battery drain...
my 1996 XJ has a little problem... if I let it sit for a few days it won't start...

turns out I have a .21-.34 amp draw!

I have been trying to track the drain down... seems that it is on the same fuse as the interior lights and the radio memory...

so where do I go from here?

for the time being I have just pulled the fuse

 

210 - 340 ma is certainly not excessive, unless the battery is trashed. How old is the battery and have you had it load tested?

 

nope, I have not had it load tested... it is about 30 months old...

I was told if I disconnected the negative terminal and connected a test light between the battery and the negative cable that it should barely light up... but it lights up quite a bit...

 

it should not be pulling more than around 35 ma with the key off, doors closed, lights out

 

One major source of drains is when one of the relays sticks open. There are at least 4 in the power manager box under the hood. A quick & dirty way to rule this out is to connect your voltmeter to the battery and one by one unplug the relays. If you get an increase in your reading, you likely found the culprit.

Why you seem to get readings on the radio circuit? Not sure, but from experience, this is where I'd check first. I had a relay for the fuel pump stick open on my pickup and it caused exactly the same issue you have.

 

You've got it Bassackwards.

An Open Relay will not allow current to flow, a Closed relay will.

The OP will see a drop in the voltage drain on the battery if he removes a stuck-closed relay.

Relays are used to control the flow of current to high amp draw loads. With the low reading he's getting the relays are already ruled out as a problem.

To the OP, have your battery load tested. If you've got a 36 month battery that has never had water added to it then there's a good chance the battery is toast.

 

You're right...I did get it backasswards. Thanks.

 

60 month battery

the fluid was a little low... i am adding it and doing an equalization charge, I think that works on a car battery, worked on my dad's RV