How to test for parasitic drain

Fabricate a test lamp consisting of a 12v lightbulb, socket, wiring, and alligator clips. With the battery fully charged, disconnect the positive cable and connect the test lamp between the positive battery terminal and the positive battery cable. If you have a parasitic drain, the lightbulb should be brightly lit.

Starting at the main fuse panel on the top of the battery, disconnect the fused red wiring one-by-one. When the lightbulb goes out (off), you’ve found the circuit causing the problem. If this circuit feeds the interior fuse panel located to the left side of the dashboard, reconnect the wire and start removing fuses one-by-one until the light goes out.

Hint, the wiring leads should be long enough for the lightbulb to reach the interior of the car so that you can observe it when you start removing fuses.