What is draining my battery in my IG or QM when parked?

[TheDocAUS]

This seams as good as any place to post this. I was listening to a podcast (which is 10 million times better than ours) and they were talking about finding a battery drain in a Ferrari 456. They tried all the usual suspects and had no luck but then used a fantastic solution.

They parked the car overnight so that it was completely cooled in every system. The next morning, with minimal lighting in the shop, they used a thermal camera and "looked over" the car in search of any hot spots. They ultimately saw a heat signature in the interior - specifically the passenger sun visor where there was a short in the vanity mirror's light. Naturally Sir Jim made certain that specific scenario could play out in a Gren, but the thought of using a thermal cam to see what electrical items (hidden or otherwise) are generating heat is pretty crafty.

I have a Flir thermal camera. I use it to check rims/tyres/hubs when traveling. It is like having x ray vision. It gets used under the bonnet/hood as well.

I started with a IR thermometer, but upgraded to the Flir years later. I now know what Superman feels like using his X Ray vision.

 

[NQ94]

This seams as good as any place to post this. I was listening to a podcast (which is 10 million times better than ours) and they were talking about finding a battery drain in a Ferrari 456. They tried all the usual suspects and had no luck but then used a fantastic solution.

They parked the car overnight so that it was completely cooled in every system. The next morning, with minimal lighting in the shop, they used a thermal camera and "looked over" the car in search of any hot spots. They ultimately saw a heat signature in the interior - specifically the passenger sun visor where there was a short in the vanity mirror's light. Naturally Sir Jim made certain that specific scenario could play out in a Gren, but the thought of using a thermal cam to see what electrical items (hidden or otherwise) are generating heat is pretty crafty.

We have a basic Flir camera at work. The handiest tool that gets used on everything from the engine hydraulics and electrical. There are a large amount of faults found from a small change in heat signatures. Should try one on the steering pump issue.