wiring seems difficult, I was wondering whether you guys know about a common place where things usually go wrong.
regards,

Alex

I cant help very much except the usual culprit is the boot light not turning off when the boot is closed. Does anything else coming off the same fuse?

[V Mad]

There is no other load on the parking light fuse unless someone has modded the circuit. 0.6Amps is about 7 watts which is quite a lot, maybe a bulb. Are the side lights not glowing? Take the bulbs out and see what happens.

[arensal]

Thanks, I have checked the boot light and this seems to be ok. According to the diagrams I 've seen there is just the parking lights.

[arensal]

Indeed, did not think about checking the parking lights as I never use them, probably the bad spot will show a blown bulb.... thanks for helping. I'll try to check this out tonight and report on the outcome tomorrow.

[arensal]

hmm... all parking lights are working fine, even the interior instument lights are switched on. Is this supposed to be right? (I turn the light switch to the 1st position)

[dasadrew]

The positive feed for the rheostat for the interior dashboard lights dimming comes off that fuse also (at least on mine it does). Could it be that the rheostat is drinking your current? I've put a multimeter on a couple of old secondhand rheostats just out of interest and their resistance was all over the place, bearing no relation either to the position of the dimmer knob, so I reckon they can deteriorate quite badly internally.

Drew

[arensal]

Thanks, that's a good hint! I'll disconnect it and let you know about the result.

[V Mad]

On the ROM diagram, LH Drive, the third fuse 5/6 only goes to the side lights.

[milothedog]

The Rheostat (Dimmer) is just a variable resistor connected in series which only has current when the lights are on. How can it cause a current draw with no lights switched on

[dasadrew]

On the ROM diagram, LH Drive, the third fuse 5/6 only goes to the side lights.

Hi Chris, you are right. After the wine I read terminal 3 into the equation which is, of course, Fuse 2.

[dasadrew]

The Rheostat (Dimmer) is just a variable resistor connected in series which only has current when the lights are on. How can it cause a current draw with no lights switched on

Hi Ian,

as I misread the fuse number, probably not rheostat anyway. The point was simply that you might not see that the instrument lighting is on if the rheostat is sucking the juice out of the series circuit.

Probably still a long shot, but I'm not sure where the OP measured the drop. The positive fuse feeds for fuses 2 and 3 are bridged so, if the measurement was between that point and earth, there may still be involvement of the instrument lighting "sub-circuit".

Drew

[milothedog]

If the fault is within the the lighting circuits as you say, then surely the fault would be within the light master switch that feeds the 2 fuses. It should be isolating them when off.

As you say, without knowing where and how the measurement was taken it's going to be a best guess diagnosis. I would eliminate the usual 4 suspects first. Glove box light, Boot light, Alternator diode pack and Modern radio/disc player if fitted.

Ian.

[dasadrew]

Can't say fairer than that!

My master light switch was indeed a mess, hence the technical article on it in the Forum.

Another usual suspect recently was an old unused car alarm I think.

After the elimination phase it's probably down to a multimeter and probe and following the loom.

Drew

[malc4d]

Is it a EU LHD or a FED LHD. Does it have park option ? The Fed side/park light has 2 separate circuits, 1 for sidelights and markers and 1 for sidelights no markers.