@@TinS0lder If I want to be entertained professionally, I am looking for a TV show. I am viewing these videos because there is a ton of information for the car enthusiast coming directly from the workbench. As a non native english speaker I also enjoy the clear and very undertsndable speach. Thank you, Mr. Wizard! What makes these videos even better is the very good work with the camera. Thank you Mrs. Wizard!
Cars from the early 2000 's use the 911 emergency call button based on cellular networks that are no longer available so even if you wanted to fix it would not connect you to anything.
Just imagine if your SOS button connected you with a tech-savvy serial killer who had a special phone that picked up those out of date SOS alerts... "Stay right where you are sir. I'll be along in just a little while....to strangle you!". :0/
@@williamr3840 That's a good question actually there should be a way to either upgrade those systems to 4G or 3G or some other phone system so people can still safely use them.
And the missing network causes the module to permanently search for a network which takes much more power than being connected to a network.... That said every car that has this system should have a battery drain...
I have a car that has to stay on a battery tender or the battery goes dead in a few days. Your video shows how to simply check for power draw. Since I have several cars that sit on battery tenders because they don't get driven very much, I ordered a better multi-tester and amp hound from your affiliate page. This video is a lifesaver, thank you.
@@russellhltn1396 Same happens to my battery - when I put it on the b.tender it shows 12.5v and I leave it to get full and take it off the b.tender.. when I want to start the car in the morning it already throws a warning about the battery.. it also cranks longer.. I guess i should replace it
He is indeed a WIZARD: absolutely magic!! I have had this issue with my MERCEDES ML 350 2003; been to all the mechanics known to me; bought 3 new batteries, all to no avail. I was almost giving up, but I decided to find a solution online for my love for the car. Then stumbled into this video. Although I have not tried it yet, with a glimpse of hope, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The tool has been ordered, and I will return to give my testimony. In the meantime, Thank you for a million OMEGA AUTO CLINIC!
Ok. You just saved my tail...twice in this video alone. My '01 SL500 (r129) and a 740i (e38) constantly die due to not driving them often. The e38 has an old cell phone in it still. I'll use the AmpHound to trace the SL500 drain. Watch your vids often. the LS swap video is also helpful. Considering swapping LT1 out of 96 SS Impala for a 6.0L. You got a new subscriber. Thank you Car Wizard!
When Mrs. Wizard began closing in on the screen of the Vantage with her camera, I could hear Eric O's voice in the background saying "Enhance, enhance, enhance..."
Something about Car Wizard that's different! It's just so soothing and calming to watch expert husband and wife make videos about fixing cars. I would go ahead and even say that these videos are more entertaining than ChrisFix.
I thank you for the wealth of information that you freely share. I wish I could find a competent mechanic like you. I do my own work because of the countless scammy mechanics I have used. Thank you for teaching me how to diagnose problems. That puts me way ahead of most mechanics in Chicagoland. By the way, I have a CL600 with a battery drain. Thanks again.
If you have a cheap multi-meter and a bit of knowledge, you don't need an 'Amp Hound'. Set your meter scale to the lowest DC Volt setting that it has, then measure across each fuse. A reading much higher than all the others will show where the current draw is! Love the videos Mr & Mrs Wizard. I used to do all my own work on cars. Now old and infirm, I let a local, trusted garage do it (yes - garage, I am in the UK) Spent all of my working life in electrical / electronic industry.
Thanks Wizard, but here's my story which may help others. About 10 years ago, I went with a friend to buy a used car. It was a 1980's Honda City for just under NZ$1,000 . The car started up and ran great. As we were checking it over at his house, I noticed the radio didn't work. "No Worries" said the guy selling, "I just have to put a fuse in it". It had the typical old type barrel cylinder fuse in the power wire to the radio under the dash. He did so and the radio worked fine. Note that as an '80's simple car it did not have any advanced audio system, no alarm, no central locking etc. My friend bought the car and we did the legal formalities at a nearby post office agency etc etc. The car was great as a "daily driver" but if left for a few days without use, the battery would be flat. Now I've got one of those cheap voltmeter/multimeters which cost about $10, and which have an inbuilt Amp-meter up to 10 Amps capacity only. I lifted off one battery lead and interposed the testleads (similar to what Wizard did above with his much fancier meter) and it read about quarter of an Amp (250mA) current flow. That's equivalent to about a 3 watt load. I thought about it and checked the radio circuit thoroughly. Turns out there were TWO faults and the parasitic draw could only happen because they both occurred. Under the dash were 2 "power" wires. One ran through the "Ignition/Accessories On" and one was permanently powered. The "always powered" wire can be connected to a certain connector on some car radios to keep a clock memory alive. The car radio function normally being connected through the ignition. This radio was connected to the "always on" power. The car radio itself had a fault (or perhaps poor design from the factory?) that the tuning dial lamp, a 3 watt bulb, was "ON" all the time. Even when using the radio's own ON/OFF/Volume switch to turn the radio completely off, the lamp stayed fully on. However as we'd never used the car at night, we never arrived to see a glowing radio face in a darkened car, and hadn't noticed in daytime use. I connected the car radio, instead to the "Ignition/acc only" power wire, and after recharging the flat battery that once, it was fine for ever after ! Obviously the earlier owner had had flat battery problems and just left the fuse out of the radio wire, instead of checking to make sure he'd wired it up properly in the first place LOL
I always say when you buy a used car, get ready to fix or repair the item the last owner did not want to. Almost no one sells their "great working" used car unless it's got some costly repair staring at them. A typical used car will have something needing to be done( brakes, worn shocks, transmission issues, etc. I bought a 2007 Acura TL with a parasitic drain on the battery that caused me fits. Thanks to UA-cam, many problems can be solved with little effort if you can do it yourself.
Very simple and informative video on how to catch them battery drainer issues. Good work! The wizard did test out some of the reserve fuses that aren't actually connected to anything (yes Mercedes has some in almost every fuse box) but that's not a big deal. As for the engine bay space - the SLK R170 is in fact on the same platform (practically the same car) as is CLK W208 which has a V8 engines in it as well as a C-class W202 which has an I6 and a V8 engines in it. So space wise - they all fit like a dream. And I disagree on most comments here stating that the car is a wallet drainer - obviously you don't know Mercedes cars that well. This car is SOLID. As are most of the pre 2000 Mergs.
Well we fixed my neighbor's 2009 chevy avalanche using your tool. Found a fuse that was killing the battery every 2 days. We pulled the fuse, it was the aux power. Made a bet with him we could fix it. He had spent a fortune with mechanics just replacing stuff. Starter, battery, alternator, brake light actuator, and at least 3 techs who charged big money to look at it. I told him i would buy the tool for $95 and if we fix it, we can split the cost of the Amp Hound. I got $50 and bottle of crown royal as a reward. And all the power outlets seem to be working. Who knew. Thanks wizard.
Used same technique to find: the horn ground wire through firewall gasket was grounding out, and current through horn ALL the time draining battery. IDIOTS at shop could not figure it out. Ran new wire through firewall - fixed.
Wizard, you can use a normal multimeter on the mV range to measure the voltage drop across each fuse if you don't have the 'Amp Hound' There are tables online which tell you the current for a given voltage drop on each rating of fuse. Basially doing the same as what your fancy device is doing just takes a bit more time to figure out the actual values but still better than fuse roulette. Love the videos, keep them coming, You and Hoovie are some of the best!
Instead of plucking fuses a guy could just measure voltage drop across the fuses. It's the same thing the amp hound does. You ever use that method wizard?
I came here to say the same thing. That's probably the way to go for a diy. The amp hound looks like a good tool for someone who does this all the time, but overkill for a casual mechanic.
I was just thinking the amp hound just measured the voltage drop. It just has convenient prongs. If I was doing this I would just pull the fuses as I've found that measuring such small voltages is a bit finnicky with a multimeter. Besides pulling the fuses is just as quick.
There’s another reason to get that tool, especially for modern cars. When you unplug and re-install fuses on computerized modules, the modules reboot and usually boot up, and depending on the car, sometimes it takes them quite a while to return to their base state. The reading on the ammeter jumps all over the place. That tool does not work like a normal ammeter. I’m pretty sure it detects the resistance across the fuse and then checks for a voltage differential across the fuse. If there is no current flowing, there will be no voltage differential at all. This means that the electrical systems of your car are not disturbed by the test procedure. Thanks for the tip, Wizard!
There`s no getting away from it. Wizards video`s are Brilliant. Whoever knocks them are not very bright when the video`s are so Informing They must be Watching Them With Their Eyes Shut Well done Wizard. Keep it up..
very instructive video! 18:06 Hayspost, yesterday: Yes ... it rained mud in NW Kansas. We've gotten reports from around Fairbury, Crete, and Lincoln that the light rain is leaving a thin film of mud on vehicles. Some have even noted that it has a bit of an orange/red tint like the soils of Oklahoma or Texas. Well, after looking back at satellite data over the past two days, our massive storm system kicked up a huge area of blowing dust (hot pink in the satellite image) which has since moved in the direction of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Now today the light rain and drizzle is combining with the dust in the air to deposit a sort of muddy rain around the region.
Mr. WIZARD, you are the MAN!!! Thank You for your most precious time to inform those of us, whom own these nice little pieces.. I had a battery drain issue on my 01 too however after going through your videos and was hoping to duplicate the SOS issue that was not my problem, I was at a lost. Then I looked at this little black box under the hood that held several MIDI fuses. One in particular was the Alternator very high amperage. It was blown... hard to find without buying the entire box from Mercedes-Benz BUT Amazon sells them and that's what fixed my battery draw.... HOORAY for me... thanks to your due diligence in diagnosing to find the issue... I said to myself ... "SELF, would Mr. WIZARD give up?" Problem solved and fixed in 3 days. No more getting towed...
Thank you, Wizard! I have on 03 E55 that does this very thing. I travel for work, and disconnect the battery every time I have to leave the car. Otherwise, I start it every other day to charge the battery. I’ll be investing in that little tool, for this and other cars I own. There is an aftermarket stereo in the E55, so that is on the list of things to verify. I appreciate you forthright approach to the repairs, and in helping us.
this is what is miss about wizard , he don't do videos like this any more like how to fix, how to repair. But this was a very help full and detail . Do more repairs like this man we love you. 😀🥰
Thanks Wizard! I just ordered myself a little tester. Great idea. I have a multimeter but these testers are more convenient than working with two probes.
Good job. I will do the same to my 1998 SLK230 compressor with 49k miles (built in mid-1997 and delivered to the OE a month later). Love it. I'm 6'5" and have little issue in fitting in it. We only drive it in the Summer. Great car!! The worst issue has been the headliner sag (replaced) and the paint peeling away from the interior plastics. (I used some elbow grease and steel 0000 wool with various grease removers. Had to replace the instrument surround piece with a new one, which is actually now charcoal and not black as the rest of the interior plastic now is... Imperial Red with black leather and only the auto tranny as the sole option. No hole for an antenna (uses the rear bumper). Fantastic ride. It's my wife's car and she loves it dearly.
I went on your affiliate page and bought this and thanks to your video i will be able to try it out. There are no instructions in the box at all. Thanks Car Wizard
I did the same thing on a 2000 S Blazer. Disconnected the ground, took a fuse out, checked the draw and re installed the fuse and eventually found it. You have to connect the meter correctly though. If it seems to not work or the meter is acting funny, reverse the meter connections and try again. I used a cheap analog meter from radio shack. It worked great. The problem I found was the interior light delay module.
Not too many videos on my car and most of them are half a$$ busters DIY videos in which none of them have any knowledge of what they're doing. Just a how to fix or replace, breaking things in the process. You, my friend, are awesome. A few problems on my 97 Merc E420 and you fixed one of them. Your explanations and knowledge go way further down the line than anyone else I've watched. Thank you much for your in-depth KB. Subed and Liked to stay informed here!
I absolutely loved those SLK's. The later ones were ugly! Great tip on how the little metal tabs protrude on the top of fuses. Great video, keep up the good work!
I had a Ford Escort with this exact problem over night and it took me 4 visits and two new batteries in the Ford repair shop to find, that the cd-changer started rotating from time to time pulling 3 amps over minutes: the bad thing was, that I told them the changer makes noises from time to time without running. My first and last Ford. Good advice. Thanks.
In a pinch you can use a 12 volt light bulb with pigtails. Simply disconnect the hot (+) terminal and connect the bulb across both leads. In a normal car it will glow very dimly, in a car with a high drain the bulb will be bright. Simply pull fuses one at a time until it goes out or just barely lit. Easy peasy!
Cool video and very informative, just found an amperage draw last weekend on our neighbor's Ford Mustang, turned out to be the factory alarm module was drawing .9 amp with key off and doors closed/dome light out. Disconnected the alarm and bypassed the ignition key lockout wires, and draw decreased to .07 amp. Car works great now, was going tango uniform overnight before. Thank you for the Amazon link, ordered up a new Amp Hound unit as pulling fuses with small pliers is tedious!
I can never get past the "listing to loud music" step expecially when blasting some Pantera! A feller just needs to listen to the whole album, and that is going to leave me with a dead battery again!
Finally, FINALLY. A how to. I was worried that this channel was going to become "Car show" type channel. Thank god!!! Thank you Mr and Mrs Wizard. You guys rock! Thank you!
Thanks for that. I had the CLK E230 on '99 plate and id bought it from my brother . it came with a set of jump leads that he said Id need.Took me a week to find the drain as I went around in circles a bit- but it was the alarm module- the NICAD had leached its fluid and short-circuited the control-board..
My Acura TL had the same issue and I was able to figure out what the issue was in 5 minutes by searching the most common cause of battery drain for a TL. I unplugged the Bluetooth module and it's been fine ever since. It also helped that the module was warm to the touch long after the car had been turned off.
Nice video. I had a rover 214 and I had issues like this and turned out was caused by electric problem with reverse caused by a frayed cable in trunk. I spent days researching this back in early 2000s before we had joy of the youtube channels like this. I wish I knew of tools like this when I was younger
Great video! There are several other ways to get the same answer using different equipment but takes a lot more time and probably 2 people. I liked the AMP Hound so much, that I took your advice and bought one on-line today.
Really interesting stuff , I had a power draw in my 996., I knew you could use an ammeter to find out where it was but it was good to see you going through the whole process to show exactly how to do it 👍🏻
One of the best videos Wizard, these types of videos are so helpful. I really like your explanations and the in-depth process. You do an awesome job of informing us of what to look for if something doesn't work and I find it very helpful to know exactly what tools and gadgets you are using for diagnosing issues. Keep up the great content.
OMG ,I'm not a mechanic but I can do basic car maintenance, so far this is the very best and informative video that I really understand well Thank you.
A great idea is to use an infrared camera. Let the car sit over night, then use the camera to find the hot/warm spot. Which will direct you to the battery draining device.
I'm a handyman, do small stuff around homes for people. One client mentioned she had to keep using her battery booster to start her crossover if it sat a couple days. I looked in the back cargo area, and sure enough she had a crappy cheap phone charger plugged into a 12V "cig lighter" socket. Those cargo area sockets are wired straight to the battery. That crap-ass charger was the drain. Fixed in ten seconds, damnit. I shoulda got two billable hours for that! But she's a good client, keeps calling me back for all sorts of things around her house. And gotten several clients via recommendations from her.
I owned one of these for 5 years. Great cars except, the auto gearbox required new electronics and benefits from fluid change. As I was able to repair it, I was spared dealership costs. Everything worked perfectly during my ownership except for that autobox problem! Over-filling the gear box leads to fluid spewing out and burning on the exhaust.
Thanks Wizard - very informative. Glad to hear your appreciative comments on the SLK as opposed to the more usual ‘hairdressers car’, but then I’m biased as I own one of only 263 SLK32 AMG models built for the U.K. market - a supercharged 354BHP engine in a small bodied roadster, what’s not to like! 🙂 Keep up the good work & and say hello to Hoovie from me please. Toodle pip old chap! 🇬🇧
Good video but a small comment. I use a disconnect switch between the battery cable and post. Turn the switch on and start the vehicle. Shut off the ignition, open doors and trip latches or depress door pin switches, trip the hood latch as it typically contains a switch now too. Take key out of car as some vehicles won't go to sleep unless the key is outside the car. Connect the ammeter across the disconnect switch and open the switch. I've found on some systems disconnecting the battery and reconnecting through the ammeter does not always initiate a normal computer boot sequence. You may need to start and in some cases drive the vehicle. Allow at least 30 minutes for the modules to sleep. I use a voltmeter across the fuses to read voltage drop but depends on how much current the ammeter shows. I've also used a thermal camera when there is a significant draw such as 10 to 15 amps to see a warm fuse. I have a couple videos on my channel on parasitic draws as well. Just my two cents worth...
I’ve had two cars with a current draw. Both were faulty alternator regulators. So I now always test that first. It’s a quick job. Check for current, unplug alternator and retest.
this came at the right moment, I'm looking for some kind of draw on my car as well, not as big as that, my battery will last a week or so. But something is wrong with my electrical system and since my Alternator and battery both pass their tests, if barely, I'm going to try this. As a side note about weird fuse box locations, my '01 V70 has 3 and the battery is next to the spare tire, good luck finding all those without the manual...
Dave, I can’t applaud you enough for your resourcefulness. Having worked my way through college as a Porsche tech in the 80’s. Which weren’t even as advanced as a new cvcc civic. I’m still smiling over your Air Flow meter test a couple months ago. Especially with all the integration of so many components. All it takes is one facet to shut down reliability of entire vehicle. So I gotta figure these newer Mercedes have more wiring than Hubble Space Station. LoL Fantastic. And your camera girl is cute Also. 👍🚙
Had an issue like this with my sons Chevy truck. Turned out to be the positive battery cable had worn through at the battery tray. Thanks for your videos
I give you credit Mr Wizard. You work on these like super unique, hard to work on, older, foreign and exotic cars that you do have to be a genius to work on!
Thank you so much CarWizard. Had the exact same problem on my wifes car, remembered your video. Car draws no power so it should be a bad battery. Many greetings and happy easter from Germany. Oliver !
"If you want to blast your radio and listen to music, make sure you get that out of the way before you do this" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂...Love car wizard! Wish you closer to me to work on my cars.
You can also manage to touch the terminals on a fuse with regular multimeter probes if you have a steady hand. It's a little tricky but way quicker than pulling fuses
Thank you Mr Wizard. I have an older Cadillac that I need to find the draw on. Was getting ready to start pulling all the fuses until I saw this great little tool
Power probe has a great diagnostic chart to cross reference voltage drop across fuses terminals to an amp draw, including each style and size of fuse. It's a pretty easy thing to follow, usually I just go by sore thumb, if everything is showing one number and one or two are different, it's probably the ones sticking out to you.
Ever pressed the SOS button? Yes. Had a side swipe accident on the freeway in a 2006 Chevy Uplander van with OnStar. They contacted the local police, easy peasy. Though, that's the only time it was used, so the monthly fee didn't really pay for itself :-P. Thanks for the diagnostics advice.
Every Mercedes I’ve owned in the early 2000’s all have bad seat modules that kill the battery, the auto seat moving feature when you unlock the doors. Easy Hotwire fix
@@a7xphenix Mine is an 02. I work as a mechanic and I think owning that car helped me develop my skills. I replaced all the gaskets last summer. Will be doing some suspension work this summer.
@@TheFloridaStig mine was a c320 sedan, had the feature when you open the door the seat slides back, well that feature gets stuck on the ready to move part and drains the battery
I usually do drain test without disrupting the battery power connection to avoid resetting radio station memory, clock, etc. To do that I use digital voltmeter set up to Amps setting. Loosen first the negative battery terminal but don't pull the terminal out. Attach the Amp meter positive leads to the battery ground cable lug (or car chassis). Hold the second lead at the center of battery negative terminal. Now you can lift the negative battery cable up to force all current to go through the Amp meter and get leakage current reading. Once done you can push the battery terminal back to its post and tighten the terminal.
I had a 84 Dodge pickup with a utility box blow the taillight fuse whenever I hit a bump. Easy check, I pulled the factory harness that fed the entire rear of the pickup. I initially thought something in the toolbox was hitting the small bit of wiring that went into the tool area to feed the lights. I finally looked at the wiring diagram and found one wire tapped into the circuit, under the dash. That one wire fed the cigarette lighter. I never bothered to find the heating element. It had been missing since I bought the truck used. There was a coin in the hole.
Thank you 🙏 so much for posting this. I have a 2005 Lexus gx470 and the battery goes dead in a day if I don’t drive it everyday. I been using a heavy duty portable jumpstarter to get it started and feel ridiculous every time. I hope I can find and correct this problem.
I've got an R170 SLK320 as my daily driver. Nice little car! And when the sun comes out, once a year in the UK - press one button and get that top off!!! :D
6:27 daaaamnnnn Wizard, how did you split your thumbnail in half like that??? I can't even imagine how bad that hurts still being attached to you... I've crushed my nails before and they eventually fell off but that split looks brutal.
You can also use the fuse tables for voltage drops, use a voltmeter and see which is the voltage drop among the fuses and see in the table the correspondent current: www.powerprobetek.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/fuse-charts.pdf
@Brandon Kilian thermal camera may have a sense ONLY for those modules that are on sight. And only if they produce heat due to current drainage. Which in both case it's not often the case. Not considering that a decent thermal camera is also a good amount of money 💰
Thanks for posting this! I've got an '04 Crossfire which is pretty much an exact clone of this SLK and I also have a nasty draw. Time to start digging. :)
All I can say is that back in the good old days of my 1973 Mini 1000, I never had any of these electrical thingamywhatsit problems that cripple cars in a zillion ways. Simplicity and the least moving parts is the happy way to rumble on the road more travelled. :0)
I could not resist the temptation, and measured the voltage drop at 250mA on a bunch of fuses, just like those that car has: 40A / .29mV, 30A /.44mV, 25A /.58 mV, 20A / .78mV, 15A/1.2mV, 10A/1.86mV, 7.5A 2.77mV. Nice trick to measure voltage drop on each fuse, I thought that at that low current it would be like nothing, but a decent multimeter can pick it up quite easily.
who ever disliked this video is miserable this video is full of knowledge to give it a dislike smh
Russian bots :-)
@@TinS0lder If I want to be entertained professionally, I am looking for a TV show. I am viewing these videos because there is a ton of information for the car enthusiast coming directly from the workbench. As a non native english speaker I also enjoy the clear and very undertsndable speach. Thank you, Mr. Wizard!
What makes these videos even better is the very good work with the camera. Thank you Mrs. Wizard!
Now there’s 47 Thumbs Down. Why!!??
Is it ever informative!
People have to vent somehow. I'd rather they click dislike on a bunch of videos if it means they don't take it out on their families. Sad but true.
They don’t call him the Wizard just because he has a big staff. He’s truly a wizard at this stuff.
we'll have to ask Mrs Wizard is he has a big staff or not ;)
They call him the Wizard because of the beard!
@@michaelwittmann4898 😂
@@stephentrout7879 😂
Why not both?
Cars from the early 2000 's use the 911 emergency call button based on cellular networks that are no longer available so even if you wanted to fix it would not connect you to anything.
Came to the comments section to post this same thing. The network that button (and car phones in the 90s etc) used to use is now dead.
@@dn8764 I never knew that there was a special network.
Just imagine if your SOS button connected you with a tech-savvy serial killer who had a special phone that picked up those out of date SOS alerts... "Stay right where you are sir. I'll be along in just a little while....to strangle you!". :0/
@@williamr3840 That's a good question actually there should be a way to either upgrade those systems to 4G or 3G or some other phone system so people can still safely use them.
And the missing network causes the module to permanently search for a network which takes much more power than being connected to a network....
That said every car that has this system should have a battery drain...
I have a car that has to stay on a battery tender or the battery goes dead in a few days. Your video shows how to simply check for power draw. Since I have several cars that sit on battery tenders because they don't get driven very much, I ordered a better multi-tester and amp hound from your affiliate page.
This video is a lifesaver, thank you.
Keep in mind that the classic symptom of a bad battery is one that will self-discharge overnight. It may not be the car.
@@russellhltn1396 Same happens to my battery - when I put it on the b.tender it shows 12.5v and I leave it to get full and take it off the b.tender.. when I want to start the car in the morning it already throws a warning about the battery.. it also cranks longer.. I guess i should replace it
@@russellhltn1396 I found a half amp draw and shot it to the daytime running light relay. Replaced the relay, the draw is gone now.
Maybe its just me but when you were touching the fuses with the amp hound thing, the suspense of waiting to see the number jump was real lol.
Amusing to see the spares tested as well
😦👍👏😬
Same.
I was literally thinking about a battery draining situation yesterday and what I would do. Today, The Wizard answers my thoughts.
He is indeed a WIZARD: absolutely magic!! I have had this issue with my MERCEDES ML 350 2003; been to all the mechanics known to me; bought 3 new batteries, all to no avail. I was almost giving up, but I decided to find a solution online for my love for the car. Then stumbled into this video. Although I have not tried it yet, with a glimpse of hope, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The tool has been ordered, and I will return to give my testimony. In the meantime, Thank you for a million OMEGA AUTO CLINIC!
Ok. You just saved my tail...twice in this video alone. My '01 SL500 (r129) and a 740i (e38) constantly die due to not driving them often. The e38 has an old cell phone in it still. I'll use the AmpHound to trace the SL500 drain. Watch your vids often. the LS swap video is also helpful. Considering swapping LT1 out of 96 SS Impala for a 6.0L. You got a new subscriber. Thank you Car Wizard!
Wizard is such a cool dude. So knowledgeable and humble.
When Mrs. Wizard began closing in on the screen of the Vantage with her camera, I could hear Eric O's voice in the background saying "Enhance, enhance, enhance..."
I was saying it out loud if I'm honest...
well at least he didn't say "in the pile" from Vehcor
I love both of you. It is soo nice to watch decent people creating helpful friendly videos. Thank you.
Something about Car Wizard that's different! It's just so soothing and calming to watch expert husband and wife make videos about fixing cars. I would go ahead and even say that these videos are more entertaining than ChrisFix.
I thank you for the wealth of information that you freely share. I wish I could find a competent mechanic like you. I do my own work because of the countless scammy mechanics I have used. Thank you for teaching me how to diagnose problems. That puts me way ahead of most mechanics in Chicagoland. By the way, I have a CL600 with a battery drain. Thanks again.
I love the straightforward, no condescending way Wizard teaches us. I greatly appreciate his approach.
If you have a cheap multi-meter and a bit of knowledge, you don't need an 'Amp Hound'.
Set your meter scale to the lowest DC Volt setting that it has, then measure across each fuse.
A reading much higher than all the others will show where the current draw is!
Love the videos Mr & Mrs Wizard. I used to do all my own work on cars.
Now old and infirm, I let a local, trusted garage do it (yes - garage, I am in the UK)
Spent all of my working life in electrical / electronic industry.
Thanks Wizard, but here's my story which may help others. About 10 years ago, I went with a friend to buy a used car. It was a 1980's Honda City for just under NZ$1,000 . The car started up and ran great. As we were checking it over at his house, I noticed the radio didn't work. "No Worries" said the guy selling, "I just have to put a fuse in it". It had the typical old type barrel cylinder fuse in the power wire to the radio under the dash. He did so and the radio worked fine. Note that as an '80's simple car it did not have any advanced audio system, no alarm, no central locking etc. My friend bought the car and we did the legal formalities at a nearby post office agency etc etc. The car was great as a "daily driver" but if left for a few days without use, the battery would be flat. Now I've got one of those cheap voltmeter/multimeters which cost about $10, and which have an inbuilt Amp-meter up to 10 Amps capacity only. I lifted off one battery lead and interposed the testleads (similar to what Wizard did above with his much fancier meter) and it read about quarter of an Amp (250mA) current flow. That's equivalent to about a 3 watt load. I thought about it and checked the radio circuit thoroughly. Turns out there were TWO faults and the parasitic draw could only happen because they both occurred. Under the dash were 2 "power" wires. One ran through the "Ignition/Accessories On" and one was permanently powered. The "always powered" wire can be connected to a certain connector on some car radios to keep a clock memory alive. The car radio function normally being connected through the ignition. This radio was connected to the "always on" power. The car radio itself had a fault (or perhaps poor design from the factory?) that the tuning dial lamp, a 3 watt bulb, was "ON" all the time. Even when using the radio's own ON/OFF/Volume switch to turn the radio completely off, the lamp stayed fully on. However as we'd never used the car at night, we never arrived to see a glowing radio face in a darkened car, and hadn't noticed in daytime use. I connected the car radio, instead to the "Ignition/acc only" power wire, and after recharging the flat battery that once, it was fine for ever after ! Obviously the earlier owner had had flat battery problems and just left the fuse out of the radio wire, instead of checking to make sure he'd wired it up properly in the first place LOL
I always say when you buy a used car, get ready to fix or repair the item the last owner did not want to. Almost no one sells their "great working" used car unless it's got some costly repair staring at them. A typical used car will have something needing to be done( brakes, worn shocks, transmission issues, etc. I bought a 2007 Acura TL with a parasitic drain on the battery that caused me fits. Thanks to UA-cam, many problems can be solved with little effort if you can do it yourself.
Very simple and informative video on how to catch them battery drainer issues. Good work! The wizard did test out some of the reserve fuses that aren't actually connected to anything (yes Mercedes has some in almost every fuse box) but that's not a big deal. As for the engine bay space - the SLK R170 is in fact on the same platform (practically the same car) as is CLK W208 which has a V8 engines in it as well as a C-class W202 which has an I6 and a V8 engines in it. So space wise - they all fit like a dream. And I disagree on most comments here stating that the car is a wallet drainer - obviously you don't know Mercedes cars that well. This car is SOLID. As are most of the pre 2000 Mergs.
Well we fixed my neighbor's 2009 chevy avalanche using your tool. Found a fuse that was killing the battery every 2 days. We pulled the fuse, it was the aux power. Made a bet with him we could fix it. He had spent a fortune with mechanics just replacing stuff. Starter, battery, alternator, brake light actuator, and at least 3 techs who charged big money to look at it. I told him i would buy the tool for $95 and if we fix it, we can split the cost of the Amp Hound. I got $50 and bottle of crown royal as a reward. And all the power outlets seem to be working. Who knew. Thanks wizard.
This channel is gold. I never fix my cars, however learning stuff from wizzard gives me a position of not paying a shop for bluff.
Used same technique to find: the horn ground wire through firewall gasket was grounding out, and current through horn ALL the time draining battery. IDIOTS at shop could not figure it out. Ran new wire through firewall - fixed.
Wizard, you can use a normal multimeter on the mV range to measure the voltage drop across each fuse if you don't have the 'Amp Hound' There are tables online which tell you the current for a given voltage drop on each rating of fuse. Basially doing the same as what your fancy device is doing just takes a bit more time to figure out the actual values but still better than fuse roulette.
Love the videos, keep them coming, You and Hoovie are some of the best!
The irony of potentially being stranded because of your SOS button.
It’s not a Save Our Soles button.
It’s a Shorting Out Slk button.
😂
Souls but soles could apply as well!
Lol. So true.
@@pfsantos007 some just dont want to walk home you know?
I own a C-Class from the same era, a C320. It also had a parasitic battery drain issue. I traced it to the seat control module.
Thank you Wizard 🧙♂️. My 09’ e550 drains battery after 6 hours sitting. Finally I can try fix and use again.
Instead of plucking fuses a guy could just measure voltage drop across the fuses. It's the same thing the amp hound does. You ever use that method wizard?
I came here to say the same thing. That's probably the way to go for a diy. The amp hound looks like a good tool for someone who does this all the time, but overkill for a casual mechanic.
Cheapest HF multimeter would find that just as quickly
Hey it's Eric. Thanks for the comment guys. I was thinking the same thing but wasn't sure.
I was just thinking the amp hound just measured the voltage drop. It just has convenient prongs. If I was doing this I would just pull the fuses as I've found that measuring such small voltages is a bit finnicky with a multimeter. Besides pulling the fuses is just as quick.
I thought about the same thing after watching one of your vids on parasitic draw Eric O.
There’s another reason to get that tool, especially for modern cars. When you unplug and re-install fuses on computerized modules, the modules reboot and usually boot up, and depending on the car, sometimes it takes them quite a while to return to their base state. The reading on the ammeter jumps all over the place. That tool does not work like a normal ammeter. I’m pretty sure it detects the resistance across the fuse and then checks for a voltage differential across the fuse. If there is no current flowing, there will be no voltage differential at all. This means that the electrical systems of your car are not disturbed by the test procedure. Thanks for the tip, Wizard!
There`s no getting away from it. Wizards video`s are Brilliant. Whoever knocks them are not very bright when the video`s are so Informing They must be Watching Them With Their Eyes Shut Well done Wizard. Keep it up..
very instructive video! 18:06 Hayspost, yesterday: Yes ... it rained mud in NW Kansas. We've gotten reports from around Fairbury, Crete, and Lincoln that the light rain is leaving a thin film of mud on vehicles. Some have even noted that it has a bit of an orange/red tint like the soils of Oklahoma or Texas. Well, after looking back at satellite data over the past two days, our massive storm system kicked up a huge area of blowing dust (hot pink in the satellite image) which has since moved in the direction of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Now today the light rain and drizzle is combining with the dust in the air to deposit a sort of muddy rain around the region.
Mr. WIZARD, you are the MAN!!! Thank You for your most precious time to inform those of us, whom own these nice little pieces.. I had a battery drain issue on my 01 too however after going through your videos and was hoping to duplicate the SOS issue that was not my problem, I was at a lost. Then I looked at this little black box under the hood that held several MIDI fuses. One in particular was the Alternator very high amperage. It was blown... hard to find without buying the entire box from Mercedes-Benz BUT Amazon sells them and that's what fixed my battery draw.... HOORAY for me... thanks to your due diligence in diagnosing to find the issue... I said to myself ... "SELF, would Mr. WIZARD give up?" Problem solved and fixed in 3 days. No more getting towed...
sho hope ya dn't actually call yurself "self"!
You can also check for voltage drops across the fuses with a DVOM.
Thank you, Wizard! I have on 03 E55 that does this very thing. I travel for work, and disconnect the battery every time I have to leave the car. Otherwise, I start it every other day to charge the battery. I’ll be investing in that little tool, for this and other cars I own. There is an aftermarket stereo in the E55, so that is on the list of things to verify. I appreciate you forthright approach to the repairs, and in helping us.
this is what is miss about wizard , he don't do videos like this any more like how to fix, how to repair. But this was a very help full and detail . Do more repairs like this man we love you. 😀🥰
Thanks Wizard! I just ordered myself a little tester. Great idea. I have a multimeter but these testers are more convenient than working with two probes.
Good job. I will do the same to my 1998 SLK230 compressor with 49k miles (built in mid-1997 and delivered to the OE a month later). Love it. I'm 6'5" and have little issue in fitting in it. We only drive it in the Summer. Great car!! The worst issue has been the headliner sag (replaced) and the paint peeling away from the interior plastics. (I used some elbow grease and steel 0000 wool with various grease removers. Had to replace the instrument surround piece with a new one, which is actually now charcoal and not black as the rest of the interior plastic now is... Imperial Red with black leather and only the auto tranny as the sole option. No hole for an antenna (uses the rear bumper). Fantastic ride. It's my wife's car and she loves it dearly.
I went on your affiliate page and bought this and thanks to your video i will be able to try it out. There are no instructions in the box at all. Thanks Car Wizard
I did the same thing on a 2000 S Blazer. Disconnected the ground, took a fuse out, checked the draw and re installed the fuse and eventually found it. You have to connect the meter correctly though. If it seems to not work or the meter is acting funny, reverse the meter connections and try again. I used a cheap analog meter from radio shack. It worked great. The problem I found was the interior light delay module.
Not too many videos on my car and most of them are half a$$ busters DIY videos in which none of them have any knowledge of what they're doing. Just a how to fix or replace, breaking things in the process. You, my friend, are awesome. A few problems on my 97 Merc E420 and you fixed one of them. Your explanations and knowledge go way further down the line than anyone else I've watched. Thank you much for your in-depth KB. Subed and Liked to stay informed here!
Love all your videos. I learn SO much.
I absolutely loved those SLK's. The later ones were ugly!
Great tip on how the little metal tabs protrude on the top of fuses. Great video, keep up the good work!
I totally disagree. The R171 is far better looking than the R170, especially in black.
@@stevejones1318 Aesthetics is purely subjective. Thanx for the reply.
I had a Ford Escort with this exact problem over night and it took me 4 visits and two new batteries in the Ford repair shop to find, that the cd-changer started rotating from time to time pulling 3 amps over minutes: the bad thing was, that I told them the changer makes noises from time to time without running. My first and last Ford.
Good advice. Thanks.
In a pinch you can use a 12 volt light bulb with pigtails. Simply disconnect the hot (+) terminal and connect the bulb across both leads. In a normal car it will glow very dimly, in a car with a high drain the bulb will be bright. Simply pull fuses one at a time until it goes out or just barely lit. Easy peasy!
Cool video and very informative, just found an amperage draw last weekend on our neighbor's Ford Mustang, turned out to be the factory alarm module was drawing .9 amp with key off and doors closed/dome light out. Disconnected the alarm and bypassed the ignition key lockout wires, and draw decreased to .07 amp. Car works great now, was going tango uniform overnight before.
Thank you for the Amazon link, ordered up a new Amp Hound unit as pulling fuses with small pliers is tedious!
I own a 2001 SLK 230 and 2006 SLK 280. The ‘01 model (170) is more fun to drive than the later 171 tbh. Love these cars.
I can never get past the "listing to loud music" step expecially when blasting some Pantera!
A feller just needs to listen to the whole album, and that is going to leave me with a dead battery again!
Finally, FINALLY. A how to. I was worried that this channel was going to become "Car show" type channel. Thank god!!! Thank you Mr and Mrs Wizard. You guys rock! Thank you!
I had one of this SLK in 7 years , best car ever! Miss it every day , want to buy one like that again 😍
My wife drove one for 8 years.
Thanks for that. I had the CLK E230 on '99 plate and id bought it from my brother . it came with a set of jump leads that he said Id need.Took me a week to find the drain as I went around in circles a bit- but it was the alarm module- the NICAD had leached its fluid and short-circuited the control-board..
My Acura TL had the same issue and I was able to figure out what the issue was in 5 minutes by searching the most common cause of battery drain for a TL. I unplugged the Bluetooth module and it's been fine ever since. It also helped that the module was warm to the touch long after the car had been turned off.
Nice video. I had a rover 214 and I had issues like this and turned out was caused by electric problem with reverse caused by a frayed cable in trunk.
I spent days researching this back in early 2000s before we had joy of the youtube channels like this.
I wish I knew of tools like this when I was younger
Great video! There are several other ways to get the same answer using different equipment but takes a lot more time and probably 2 people. I liked the AMP Hound so much, that I took your advice and bought one on-line today.
Really interesting stuff ,
I had a power draw in my 996., I knew you could use an ammeter to find out where it was but it was good to see you going through the whole process to show exactly how to do it 👍🏻
I have a 05 Grand Cherokee that had a battery drain, so now I know how to check it out. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Car Wizard!
One of the best videos Wizard, these types of videos are so helpful. I really like your explanations and the in-depth process. You do an awesome job of informing us of what to look for if something doesn't work and I find it very helpful to know exactly what tools and gadgets you are using for diagnosing issues. Keep up the great content.
OMG ,I'm not a mechanic but I can do basic car maintenance, so far this is the very best and informative video that I really understand well Thank you.
The SLK is the coolest car Mercedes ever made,anybody that have one absolutely loves it,any year,any color,any model
A great idea is to use an infrared camera. Let the car sit over night, then use the camera to find the hot/warm spot. Which will direct you to the battery draining device.
I'm a handyman, do small stuff around homes for people. One client mentioned she had to keep using her battery booster to start her crossover if it sat a couple days. I looked in the back cargo area, and sure enough she had a crappy cheap phone charger plugged into a 12V "cig lighter" socket. Those cargo area sockets are wired straight to the battery. That crap-ass charger was the drain. Fixed in ten seconds, damnit. I shoulda got two billable hours for that! But she's a good client, keeps calling me back for all sorts of things around her house. And gotten several clients via recommendations from her.
Lol I learned very early on about the parasitic draw procedure. Love that he called you liars using such a simple procedure
Man I would love to have the Wizard as my mechanic
I owned one of these for 5 years. Great cars except, the auto gearbox required new electronics and benefits from fluid change. As I was able to repair it, I was spared dealership costs. Everything worked perfectly during my ownership except for that autobox problem! Over-filling the gear box leads to fluid spewing out and burning on the exhaust.
Thanks Wizard - very informative. Glad to hear your appreciative comments on the SLK as opposed to the more usual ‘hairdressers car’, but then I’m biased as I own one of only 263 SLK32 AMG models built for the U.K. market - a supercharged 354BHP engine in a small bodied roadster, what’s not to like! 🙂
Keep up the good work & and say hello to Hoovie from me please.
Toodle pip old chap! 🇬🇧
Good video but a small comment. I use a disconnect switch between the battery cable and post. Turn the switch on and start the vehicle. Shut off the ignition, open doors and trip latches or depress door pin switches, trip the hood latch as it typically contains a switch now too. Take key out of car as some vehicles won't go to sleep unless the key is outside the car. Connect the ammeter across the disconnect switch and open the switch. I've found on some systems disconnecting the battery and reconnecting through the ammeter does not always initiate a normal computer boot sequence. You may need to start and in some cases drive the vehicle. Allow at least 30 minutes for the modules to sleep. I use a voltmeter across the fuses to read voltage drop but depends on how much current the ammeter shows. I've also used a thermal camera when there is a significant draw such as 10 to 15 amps to see a warm fuse. I have a couple videos on my channel on parasitic draws as well. Just my two cents worth...
I’ve had two cars with a current draw. Both were faulty alternator regulators. So I now always test that first. It’s a quick job. Check for current, unplug alternator and retest.
One of the most beautiful, fun, reliable cars I've ever owned! I loved that car!
Love these battery drain diagnosis videos!
this came at the right moment, I'm looking for some kind of draw on my car as well, not as big as that, my battery will last a week or so. But something is wrong with my electrical system and since my Alternator and battery both pass their tests, if barely, I'm going to try this.
As a side note about weird fuse box locations, my '01 V70 has 3 and the battery is next to the spare tire, good luck finding all those without the manual...
I liked this episode so much that I just bought the Amp Hound 2 $80. Thanks so helpful
I had the same problem with my 2002 S type jaguar.no one could find the problem. I sold the car. Great video thanks
Dave, I can’t applaud you enough for your resourcefulness. Having worked my way through college as a Porsche tech in the 80’s. Which weren’t even as advanced as a new cvcc civic. I’m still smiling over your Air Flow meter test a couple months ago.
Especially with all the integration of so many components. All it takes is one facet to shut down reliability of entire vehicle. So I gotta figure these newer Mercedes have more wiring than Hubble Space Station. LoL
Fantastic. And your camera girl is cute Also. 👍🚙
Had an issue like this with my sons Chevy truck. Turned out to be the positive battery cable had worn through at the battery tray. Thanks for your videos
I give you credit Mr Wizard. You work on these like super unique, hard to work on, older, foreign and exotic cars that you do have to be a genius to work on!
Car wizard, always a pleasure watching your videos.
Mr. and Mrs. Wizard seem to be great people. You can tell there great people.
Thank you so much CarWizard. Had the exact same problem on my wifes car, remembered your video. Car draws no power so it should be a bad battery. Many greetings and happy easter from Germany. Oliver !
"If you want to blast your radio and listen to music, make sure you get that out of the way before you do this" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂...Love car wizard! Wish you closer to me to work on my cars.
That was one of the most helpful things, that I have ever seen. That tool is a jewel.
This is great! Electrical problems scare me the most but at least this is an easy way to pinpoint the problem area
You can also manage to touch the terminals on a fuse with regular multimeter probes if you have a steady hand. It's a little tricky but way quicker than pulling fuses
Thank you for showing your diagnostic procedure. Very informative.
Thank you Mr Wizard. I have an older Cadillac that I need to find the draw on. Was getting ready to start pulling all the fuses until I saw this great little tool
Power probe has a great diagnostic chart to cross reference voltage drop across fuses terminals to an amp draw, including each style and size of fuse. It's a pretty easy thing to follow, usually I just go by sore thumb, if everything is showing one number and one or two are different, it's probably the ones sticking out to you.
After 30+ years doing these kind of repairs you see something new why have I never heard of an amp hound it would have saved me so much time.
Ever pressed the SOS button? Yes. Had a side swipe accident on the freeway in a 2006 Chevy Uplander van with OnStar. They contacted the local police, easy peasy. Though, that's the only time it was used, so the monthly fee didn't really pay for itself :-P. Thanks for the diagnostics advice.
Every Mercedes I’ve owned in the early 2000’s all have bad seat modules that kill the battery, the auto seat moving feature when you unlock the doors. Easy Hotwire fix
My C320 had the exact issue!
@@matte8441one was a c320 actually 2001
@@a7xphenix Mine is an 02. I work as a mechanic and I think owning that car helped me develop my skills. I replaced all the gaskets last summer. Will be doing some suspension work this summer.
the 1st gen slks had manual seats . unless you mean the heated seat module
@@TheFloridaStig mine was a c320 sedan, had the feature when you open the door the seat slides back, well that feature gets stuck on the ready to move part and drains the battery
I usually do drain test without disrupting the battery power connection to avoid resetting radio station memory, clock, etc. To do that I use digital voltmeter set up to Amps setting. Loosen first the negative battery terminal but don't pull the terminal out. Attach the Amp meter positive leads to the battery ground cable lug (or car chassis). Hold the second lead at the center of battery negative terminal. Now you can lift the negative battery cable up to force all current to go through the Amp meter and get leakage current reading. Once done you can push the battery terminal back to its post and tighten the terminal.
Oh my Gosh!!!! This is the video I should have watched 3 batteries ago!!! These cars have this problem in their DNA
Just added a Amp Hound 2 to my Amazon Cart. Thanks Car Wizard! You the Man!!!
I had a 84 Dodge pickup with a utility box blow the taillight fuse whenever I hit a bump. Easy check, I pulled the factory harness that fed the entire rear of the pickup. I initially thought something in the toolbox was hitting the small bit of wiring that went into the tool area to feed the lights. I finally looked at the wiring diagram and found one wire tapped into the circuit, under the dash. That one wire fed the cigarette lighter. I never bothered to find the heating element. It had been missing since I bought the truck used. There was a coin in the hole.
Thank you 🙏 so much for posting this. I have a 2005 Lexus gx470 and the battery goes dead in a day if I don’t drive it everyday. I been using a heavy duty portable jumpstarter to get it started and feel ridiculous every time. I hope I can find and correct this problem.
I've got an R170 SLK320 as my daily driver. Nice little car! And when the sun comes out, once a year in the UK - press one button and get that top off!!! :D
6:27 daaaamnnnn Wizard, how did you split your thumbnail in half like that??? I can't even imagine how bad that hurts still being attached to you... I've crushed my nails before and they eventually fell off but that split looks brutal.
Great tool ! my Saab Aero convertible had battery drain from
instrument cluster and aftermarket tracker - secondhand clock set cured it !
My CLK 500 has recently started draining the battery & this video is so helpful 👍🏼
Thanks Wizard and Mrs. Love the channel, always a teaching moment.
one of the more informative dianostic videos i've seen. thanks wizard.
You can also use the fuse tables for voltage drops, use a voltmeter and see which is the voltage drop among the fuses and see in the table the correspondent current: www.powerprobetek.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/fuse-charts.pdf
I was no aware there were charts for cars fuses like this one
@Brandon Kilian thermal camera may have a sense ONLY for those modules that are on sight. And only if they produce heat due to current drainage. Which in both case it's not often the case.
Not considering that a decent thermal camera is also a good amount of money 💰
@Brandon Kilian by the way, a Galvanometer like the one used by the Wizard comes for 12$ on AliExpress, so... :)
Thanks for posting this! I've got an '04 Crossfire which is pretty much an exact clone of this SLK and I also have a nasty draw. Time to start digging. :)
All I can say is that back in the good old days of my 1973 Mini 1000, I never had any of these electrical thingamywhatsit problems that cripple cars in a zillion ways. Simplicity and the least moving parts is the happy way to rumble on the road more travelled. :0)
Great video!!!! Electric stuff is always a cluster for so many of us! Thanks Wizard!
I could not resist the temptation, and measured the voltage drop at 250mA on a bunch of fuses, just like those that car has: 40A / .29mV, 30A /.44mV, 25A /.58
mV, 20A / .78mV, 15A/1.2mV, 10A/1.86mV, 7.5A 2.77mV.
Nice trick to measure voltage drop on each fuse, I thought that at that low current it would be like nothing, but a decent multimeter can pick it up quite easily.