Parasitic battery draw unsolved / radio

Zero draw
Started it up and turned the radio on
Turned it off and .360 milli amps again
Strange
With the engine running
With the radio on

If i pull fuse 14 radio stops working
Put it back in radio works

If i pull fuse 20 the radio stops working
Put it back in radio works

Why 2 different fuse for the radio
 
There are two fuses feeding the radio; Fuse 20 (10A) Battery for constant and Fuse 15 (10A) Run/Acc for switched.

Fuse 20 is to keep radio presets and time. Fuse 15 is switched power to turn the radio when the key is in the accessory or ON position.
 
mjbcomp said:
There are two fuses feeding the radio; Fuse 20 (10A) Battery for constant and Fuse 15 (10A) Run/Acc for switched.

Fuse 20 is to keep radio presets and time. Fuse 15 is switched power to turn the radio when the key is in the accessory or ON position.
Click to expand...

Maybe 3rd time's the charm. :rolleyes:
 
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Plug in the radio again and disconnect the gauge cluster. Check your parasitic draw again.
 
Do you know of anyone with a spare aftermarket radio that you can hook up to see if the symptoms go away or continue?

Maybe consider finding a cheap unit like this just for testing purposes. U would need a harness adaptor which is also cheap. Just a thought.
 
I have 2 oem radios
Hard to believe both are bad and have the same draw
But stranger things have happened

I dont have another back up radio to try
 
rockbottom said:
I have 2 oem radios
Hard to believe both are bad and have the same draw
But stranger things have happened

I dont have another back up radio to try
Click to expand...

I agree with you on that. I only mention it since you haven’t found the root cause yet and I’ve seen way whackier stuff than two radios being bad.

I’d rather you fry a cheap radio during troubleshooting than the OEM. Might be too late or it might not be a concern. Hooking a different radio might help give you that answer.

My spare alpine is out of state but I can send it your way if you don’t have this fixed in about a month.
 
Appreciate the offer

I have s question
Several members have said fuse 14 in the glove box is for the key in acc position and fuse and fuse 20 under hood is for rngine running key position

So i would think if i put the key in accessory position and the radio would work
But It doesnt

Trying that above option i just noticed i can remove the ignition key in the most counter clockwise position, the next position rotating towards start and the next position before the console/lights come on
When the dash lights are on or the engine is running i cannot remove the key

3 positions i can remove the key
Is that normal?
 
I think i have stumbled into the failure mechanism
I just checked my 2008 wrangler and you cannot remove the key in the acessory position

In the tj i have off, dash lights, start
Going backwards to wards acessories you remove the key almost in any spot

Looking at fuse 20 under hood it shows draw in anything beside the off position
If when running i go to dash lights to off i get zero draw on fuse 20
Anything counter clockwise of off shows a draw with the radio on or off

Sounds to me like a bad key ignition and ir a worn key

Im now monitoring DC at battery and milliamps at fuse 20 in the off position

Hope this points to the ignition and or key
 
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rockbottom said:
I think i have stumbled into the failure mechanism
I just checked my 2008 wrangler and you cannot remove the key in the acessory position

In the tj i have off, dash lights, start
Going backwards to wards acessories you remove the key almost in any spot

Looking at fuse 20 under hood it shows draw in anything beside the off position
If when running i go to dash lights to off i get zero draw on fuse 20
Anything counter clockwise of off shows a draw with the radio on or off

Sounds to me like a bad key ignition and ir a worn key

Im now monitoring DC at battery and milliamps at fuse 20 in the off position

Hope this points to the ignition and or key
Click to expand...

If you remove the ignition switch from the left side of the steering, you can use a flat head to turn the switch to all three positions with your radio plugged in to see if it pulls 360 mA even when you are in the off position.

On my 2005, I removed the steering cover, then removed the two torx screws (t20 or t25 iirc) on top of the multifunction switch so I could access the ignition switch. Then use a security t10 to remove the switch from the actuator. Once the switch is disconnected, you can use the flat heat to change the positions.

Note: I needed my key in to run the vehicle bc of the skim even though turning the switch with a flat head turn the system on…idk if it’s necessary to have the key in just to power the accessories (not a big deal just giving you a heads up).
 
Thanks
That helps

I feel better how knowing to position the key and not get a draw on the batter

I probably need a new key lock at the least

It been driving me crazy trying to figure it out
 
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