How to fix a parasitic draw?

Asked by Guru3Y7RX Jun 30, 2020 at 06:11 PM about the 2007 Kia Sorento EX

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

There is a parasitic draw that is killing my battery within a couple of days. I
watched a Utube discussion and the guy took out his 40 amp B3 fuse and
solved
the problem. Unfortunately, now I have no electric door locks or seat
adjustments. This is a 2007 Kia Sorento EX. A different uTube described the
problem as being because of proximity to a bad fob. Kia told me it was because
of my aftermarket remote start system and they sent me to a separate
electronics store which removed the old system relay. So now I am stuck with
out power locks and power seat adjustment until I plug back in the fuse under
the hood. But of course then, my battery will die. Can anyone straighten this
out?

2 Answers

26,245

Plug everything backin and then put an ammeter (or multimeter on a low amperage setting) with one lead attached to your positive battery terminal and the other attached to the battery cable you took off the terminal (series connection) and it should show the current draw that is killing your battery. That was the easy part. Now begin removing fuses until the current stops. This tells you what circuit is causing the problem. Once you know the circuit, you need to check each device on that circuit until you locate the source. Good luck.

2 people found this helpful.
101,625

Keep in mind with modern cars, there is always going to a higher than usual draw when the door is opened. Every time you open the door you keep one or more computer modules in an active state, it can take 10 to 20 minutes for a module to go back to "sleep". You could pull the fuse(s) for the doors then opening it wont affect your amperage reading. Of course if you're only pulling under hood fuses then the above would not be necessary. That said, pulling fuses until you eliminate the parasitic draw is only the first step in remedying your problem, you still have to actually repair the circuit itself. You seem to already know which circuit is causing the problem, but to fix it you will need to trace that circuit looking for shorts. Having a wire diagram is a big help, as is having a good meter.

2 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2007 Kia Sorento

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    5240
    Reputation
    2,490
  • #2
    Paul
    Reputation
    1,530
  • #3
    Edel Erum
    Reputation
    1,330
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Kia Sportage
746 Great Deals out of 25,084 listings starting at $1,050
Used Hyundai Santa Fe
886 Great Deals out of 20,707 listings starting at $1,100
Used Toyota Highlander
1,328 Great Deals out of 18,855 listings starting at $500
Used Ford Explorer
2,194 Great Deals out of 63,428 listings starting at $825
Used Honda Pilot
992 Great Deals out of 29,649 listings starting at $711
Used Honda CR-V
2,070 Great Deals out of 42,379 listings starting at $1,050
Used Toyota RAV4
2,035 Great Deals out of 29,338 listings starting at $1,500
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
2,655 Great Deals out of 50,806 listings starting at $900
Used Nissan Rogue
2,037 Great Deals out of 55,261 listings starting at $675
Used Hyundai Tucson
1,098 Great Deals out of 28,450 listings starting at $1,100
Used Nissan Pathfinder
611 Great Deals out of 20,679 listings starting at $925

Used Cars for Sale

2024 Kia Sorento For Sale
9,533 listings starting at $27,785
2023 Kia Sorento For Sale
82 Great Deals out of 1,338 listings starting at $21,990
2022 Kia Sorento For Sale
106 Great Deals out of 1,133 listings starting at $19,399
2021 Kia Sorento For Sale
95 Great Deals out of 1,447 listings starting at $16,995
2020 Kia Sorento For Sale
81 Great Deals out of 859 listings starting at $11,999

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.