Do I have an electrical short?

[danalyse]

In the process of trying to get a cabrio on the road I have noticed that when I put the positive battery cable on the battery with everything turned off there is a little bit on an arc. Seems like there must be a small draw to something. Is this normal or not as I would hate to have something running my battery down.

[StereoInstaller1]

So quit guessing and test it!

You sure you had doors/trunk/glovebox closed?

[jlevie]

There are a few things in the car that draw current when the car is off. Normal parasitic draw (that current drawn with the car off and doors/trunk/etc closed is 30-60ma.

[danalyse]

Electrical short?

How, what, and with what do I test for shorts or a natural draw.

Thanks

[jlevie]

To test the parasitic draw you need to measure the current drawn from the battery with the car off. I prefer to use an auto ranging DMM with a 10a (or better) capability. Interpose that meter between battery's negative post and the negative cable. If the car has the battery in the trunk, either remove the trunk light, or better yet have the meter outside of the trunk and close it.

If you see higher than normal parasitic draw, pull one fuse at a time until the offending circuit is found. When you find the offending circuit you'll have troubleshoot it. Note that improperly installed aftermarket electronics are the most common cause of excessive parasitic draw. If that applies, start there.