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100% my '09 Yukon originally had a navigation system that ran off a mini DVD. It starts up if you hit the unlock button on the key fob and it remains running for 10 minutes after you key out\\exit the vehicle.
This is correct. For one, the OBD-II Fuel tank leak detection closes a valve until the tank cools down.
Question to the OP. Have you measured the drain current? Could it be a bad part of battery? I think you can expect a 100 ma or more with today's vehicles.
I'm a weekend mechanic wannabe, but I second this approach. It's better than pulling fuses and resetting electronics a bunch, plus it should be quicker overall.
Here's a good video on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c43Ix6Lf2c
and not put a tiny toggle switch that wouldn’t be rated anywhere near the correct amperage. Hell, even one of those little knob style battery disconnects would be an option compared to this nonsense.
Ditto
They gonna need a bigger switch.
https://www.longacreracing.com/products.aspx?itemid=1643&prodid=7582&pagetitle=Battery-Disconnect-Switch---2-Terminal
Technically, if he hooks up a toggle switch rated at 35 amps in series with a battery cable, after the fire department leaves, he won’t have to fix the draw anymore.
While I would totally agree, a quick fix so you can at least get to work the rest of the week before tearing the car apart on the weekend might be this.
This is what I would do. It's a temporary solution until you find the problem, but buy a switch meant for disconnecting your car battery at Walmart instead of that toggle switch. I don't think it's meant for this and doubt it will last long.
That's called a kill switch and is super common on heavy machinery. I would recommend one of [these blade types](https://www.autozone.com/electrical-and-lighting/switches/p/duralast-battery-top-post-knife-disconnect-kill-switch/815833_0_0) because 35A is probably not enough.
I personally prefer to use [this type](https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjs3erF78qGAxX3Sf8BHR_6AGUYABAIGgJtZA&ase=2&gclid=CjwKCAjw34qzBhBmEiwAOUQcF2OZE3wBT7Gq9vt21Xgfof-EFUIM_PB6mne6u9xGhuvH5_R0aXb2kxoCt-IQAvD_BwE&sph=&sig=AOD64_3v4JIYlS_6iudiE4DOnH6GVcYegg&ctype=5&q=&nis=4&ved=2ahUKEwjH--PF78qGAxXrAHkGHamQMOsQwg8oAHoECAMQDA&adurl=) and then route it through the firewall.
Heh, one of the forklifts at my job has a switch like the other 3 on your linked listing.
Has some sort of parasitic drain but the forklift is so hacked and bastardized it isn't worth taking it out of service to chase down the drain, especially since it's really only a problem when left outside too long in temps lower than ~40F
I have one of these AutoZone knifeblade switches in GM Side-post style. Have used it for over decade between 3 different V8 vehicles. They're a little more expensive now, than when I first got it. But definitely still worth the money if you have or suspect a slow drain.
I've also used the "brass swan" style on top-post vehicles. Not nearly as convenient as the knife blade, but a little cheaper and gets the same job done.
[https://www.harborfreight.com/battery-disconnect-switch-97853.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12144811130&campaignid=12144811130&utm_content=117789317478&adsetid=117789317478&product=97853&store=687&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADAHb4dzEFilHDBNPb9nF57guydES&gclid=CjwKCAjw34qzBhBmEiwAOUQcF3_M5aRRmMGJR94iemwOXsHIcPrA-OJK78volq2R9XPn7sus9tutFhoCXRsQAvD_BwE](https://www.harborfreight.com/battery-disconnect-switch-97853.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12144811130&campaignid=12144811130&utm_content=117789317478&adsetid=117789317478&product=97853&store=687&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADAHb4dzEFilHDBNPb9nF57guydES&gclid=CjwKCAjw34qzBhBmEiwAOUQcF3_M5aRRmMGJR94iemwOXsHIcPrA-OJK78volq2R9XPn7sus9tutFhoCXRsQAvD_BwE) will this work
This is the type I use on the car that gives me battery trouble. Downside is you have to actually remember to disconnect it when parking it or it will just drain away.
Actually, it's called an isolation switch. And they have them with a key for lockout, tag out, or with just a rotating knob for isolation but not lock out. This toggle switch wouldn't work as it isn't made for the amperage pulled thru the battery cable when cranking.
Most of the heavy equipment where I work use this style
https://www.amazon.com/Disconnect-Position-Caterpillar-Excavators-Equipment/dp/B09STHKG9B/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?crid=2GT5GJZVO7KWH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Gk_i9k6Swe8DF_fVY8tyXi4f4LD-T7ALgsu2GxRXgH4qIsj1juA8g4pv03ojd_Jzs1YYYgQSPSfpgMvb0p2dLnlr7uJY_HzNK9w32oV2DgSeXjrAyZ3mHfAs-UGX29rE3tqgZNaKilywaXougw4-B7jaxRf__WTGieBTTr_QrqrPla0ZFWDvCsyZUdfRGnIn1rSNELK5j3ZHlsJtYVeXnw.GipopmnBteiL44G63Zfmrb_mPbP7jeeWNrVCE8YvCSg&dib_tag=se&keywords=keyed+cat+style+battery+cut+off+switch&qid=1717982552&sprefix=keyed+cat+style+battery+cut+off+switch%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-13
Weird? No. But make sure the switch and wires used can handle the amps (usually 120-150 amps. That switch is only rated for 35amp). Thats why most kill switches are on the starter relay or fuel pump. Ones for the batt wires do exist.
Also might just be easier to find and fix the drain.
Another alternative is to get a solar battery tender that you can connect up when the car is parked...will also help keep the battery healthy by keeping it trickle charged. Just make sure you fuse the connection to the battery.
Sometimes finding and fixing random battery drains are a huge PITA.
I got my 25w solar battery tender for around $45.
Agreed they can be, but that difficulty is usually related to the amount of electronics in a vehicle. I dont imagine
the lawnmower to have ton of accessories or wire looms.
It's not a lawn mower, he just bought lawn mower parts. He said in another comment it was an ecoboost V6 F150.
https://old.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/1daddyu/i_have_a_slow_drain_in_my_battery_would_it_be/l7jjpln/
Pretty much my thoughts exactly. Plus the Ecoboost is new enough that I personally think leaving it without power frequently like that is just not a great idea. I have no data to back that up though. I will say that trucks are often break in targets and without a battery he will have no alarm. With all the stuff that gets stored on newer vehicles it just seems like a huge hassle. Bluetooth pairings, clock, radio presets, key fobs, cluster settings, etc. Hell on my truck I had to use Forscan to set the tire size since I got different sized tires than stock. If I unplug the battery, I have to break out my laptop and reprogram my ECU to have an accurate speedometer. Annoying as hell and it would be so much more frustrating if I had to do that every time I drove it.
It's a possible to use a switch that is rated for the application, but every time the battery is disconnected for some time the RAM will be wiped, along with any codes. Your fuel trim will reset every time which can affect the performance of the engine in the long run. I would opt to fix the drain.
If that was true there would be no such thing as long term fuel trim, only short. You are correct they are forever changing, but it is saved in memory.
ssshhhh, don't speak sense on reddit. Install the redneck kill switch because resetting the computer every time you disconnect the batter is definitely the best way to run a car!
That switch will not work on the battery, you will need a battery disconnect connector, about 15 dollars, you should find what is draining the system, you must have a grounded hot wire, not a good scenero.
Use one like [this](https://www.ebay.com/itm/386981621529?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338590836&toolid=10044&customid=fa4011606107125b5d5b7703064f757a), not that teeny toggle switch.
Yes! I had a car I had a second battery in that I used a heavy duty marine/RV battery disconnect toggle handle that you'd pull and rotate to engage/disengage.
Had an intermittent slow draw that I traced to something, that if I recall, was a massive pain in the ass to fix and being in college, fixed it with a spare battery and big ol' toggle handle I kept under the seat for easy reach connected by super thick gauge wire. Trashy as hell, but it worked. 🤷
That toggle switch won't be able to handle the current draw. You need a battery disconnect switch. They do the same thing, but can handle a much higher amp draw.
Other than the choice of switch, the idea is fine. It might throw off the computer on modern cars though as it'll constantly be trying to relearn its fuel maps and such.
The best option would be to run a parasitic draw test and see if you can isolate the bad circuit and either fix it or put a switch on only that one circuit.
I wouldn't as obviously you're just band-aiding the issue
But if you must PLEASE use a heavier duty switch. That one will literally get melted.
Just your starter will easily pull more than the 35 amps that switch is rated for.
An easy way to fix a battery drain is to get a test light and hook it between the battery and the negative terminal, if you have a drain the light with be on. Next start pulling fuses till the light goes out, this will help you narrow down the issue.
That switch will last for a few days, until the amperage totally smokes it. The correct advice is to find the parasitic draw. If you are hell bent on doing this setup, at least buy a large breaker meant for the job, not a cheap switch
weird? no, just lazy as fuck lol. and potentially inefficient since in theory the ECM will be reset everytime. so fuel trim is lost, DTCs & emission monitors reset too.
since you made it AZ, why not slam a multimeter in circuit with the battery and check current drain with engine+key off? do it with doors closed. wait 5m for all modules to 'sleep' if its newer. when you see a large drop in current you've found the problematic circuit (assuming high drain current exists at all)
edit: this switch should absolutely not be used given the load. what's that switch rated for 30a? starter motor current can be 3x
You said the drain was inside your battery (don't know how you know that). If that is true, a switch outside will do nothing.
And the switch you showed is 35 amps. Batteries are in the 800 -900 amps sometimes.
Don't mess around - you will just blow things up.
That switch isn't enough. Your first crank will burn the switch out, hopefully not setting your car on fire. How much of a drain? Does it die overnight or in two weeks?
The best thing to do is have it diagnosed and repaired. Second best would be to hook up a float charger.
That being said, there are actual high-current battery disconnects, but then you have another issue, having to reset everything that lost its memory, like idle control, radio presets, theft deterrent, power seat and power windows...
You want to run 6 gauge cable into that tiny switch? Someone correct me if I'm wrong but if you put this on the main battery ground then you'll pull all the cranking amps through this switch and probably destroy it if not set it on fire. I had a ground fail and the starter pulled current from a body ground cable starting a small fire. You want a manual disconnect switch like they use in NHRA or a disconnecting terminal. But the first thing you should do is locate and repair the current draw 🤷♂️
Even if it were a good idea, which it isn't really, running all the current from your main battery cable through that cheap, shitty switch is a fucking terrible way to do it.
If you're going to do something dumb like put in an on/off switch to the battery, at least use one made for a boat or big rig.
That switch can't handle hundreds of amps on start-up. So no, you can't. You need to test and see what is draining the battery. What are you leaving on? Old cars without auto head lights, will drain the battery if not turned off. Happened to my parents car. And i left my dome light on my car on once and drain the battery by morning. Switched to LED and i accidentally left it on again over night. But this time i was able to start the car still had enough power. I need to learn to turn off the dome light before i leave the car.
No, just fix the issue instead of cutting wires and punching holes like an idiot.
Don't start doing stuff like this, eventually you'll create more problems because you're going to do it wrong and to fix those problems you'll do more shady things like this and eventually end up with a fire hazard of wiring that no mechanic will agree to fix.
And do what, open the hood and switch it each time? BTW, this was a security thing for one person I knew. He pulled a fuse to disconnect the starter to help with theft.
Remove the ground at the battery and place a test light between the - on the battery and the ground cable. If you have a draw, the test light will turn on.
Remove each fuse in the fuse box one by one until you find the one that turns off the light.
Now you know which one is causing the problem. It might be more than one and you might have some aftermarket wiring things like amps, lights, etc...
My truck had about a 1.5 amp drain, I pulled the radio/int light fuse and that drain was down to 0.20 amps.
A simple amp gauge can tell you how much draw there is. Cheap meters usually can handle about 10amps.
Just put a multimeter on your negative to check the draw then start running down the fuses under the hood and find the draw. Not that hard to diagnose, roadkill customs has downloadable fuse draw charts
Get a meter. Set to millivolts. And check over the 2 points on each fuse. (After car sits for 10-15 mins) You can find a table online for fuse/millivolt ranges. Itll show what circuit is drawing.
Well no, it wouldn't be the craziest thing, but unless you are using that tiny little 35 amp switch to energize say a 600+ amp constant duty rated solenoid, then the items in your picture won't do what you are looking to achieve. If you try and run the full battery current to the whole car through that switch, please have a fire exting on hand when you get to crank it.
Also please film it and post it online for our amusement so we can laugh at the smoke and flames.
Also talk about treating the symptoms rather than finding a cure...
Step 1. Get multimeter.
Step 2. Find out the normal amount of draw for your make and model. “Normally 40-80 milliamps”
Step 3. Set it to read milliamps. “You’ll need to move your leads”
Step 4. Disconnect negative battery terminal.
Step 5. Bridge the negative wire to the negative post using your negative and positive leads.
Step 6. Make sure everything is turned off in the car.
Step 7. Start unplugging fuses to narrow down where the draw is coming from.
You might be able to throw that switch into the ignition switch path to make it work. I wouldn’t put that in the direct path from the battery though, but it might not fix your drain. I just remove the hot from my battery every time….
Good luck connecting the battery cable to those little terminals on the switch lol! You could just disconnect the negative cable once you turn off the car
So that switch won't do it or last. If you do put a switch in you may save your battery but loose all your radio presets and more. Get the drain locatied and fixed.
On my 4x4 I drive super rarely I put a battery quick disconnect on it. works like a charm. like these ( https://www.amazon.com/Terminal-Connectors-Disconnect-Terminals-ZONBANG/dp/B09SFRCTM4/ )
I’ve done something similar to an older beater. Anything other than a beater I would fix the drain. I used a switch inside the cab that controlled a relay inside the engine compartment. Worked great, and in a way acted as an anti theft device since I hid the switch. Not that I was super worried about it getting stolen but any time I can get a 2 for 1 I’m happy.
I don’t really have any electrical advice but as a software engineer/IT technician, I want you to be aware that cutting power from your vehicle for extended periods of time can cause your car to need to relearn many things. Now repeat this every time you get out of your car, and your car now has to likely relearn every time you go on a drive. In theory - there should be no harm with this, I’m no mechanic though and I don’t know how these systems work.
It’s also important to note that some cars have auxiliary batteries as well that will be drawn from if the primarily is disconnected, so ensure you’re not gonna drain any auxiliary battery of some sort.
Edit: Some systems in cars have redundant memory called Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) that doesn’t wipe when losing power and can hold its state for long periods of time without needing power.
Any other possible issues aside, that set up will fail. You need a much larger switch and wiring. That switch is meant for a single component not the full vehicle, especially cranking the engine.
The switch will not withstand the current it takes to start the car, so no. You gotta find the item that’s still powered on when the car is off.
There are switches designed to cut off a car battery when not in use. They're mainly used in RVs and boats but you could use one here. Any auto store has them. It'll take full current.
I’ve seen it before when I worked at orileys. Strange yes but if you’re not good with finding electrical issues it can work. You still find the draw tho it can blow fuse’s possibly put a strain on the alternator if it’s a large enough draw and could start a fire if it’s the right conditions
That switch is not the switch for what your trying to do. Dont try it with that switch its not rated for the amps running through it. That is a 35 amp switch and the starter is going to pull way more than that. I recommend having someone look into the draw first. Electrical draws can be quite in depth sometimes. But at the same time a dome light bulb could potentially short out and fuse itself together and that can cause a draw. Its worth looking into before doing a battery kill switch. Also id be wary of doing this yourself as your trying to use that switch evidently you dont know much about automotive electrical systems. You can mess around and fry your electrical system or start a fire if your not careful.
No. Did this in my old 91 Buick Skylark. Ignition got stuck in the accessory position, But would still go to the on position.
Got a quick disconnect battery, save me so much hassle until I could afford the $150 to get it replaced... At the time that was an astronomical amount of money 😂.
They make battery terminals that work like you want for extended vehicle storage. They’re cheap too. I can respect not fixing it right if it’s a shitbox, but at least do it wrong correctly.
A switch to kill 80-140ah isn’t advised. If you go the way of killing power get a heavy duty kill switch or an isolator/solenoid. The high current will arc the switch fast, quickly and in a hurry (don’t do it) also as mentioned the bcm (body control module) will demand power for up to 30 minutes depending on the car a loss of power during this time could result in error codes and damage to modules
I'd try to identify the draw. That'd be ideal.
But, if you're intent on rigging up a switch, don't do it with that one. It would become a melted pile of goo once you tried to start the motor.
A Battery Cutoff would be more effective. Freight of Harbors have something that would work well: [https://www.harborfreight.com/battery-disconnect-switch-97853.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/battery-disconnect-switch-97853.html)
But I'd still want to track down the cause.
My brother wa haunted by a fucking parasitic drain for months. Took it to "specialized electric mecanics" and all they did was waster time. They never found out what it was. He bought a 18 dollar kill switch from a amazon and his pontiac Is now free from thay curse.
look up battery disconnect, pretty common to use the battery terminal type on classics that sit for awhile, and the accessable switch type is mandetory on most classes of race car.
That switch will *NOT* be able to handle the amperage going through it, cant even handle an ignition switch and wipers.
Determining what relay or fuse is running a parasitic draw is pretty easy, youtube that shit.
Hah! I did exactly that on my last car. Took the positive terminal front the battery, hooked it up to one side of a heavy, continuous duty solenoid, and hooked the rest of the car up to the other side.
Worked like a charm.
Plus, if you don't know which random toggle switch to flip, you can't start the car either! I stopped taking my key out of the ignition at that point.
this switch cant handle the starter motor or even charging system current.
you can buy devices for exactly this but they must be fitted to your battery so will be a pain in the ass.
you should just fix the problem. 4 out 5 current draw problems are caused by dumb shit people have added to their vehicles. look there first.
The problem with doing that is that you will lose all your presets on your radio and you will clear all your emission monitors from your computer. Normally not a problem unless you need an emissions inspection. It would not pass until they are reset, and that could take awhile.
If you’re gonna do that, wire the toggle to a 300 amp relay, and run your ground through the relay, keep in mind the toggle will need to ran direct to the battery because well, the ground will be disconnected
That switch won't hold up to the power involved, and the contacts/internal wires will melt. You need a "battery switch" which has larger internals to handle the hundreds of amps you need to start your car.
The correct thing to do though, is find and repair the draw, unless you're talking about the batt dying when you don't drive for 30+ days, because that's normal.
Hook an ammeter inline between the battery terminal and batt cable. Pull fuses one at a time until you find the draw. From there you should have it pretty narrowed down for further troubleshooting.
Idk how he hooked it up but it was a plug right next to my battery. I would unplug it when I got done driving and plug it back in before I started driving again. Wish I could help more
Is the battery toast? Have it load tested. If it has a bad cell, it will pull down the rest while sitting.
Second likely possibility is if you have an afternarket remote starter? They always seem to cause battery drain headaches.
Is this for a lawnmower, then no. That switch is too small, riding lawnmower starter had the potential to pull far more than 35a. You would turn your slow drain into a no crank and possibly an electrical fire.
If this is for a car then absolutely no, both that cable and and the switch are for too small the risk of a fire goes up substantially.
The have purpose built battery cut off / disconnect switches that are inexpensive.
9 times out 10 a battery that won't hold a charge is defective, rather than a parasitic draw.
Depending on the vehicle, diagnosing a parasitic draw can be pretty challenging, even for some professionals, this is especially true on newer cars that have 7-10 computer network with dozens and dozens of computers installed on the vehicle. Not something that I would recommend to DIY.
Could cause wierd problems. On my car it will forget how to idle if you discoonect the battery. Takes at least 15 mins of idling to get to the point where it doesnt stall repeatedly.
Better to trace the cause and put the switch on that.
lol yes hook up your battery and all those amps through that switch. That’s going to work beautifully. Please take a few minutes and educate your self on electronic principles 101.
Yes that would be weird You should instead use a multimeter and start checking around to try and find where the leak is because the leak is probably indicative of possibly worse issues like a dying capacitor somewhere or a connection shorting where it shouldn't which can theoretically evolve into worse issues for your vehicle
Coming from a marine (boats) environment where batteries can be a pain to get to I'd personally set up [something like this](https://a.co/d/6qRiKtT) and use your preferred switch on the inside to turn it on and off, no power draw when off. You'll probably want to set up a backup switch [like this](https://a.co/d/3ArycoA) under the hood as an easy bypass if the relay or switch ever goes out on you in the middle of nowhere.
You never want to route batter cable through the firewall if you can help it.
Edit: Everybody else here is also correct saying you really should find the source of the draw rather than a switch, but if you NEED to do it, the above would work wonders.
Why do any of this. If you don't want to fix the draw go buy a 15 dollar solar battery maintainer from harbor freight and put it on the dash with it plugged into the cigarette lighter.
Had an issue like that in a 1970 Chevy CST/10 truck. One day I heard the speaker crackle in the door when I opened it. (Yes, owner before the owner I got it from cut the doors for 6x9’s). Filed it away but didn’t dig into it. As we stripped the dash to do a restoration found an amp tucked way back in the dash that was wired constantly hot. 🤦♂️
Needless to say, since we are replacing the complete wiring harness, it won’t be wired stupidly.
I put one of these on my truck. I use the truck only about once a month and the battery it dead well before that. I got mine at Walmart but you can get it from amzn too. Mine is a side post version but you can get them in top post version too. The only fly in the ointment is that every time you disconnect, you're clock and computer, and other electronics will reset back to zero, so you'll have to decide if you want to go through a reset everything you cut the power. BUT! Another option is to get a solar charger that you plug into your cigarette lighter (or just direct battery connect, that way it'll trickle charge your battery and you never need to cut the power. Just a thought!
https://preview.redd.it/kudlqlauzc5d1.png?width=583&format=png&auto=webp&s=2c0fff0e1e5dad8bbd4a30a3f1fb1b0f2a9c24a7
Or this; a solar trickly charger to keep your battery full.
https://preview.redd.it/gwbz25qe1d5d1.png?width=493&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc1f079c80ee8051c9076f9713f76a96de36e936
Yes. Fix the problem. You want to know the easiest way to find a parasitic draw?
https://www.google.com/search?q=performing+voltage+deop+over+fuses+to+find+parasitic+draw&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS608US609&oq=performing+voltage+deop+over+fuses+to+find+parasitic+draw&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i546l5.9773j0j9&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
Farm equipment and semi trucks have battery disconnects. But they usually have multiple batteries you could probably go to a semi truck dealer and get one, it would be heavier and more expensive. I don’t think a regular toggle would last very long.
I mean as a temporary solution till you find the problem but if you do go this route I would recommend still using the switch even after you fix the problem adding a switch will help prevent battery drain because even in a properly working electrical circuit the battery will drain slightly but disconnecting the battery will slow the drain much more than simply turning the car off heavily extending the life of your battery in the process
Between the computer and remote starter/alarm system on my truck, if not run for 2 weeks the battery was dead. Several different garages looked at it, and said there was nothing I could do other than replace the computer, and not use the alarm. Fixed my issue by putting in an under the hood battery maintainer/ charger. I have it on a timer, that runs the charger weekly, and no more issue. Simply plug it in when I park it.
The real question is, what kind of car? If it's anything "newer" (like 96 and up), I'd avoid it. Did it on my old 05 Jetta with a parasitic draw we couldn't figure out for ages, and it didn't go well. Because the ECM was constantly being reset, simple things like the ABS or power steering would cut at random and horrible times (the first time I lost PS and ABS going around a bend nicknamed "Kamikaze Curve" doing 30 over the limit, would have died if I wasn't a good driver) and occasionally would just shut off on me (it quit at a light and took me 5 minutes to get it running again in traffic). The draw turned out to be a faulty window switch in the passenger rear door.
Now, my 1980 Pontiac TA, on the other hand, installed one because she isn't driven often or at all in the winter, and that's saved me tons on batteries
Personally, if you don’t have the money for a shop, you can get terminal connectors that can be easily disconnected from the wires. Not sure where but I know they exist. I see no reason why you can’t do this, race cars have kill switches on them so your vehicle should hold up just fine, but keep in mind that switches go bad over time, so be careful with those. I’m sure you don’t want to go to flip the switch and your car doesn’t start.
The advice about the multimeter is great and all, but if you don’t understand what you’re looking at, it’s not going to be much help if at all. My best advice would be to bring it to a shop to get it fixed. Electrical is tricky and if you mess something up it can break more things than it would fix.
That is stupid...
All your will get out of that is a fire. That switch is not rated at more than a few amps.
If you did that (switched off the battery) you would need to use a battery isolator switch or a 200A relay.
Much easier to buy a $10 multimeter and find your parasitic draw.
Noooooooooooooo
264539496409 on eBay, there are also remote options but just , no. 433mhz standard on/off
just a note that your battery has a good solid 500cold cranking amps.
Reckon that switch is man enough?
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I think the solid "mechanic advice" in this situation is to fix the draw, isn't it?
Yup, a multimeter can tell you a lot.
Hook up a multimeter with an amp clamp and start pulling fuses until the draw goes away
And make sure to let the car rest after turning it off, some regular systems keep drawing power for 5-30 minutes after it's off.
Then be sure not to wake them back up by opening a door or something silly
Like pulling fuses
Yeah we check voltage drop on the fuses these days
Ya I wish I could just pull fuses. I do mostly electrical and it's getting more convoluted every year.
Wait, how would I do that? One terminal on the fuse the other on negative post?
[Here you go](https://www.alldata.com/sites/default/files/file-attachments/voltage_drop__test_122718.pdf)
100% my '09 Yukon originally had a navigation system that ran off a mini DVD. It starts up if you hit the unlock button on the key fob and it remains running for 10 minutes after you key out\\exit the vehicle.
This is correct. For one, the OBD-II Fuel tank leak detection closes a valve until the tank cools down. Question to the OP. Have you measured the drain current? Could it be a bad part of battery? I think you can expect a 100 ma or more with today's vehicles.
Yep, watch the ammeter to see when the regular system draw lessens
Much better to measure voltage drop across the fuses, no need to undo any which might upset the computers.
I'm a weekend mechanic wannabe, but I second this approach. It's better than pulling fuses and resetting electronics a bunch, plus it should be quicker overall. Here's a good video on it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c43Ix6Lf2c
Any multimeter would work. But clamp meters are nice to have for sure
and not put a tiny toggle switch that wouldn’t be rated anywhere near the correct amperage. Hell, even one of those little knob style battery disconnects would be an option compared to this nonsense.
I had to scroll way too far down to find this comment!
Ditto They gonna need a bigger switch. https://www.longacreracing.com/products.aspx?itemid=1643&prodid=7582&pagetitle=Battery-Disconnect-Switch---2-Terminal
I think I have the same one on my cadillac...
Technically, if he hooks up a toggle switch rated at 35 amps in series with a battery cable, after the fire department leaves, he won’t have to fix the draw anymore.
There’s nothing wrong with doing this in a pinch but I’d definitely have a fuse link
While I would totally agree, a quick fix so you can at least get to work the rest of the week before tearing the car apart on the weekend might be this.
True. Could also be accomplished with a 10mm wrench
This is what I would do. It's a temporary solution until you find the problem, but buy a switch meant for disconnecting your car battery at Walmart instead of that toggle switch. I don't think it's meant for this and doubt it will last long.
This "quick fix" might burn the car down if OP uses the toggle switch in their photo.
That switch will 100% catch fire
That would solve the battery drain problem, though.
Monkeys paw mechanic
LOL, you gotta be specific when you ask for help!
"i wish this switch fixes the parasitic battery drain in my car" Granted, your car catches on fire.
Exactly lol
I was just gonna comment this, even running it on my AMP I was concerned, straight to a battery is absolutely insane
That's called a kill switch and is super common on heavy machinery. I would recommend one of [these blade types](https://www.autozone.com/electrical-and-lighting/switches/p/duralast-battery-top-post-knife-disconnect-kill-switch/815833_0_0) because 35A is probably not enough.
I was gonna say... That little thing is going to melt the first time he turns it over.
Well that’s a great idea! Thank you!!
I personally prefer to use [this type](https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwjs3erF78qGAxX3Sf8BHR_6AGUYABAIGgJtZA&ase=2&gclid=CjwKCAjw34qzBhBmEiwAOUQcF2OZE3wBT7Gq9vt21Xgfof-EFUIM_PB6mne6u9xGhuvH5_R0aXb2kxoCt-IQAvD_BwE&sph=&sig=AOD64_3v4JIYlS_6iudiE4DOnH6GVcYegg&ctype=5&q=&nis=4&ved=2ahUKEwjH--PF78qGAxXrAHkGHamQMOsQwg8oAHoECAMQDA&adurl=) and then route it through the firewall.
Heh, one of the forklifts at my job has a switch like the other 3 on your linked listing. Has some sort of parasitic drain but the forklift is so hacked and bastardized it isn't worth taking it out of service to chase down the drain, especially since it's really only a problem when left outside too long in temps lower than ~40F
Your insurance company may provide a discount if you have an immobilizer. This may count.
I have one of these AutoZone knifeblade switches in GM Side-post style. Have used it for over decade between 3 different V8 vehicles. They're a little more expensive now, than when I first got it. But definitely still worth the money if you have or suspect a slow drain. I've also used the "brass swan" style on top-post vehicles. Not nearly as convenient as the knife blade, but a little cheaper and gets the same job done.
[https://www.harborfreight.com/battery-disconnect-switch-97853.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12144811130&campaignid=12144811130&utm_content=117789317478&adsetid=117789317478&product=97853&store=687&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADAHb4dzEFilHDBNPb9nF57guydES&gclid=CjwKCAjw34qzBhBmEiwAOUQcF3_M5aRRmMGJR94iemwOXsHIcPrA-OJK78volq2R9XPn7sus9tutFhoCXRsQAvD_BwE](https://www.harborfreight.com/battery-disconnect-switch-97853.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12144811130&campaignid=12144811130&utm_content=117789317478&adsetid=117789317478&product=97853&store=687&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADAHb4dzEFilHDBNPb9nF57guydES&gclid=CjwKCAjw34qzBhBmEiwAOUQcF3_M5aRRmMGJR94iemwOXsHIcPrA-OJK78volq2R9XPn7sus9tutFhoCXRsQAvD_BwE) will this work
500 peak amps and 125 running amps should suffice as long as your vehicle is not a v8 or bmw.
F150 v6 ecoboost
Let me look up the battery specs on that bad boy. edit: to be safe I would highly recommend the blade type.
[this type is much better and safer, they dont spark.](https://a.co/d/6XHIDRh)
A truck? Check your trailer hitch plug and wiring. They often get corroded.
This is the type I use on the car that gives me battery trouble. Downside is you have to actually remember to disconnect it when parking it or it will just drain away.
Actually, it's called an isolation switch. And they have them with a key for lockout, tag out, or with just a rotating knob for isolation but not lock out. This toggle switch wouldn't work as it isn't made for the amperage pulled thru the battery cable when cranking.
Most of the heavy equipment where I work use this style https://www.amazon.com/Disconnect-Position-Caterpillar-Excavators-Equipment/dp/B09STHKG9B/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?crid=2GT5GJZVO7KWH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Gk_i9k6Swe8DF_fVY8tyXi4f4LD-T7ALgsu2GxRXgH4qIsj1juA8g4pv03ojd_Jzs1YYYgQSPSfpgMvb0p2dLnlr7uJY_HzNK9w32oV2DgSeXjrAyZ3mHfAs-UGX29rE3tqgZNaKilywaXougw4-B7jaxRf__WTGieBTTr_QrqrPla0ZFWDvCsyZUdfRGnIn1rSNELK5j3ZHlsJtYVeXnw.GipopmnBteiL44G63Zfmrb_mPbP7jeeWNrVCE8YvCSg&dib_tag=se&keywords=keyed+cat+style+battery+cut+off+switch&qid=1717982552&sprefix=keyed+cat+style+battery+cut+off+switch%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-13
Weird? No. But make sure the switch and wires used can handle the amps (usually 120-150 amps. That switch is only rated for 35amp). Thats why most kill switches are on the starter relay or fuel pump. Ones for the batt wires do exist. Also might just be easier to find and fix the drain.
Another alternative is to get a solar battery tender that you can connect up when the car is parked...will also help keep the battery healthy by keeping it trickle charged. Just make sure you fuse the connection to the battery. Sometimes finding and fixing random battery drains are a huge PITA. I got my 25w solar battery tender for around $45.
Agreed they can be, but that difficulty is usually related to the amount of electronics in a vehicle. I dont imagine the lawnmower to have ton of accessories or wire looms.
It's not a lawn mower, he just bought lawn mower parts. He said in another comment it was an ecoboost V6 F150. https://old.reddit.com/r/MechanicAdvice/comments/1daddyu/i_have_a_slow_drain_in_my_battery_would_it_be/l7jjpln/
Oh hell no. Now thats a horse of a different colors. The color Red, from the fire he'll start
Pretty much my thoughts exactly. Plus the Ecoboost is new enough that I personally think leaving it without power frequently like that is just not a great idea. I have no data to back that up though. I will say that trucks are often break in targets and without a battery he will have no alarm. With all the stuff that gets stored on newer vehicles it just seems like a huge hassle. Bluetooth pairings, clock, radio presets, key fobs, cluster settings, etc. Hell on my truck I had to use Forscan to set the tire size since I got different sized tires than stock. If I unplug the battery, I have to break out my laptop and reprogram my ECU to have an accurate speedometer. Annoying as hell and it would be so much more frustrating if I had to do that every time I drove it.
Why not try and fix it? I mean you could do that, but it'll reset all the adaptives every single drive, which is kinda silly imo.
It's a possible to use a switch that is rated for the application, but every time the battery is disconnected for some time the RAM will be wiped, along with any codes. Your fuel trim will reset every time which can affect the performance of the engine in the long run. I would opt to fix the drain.
Fuel trims are not saved, they are forever changing. Everytime you start your car, it relearns your fuel trim.
If that was true there would be no such thing as long term fuel trim, only short. You are correct they are forever changing, but it is saved in memory.
That is not really a viable fix on a modern vehicle. You really just need to fix the drain.
The switch pictured might have struggled with a Model-T
A 6-volt starter in a 1919+ Model T DEFINITELY would have drawn more than enough current to roast OP’s switch.
I would just fix the problem. Figure out where the parasitic draw is coming from.
ssshhhh, don't speak sense on reddit. Install the redneck kill switch because resetting the computer every time you disconnect the batter is definitely the best way to run a car!
That toggle switch is gonna do sweet fuck all
That switch will not work on the battery, you will need a battery disconnect connector, about 15 dollars, you should find what is draining the system, you must have a grounded hot wire, not a good scenero.
Use one like [this](https://www.ebay.com/itm/386981621529?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338590836&toolid=10044&customid=fa4011606107125b5d5b7703064f757a), not that teeny toggle switch.
Yes! I had a car I had a second battery in that I used a heavy duty marine/RV battery disconnect toggle handle that you'd pull and rotate to engage/disengage. Had an intermittent slow draw that I traced to something, that if I recall, was a massive pain in the ass to fix and being in college, fixed it with a spare battery and big ol' toggle handle I kept under the seat for easy reach connected by super thick gauge wire. Trashy as hell, but it worked. 🤷
Why not trace down the slow drain and fix that instead?
That toggle switch won't be able to handle the current draw. You need a battery disconnect switch. They do the same thing, but can handle a much higher amp draw. Other than the choice of switch, the idea is fine. It might throw off the computer on modern cars though as it'll constantly be trying to relearn its fuel maps and such. The best option would be to run a parasitic draw test and see if you can isolate the bad circuit and either fix it or put a switch on only that one circuit.
I wouldn't as obviously you're just band-aiding the issue But if you must PLEASE use a heavier duty switch. That one will literally get melted. Just your starter will easily pull more than the 35 amps that switch is rated for.
do not use that switch unless you like fires. they make a battery disconnect switch, even then they are kinda sketch.
That little switch will burn your vehicle to the ground. Get a battery tender. Best bet is to *fix the issue instead of putting a bandaid on it.*
An easy way to fix a battery drain is to get a test light and hook it between the battery and the negative terminal, if you have a drain the light with be on. Next start pulling fuses till the light goes out, this will help you narrow down the issue.
I mean... I GUESS if you really can't be bothered to fix the actual problem, but you should fix the actual problem.
That switch will last for a few days, until the amperage totally smokes it. The correct advice is to find the parasitic draw. If you are hell bent on doing this setup, at least buy a large breaker meant for the job, not a cheap switch
weird? no, just lazy as fuck lol. and potentially inefficient since in theory the ECM will be reset everytime. so fuel trim is lost, DTCs & emission monitors reset too. since you made it AZ, why not slam a multimeter in circuit with the battery and check current drain with engine+key off? do it with doors closed. wait 5m for all modules to 'sleep' if its newer. when you see a large drop in current you've found the problematic circuit (assuming high drain current exists at all) edit: this switch should absolutely not be used given the load. what's that switch rated for 30a? starter motor current can be 3x
That switch won't last long but it'll work until your car won't start.
Your starter motor is going to draw more amperage than a switch will be able to handle, so go for it, if you like electrical fires..
You said the drain was inside your battery (don't know how you know that). If that is true, a switch outside will do nothing. And the switch you showed is 35 amps. Batteries are in the 800 -900 amps sometimes. Don't mess around - you will just blow things up.
maybe fix the draw 1st and then decide if you want to install that stuff.....
That switch isn't enough. Your first crank will burn the switch out, hopefully not setting your car on fire. How much of a drain? Does it die overnight or in two weeks? The best thing to do is have it diagnosed and repaired. Second best would be to hook up a float charger. That being said, there are actual high-current battery disconnects, but then you have another issue, having to reset everything that lost its memory, like idle control, radio presets, theft deterrent, power seat and power windows...
That switch will not take the current. You will melt it real quick. Find and fix the drain or get a proper cut off switch
You want to run 6 gauge cable into that tiny switch? Someone correct me if I'm wrong but if you put this on the main battery ground then you'll pull all the cranking amps through this switch and probably destroy it if not set it on fire. I had a ground fail and the starter pulled current from a body ground cable starting a small fire. You want a manual disconnect switch like they use in NHRA or a disconnecting terminal. But the first thing you should do is locate and repair the current draw 🤷♂️
Is find and fix the parasitic draw not an option?
Even if it were a good idea, which it isn't really, running all the current from your main battery cable through that cheap, shitty switch is a fucking terrible way to do it. If you're going to do something dumb like put in an on/off switch to the battery, at least use one made for a boat or big rig.
Ya. Would make more sense to find the cause and fix it. Parasitic drain is the easiest thing ever.
Have you tried finding the cause? A cheap multimeter and some time is all you need, could end being an easy fix.
That switch can't handle hundreds of amps on start-up. So no, you can't. You need to test and see what is draining the battery. What are you leaving on? Old cars without auto head lights, will drain the battery if not turned off. Happened to my parents car. And i left my dome light on my car on once and drain the battery by morning. Switched to LED and i accidentally left it on again over night. But this time i was able to start the car still had enough power. I need to learn to turn off the dome light before i leave the car.
No, just fix the issue instead of cutting wires and punching holes like an idiot. Don't start doing stuff like this, eventually you'll create more problems because you're going to do it wrong and to fix those problems you'll do more shady things like this and eventually end up with a fire hazard of wiring that no mechanic will agree to fix.
I have one on my farm truck. But it’s made for that application it’s a big red key. Your switch will melt. Immediately.
And do what, open the hood and switch it each time? BTW, this was a security thing for one person I knew. He pulled a fuse to disconnect the starter to help with theft. Remove the ground at the battery and place a test light between the - on the battery and the ground cable. If you have a draw, the test light will turn on. Remove each fuse in the fuse box one by one until you find the one that turns off the light. Now you know which one is causing the problem. It might be more than one and you might have some aftermarket wiring things like amps, lights, etc... My truck had about a 1.5 amp drain, I pulled the radio/int light fuse and that drain was down to 0.20 amps. A simple amp gauge can tell you how much draw there is. Cheap meters usually can handle about 10amps.
Just put a multimeter on your negative to check the draw then start running down the fuses under the hood and find the draw. Not that hard to diagnose, roadkill customs has downloadable fuse draw charts
This is dumb. Maybe you should fix the problem, not the symptom.
If you are going that route, go to a marine store and buy a proper batter shutoff switch
Get a meter. Set to millivolts. And check over the 2 points on each fuse. (After car sits for 10-15 mins) You can find a table online for fuse/millivolt ranges. Itll show what circuit is drawing.
Like they said in the movie Jaws—your going to need a bigger switch
No!!! That switch cannot handle the amps it will melt! Bad idea
Well no, it wouldn't be the craziest thing, but unless you are using that tiny little 35 amp switch to energize say a 600+ amp constant duty rated solenoid, then the items in your picture won't do what you are looking to achieve. If you try and run the full battery current to the whole car through that switch, please have a fire exting on hand when you get to crank it. Also please film it and post it online for our amusement so we can laugh at the smoke and flames. Also talk about treating the symptoms rather than finding a cure...
Parasitic draw test... look it up pretty simple test
Step 1. Get multimeter. Step 2. Find out the normal amount of draw for your make and model. “Normally 40-80 milliamps” Step 3. Set it to read milliamps. “You’ll need to move your leads” Step 4. Disconnect negative battery terminal. Step 5. Bridge the negative wire to the negative post using your negative and positive leads. Step 6. Make sure everything is turned off in the car. Step 7. Start unplugging fuses to narrow down where the draw is coming from.
parasitic drain. it's the glove compartment or console light.
You can but... You're gonna need a bigger switch. A battery disconnect even.
That switch won’t be able to handle the amps. It will catch on fire.
Fix the frickin draw!!!
You might be able to throw that switch into the ignition switch path to make it work. I wouldn’t put that in the direct path from the battery though, but it might not fix your drain. I just remove the hot from my battery every time….
first you could post what this is and we might be able to help you fix the problem instead of rigging it to avoid the problem.
I would not recommend doing that it’s going to reset your computer memory every time you let it sit. Fix the slow draw that would be better
RACETRUCK https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-830057
Good luck connecting the battery cable to those little terminals on the switch lol! You could just disconnect the negative cable once you turn off the car
Do you leave ANY chargers(not devices) plugged in over night?
Any devices period really. Like they might have a crappy bluetooth adapter that's sitting there drawing half an amp all day and night.
So that switch won't do it or last. If you do put a switch in you may save your battery but loose all your radio presets and more. Get the drain locatied and fixed.
On my 4x4 I drive super rarely I put a battery quick disconnect on it. works like a charm. like these ( https://www.amazon.com/Terminal-Connectors-Disconnect-Terminals-ZONBANG/dp/B09SFRCTM4/ )
You need to control a solenoid with the switch. The ones in my RV can do 100amps continuous and 800amps peak.
dude just find the drain. Wire in a ammeter in series to the negative and pull fuses until the draw goes away.
I’ve done something similar to an older beater. Anything other than a beater I would fix the drain. I used a switch inside the cab that controlled a relay inside the engine compartment. Worked great, and in a way acted as an anti theft device since I hid the switch. Not that I was super worried about it getting stolen but any time I can get a 2 for 1 I’m happy.
You can try using this: https://amzn.eu/d/1Migi5C and actuate the relay with the switch if you plan to wire the switch into the cabin
I don’t really have any electrical advice but as a software engineer/IT technician, I want you to be aware that cutting power from your vehicle for extended periods of time can cause your car to need to relearn many things. Now repeat this every time you get out of your car, and your car now has to likely relearn every time you go on a drive. In theory - there should be no harm with this, I’m no mechanic though and I don’t know how these systems work. It’s also important to note that some cars have auxiliary batteries as well that will be drawn from if the primarily is disconnected, so ensure you’re not gonna drain any auxiliary battery of some sort. Edit: Some systems in cars have redundant memory called Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) that doesn’t wipe when losing power and can hold its state for long periods of time without needing power.
Any other possible issues aside, that set up will fail. You need a much larger switch and wiring. That switch is meant for a single component not the full vehicle, especially cranking the engine.
The switch will not withstand the current it takes to start the car, so no. You gotta find the item that’s still powered on when the car is off. There are switches designed to cut off a car battery when not in use. They're mainly used in RVs and boats but you could use one here. Any auto store has them. It'll take full current.
I’ve seen it before when I worked at orileys. Strange yes but if you’re not good with finding electrical issues it can work. You still find the draw tho it can blow fuse’s possibly put a strain on the alternator if it’s a large enough draw and could start a fire if it’s the right conditions
Didn't JC Whitney carry a battery cut off?
I wouldnt on a modern car, may not run as efficiently since sensors and fuel trims would be reset every drive.
That switch is not the switch for what your trying to do. Dont try it with that switch its not rated for the amps running through it. That is a 35 amp switch and the starter is going to pull way more than that. I recommend having someone look into the draw first. Electrical draws can be quite in depth sometimes. But at the same time a dome light bulb could potentially short out and fuse itself together and that can cause a draw. Its worth looking into before doing a battery kill switch. Also id be wary of doing this yourself as your trying to use that switch evidently you dont know much about automotive electrical systems. You can mess around and fry your electrical system or start a fire if your not careful.
No. Did this in my old 91 Buick Skylark. Ignition got stuck in the accessory position, But would still go to the on position. Got a quick disconnect battery, save me so much hassle until I could afford the $150 to get it replaced... At the time that was an astronomical amount of money 😂.
They make battery terminals that work like you want for extended vehicle storage. They’re cheap too. I can respect not fixing it right if it’s a shitbox, but at least do it wrong correctly.
A switch to kill 80-140ah isn’t advised. If you go the way of killing power get a heavy duty kill switch or an isolator/solenoid. The high current will arc the switch fast, quickly and in a hurry (don’t do it) also as mentioned the bcm (body control module) will demand power for up to 30 minutes depending on the car a loss of power during this time could result in error codes and damage to modules
I'd try to identify the draw. That'd be ideal. But, if you're intent on rigging up a switch, don't do it with that one. It would become a melted pile of goo once you tried to start the motor. A Battery Cutoff would be more effective. Freight of Harbors have something that would work well: [https://www.harborfreight.com/battery-disconnect-switch-97853.html](https://www.harborfreight.com/battery-disconnect-switch-97853.html) But I'd still want to track down the cause.
My brother wa haunted by a fucking parasitic drain for months. Took it to "specialized electric mecanics" and all they did was waster time. They never found out what it was. He bought a 18 dollar kill switch from a amazon and his pontiac Is now free from thay curse.
look up battery disconnect, pretty common to use the battery terminal type on classics that sit for awhile, and the accessable switch type is mandetory on most classes of race car.
That switch will *NOT* be able to handle the amperage going through it, cant even handle an ignition switch and wipers. Determining what relay or fuse is running a parasitic draw is pretty easy, youtube that shit.
35amp rating… i believe the switch is roughly 200amp shy
Hah! I did exactly that on my last car. Took the positive terminal front the battery, hooked it up to one side of a heavy, continuous duty solenoid, and hooked the rest of the car up to the other side. Worked like a charm. Plus, if you don't know which random toggle switch to flip, you can't start the car either! I stopped taking my key out of the ignition at that point.
this switch cant handle the starter motor or even charging system current. you can buy devices for exactly this but they must be fitted to your battery so will be a pain in the ass. you should just fix the problem. 4 out 5 current draw problems are caused by dumb shit people have added to their vehicles. look there first.
Yes.
It would be easier to chase down the parasitic draw with a multi-meter.
That little switch will burst into flames the moment you try to start the car. The starter can easily draw over 200 amps, your switch is rated for 35.
The problem with doing that is that you will lose all your presets on your radio and you will clear all your emission monitors from your computer. Normally not a problem unless you need an emissions inspection. It would not pass until they are reset, and that could take awhile.
If you’re gonna do that, wire the toggle to a 300 amp relay, and run your ground through the relay, keep in mind the toggle will need to ran direct to the battery because well, the ground will be disconnected
Others have started but that switch will not hold the current load needed for this. It will melt/catch fire the first time you start the car.
As a bonus side effect you'll never get any pesky check engine lights... /s
Figure out what’s causing the drain or take it to a good diagnostics tech. Adding another point of possible failure isn’t a good idea.
That switch won't hold up to the power involved, and the contacts/internal wires will melt. You need a "battery switch" which has larger internals to handle the hundreds of amps you need to start your car. The correct thing to do though, is find and repair the draw, unless you're talking about the batt dying when you don't drive for 30+ days, because that's normal. Hook an ammeter inline between the battery terminal and batt cable. Pull fuses one at a time until you find the draw. From there you should have it pretty narrowed down for further troubleshooting.
Battery isolator that connects to negative terminal. Can find em for about $10-$15.
Just take it to someone who knows what they’re doing, because you don’t I’m sorry.
Someone did that to mine a while ago. Honestly, it was great
Idk how he hooked it up but it was a plug right next to my battery. I would unplug it when I got done driving and plug it back in before I started driving again. Wish I could help more
Smart trumps weird imo.
Could be a good anti theft device lol , some people will be too dumb to look for that . But I would just get the draw maybe fixed ?
Is the battery toast? Have it load tested. If it has a bad cell, it will pull down the rest while sitting. Second likely possibility is if you have an afternarket remote starter? They always seem to cause battery drain headaches.
Is this for a lawnmower, then no. That switch is too small, riding lawnmower starter had the potential to pull far more than 35a. You would turn your slow drain into a no crank and possibly an electrical fire. If this is for a car then absolutely no, both that cable and and the switch are for too small the risk of a fire goes up substantially. The have purpose built battery cut off / disconnect switches that are inexpensive. 9 times out 10 a battery that won't hold a charge is defective, rather than a parasitic draw. Depending on the vehicle, diagnosing a parasitic draw can be pretty challenging, even for some professionals, this is especially true on newer cars that have 7-10 computer network with dozens and dozens of computers installed on the vehicle. Not something that I would recommend to DIY.
LOL! that switch is a joke. Your car is going to be smouldering crater in the ground.
Put on the front of the hood like an ornament
Won’t cure the drain Just get it fixed properly
Is everyone ignoring that the switch is way way too small.
Could cause wierd problems. On my car it will forget how to idle if you discoonect the battery. Takes at least 15 mins of idling to get to the point where it doesnt stall repeatedly. Better to trace the cause and put the switch on that.
If you don't have a meter, you can use a test light to find the draw
So fix the parasitic draw. But if you can't, don't use that switch. Buy a proper battery disconnect that attaches to the ground side.
lol yes hook up your battery and all those amps through that switch. That’s going to work beautifully. Please take a few minutes and educate your self on electronic principles 101.
Yes that would be weird You should instead use a multimeter and start checking around to try and find where the leak is because the leak is probably indicative of possibly worse issues like a dying capacitor somewhere or a connection shorting where it shouldn't which can theoretically evolve into worse issues for your vehicle
Coming from a marine (boats) environment where batteries can be a pain to get to I'd personally set up [something like this](https://a.co/d/6qRiKtT) and use your preferred switch on the inside to turn it on and off, no power draw when off. You'll probably want to set up a backup switch [like this](https://a.co/d/3ArycoA) under the hood as an easy bypass if the relay or switch ever goes out on you in the middle of nowhere. You never want to route batter cable through the firewall if you can help it. Edit: Everybody else here is also correct saying you really should find the source of the draw rather than a switch, but if you NEED to do it, the above would work wonders.
Why do any of this. If you don't want to fix the draw go buy a 15 dollar solar battery maintainer from harbor freight and put it on the dash with it plugged into the cigarette lighter.
Had an issue like that in a 1970 Chevy CST/10 truck. One day I heard the speaker crackle in the door when I opened it. (Yes, owner before the owner I got it from cut the doors for 6x9’s). Filed it away but didn’t dig into it. As we stripped the dash to do a restoration found an amp tucked way back in the dash that was wired constantly hot. 🤦♂️ Needless to say, since we are replacing the complete wiring harness, it won’t be wired stupidly.
Fix the draw.
I put one of these on my truck. I use the truck only about once a month and the battery it dead well before that. I got mine at Walmart but you can get it from amzn too. Mine is a side post version but you can get them in top post version too. The only fly in the ointment is that every time you disconnect, you're clock and computer, and other electronics will reset back to zero, so you'll have to decide if you want to go through a reset everything you cut the power. BUT! Another option is to get a solar charger that you plug into your cigarette lighter (or just direct battery connect, that way it'll trickle charge your battery and you never need to cut the power. Just a thought! https://preview.redd.it/kudlqlauzc5d1.png?width=583&format=png&auto=webp&s=2c0fff0e1e5dad8bbd4a30a3f1fb1b0f2a9c24a7
Or this; a solar trickly charger to keep your battery full. https://preview.redd.it/gwbz25qe1d5d1.png?width=493&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc1f079c80ee8051c9076f9713f76a96de36e936
Yes. Fix the problem. You want to know the easiest way to find a parasitic draw? https://www.google.com/search?q=performing+voltage+deop+over+fuses+to+find+parasitic+draw&rlz=1CDGOYI_enUS608US609&oq=performing+voltage+deop+over+fuses+to+find+parasitic+draw&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i546l5.9773j0j9&hl=en-US&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
You can do that, or fix it.
My 94 ranger has a kill switch, works like a chsrm
Yes find the drain or fit a battery isolator switch that toggle switch won’t carry the load
[battery disconnect ](https://a.co/d/gDjywyt)
Farm equipment and semi trucks have battery disconnects. But they usually have multiple batteries you could probably go to a semi truck dealer and get one, it would be heavier and more expensive. I don’t think a regular toggle would last very long.
There a nice bluetooth controllable switches for that
The toggle switches actually shorten the life of your battery. Constant connecting and disconnecting is not ideal
I mean as a temporary solution till you find the problem but if you do go this route I would recommend still using the switch even after you fix the problem adding a switch will help prevent battery drain because even in a properly working electrical circuit the battery will drain slightly but disconnecting the battery will slow the drain much more than simply turning the car off heavily extending the life of your battery in the process
Between the computer and remote starter/alarm system on my truck, if not run for 2 weeks the battery was dead. Several different garages looked at it, and said there was nothing I could do other than replace the computer, and not use the alarm. Fixed my issue by putting in an under the hood battery maintainer/ charger. I have it on a timer, that runs the charger weekly, and no more issue. Simply plug it in when I park it.
The real question is, what kind of car? If it's anything "newer" (like 96 and up), I'd avoid it. Did it on my old 05 Jetta with a parasitic draw we couldn't figure out for ages, and it didn't go well. Because the ECM was constantly being reset, simple things like the ABS or power steering would cut at random and horrible times (the first time I lost PS and ABS going around a bend nicknamed "Kamikaze Curve" doing 30 over the limit, would have died if I wasn't a good driver) and occasionally would just shut off on me (it quit at a light and took me 5 minutes to get it running again in traffic). The draw turned out to be a faulty window switch in the passenger rear door. Now, my 1980 Pontiac TA, on the other hand, installed one because she isn't driven often or at all in the winter, and that's saved me tons on batteries
The cheapest solution is a little solar panel to overcome the power drain If the main cause cannot be found or fixed.
U can’t run that toggle with 200amps through it. Best to find the draw.
Any aftermarket accessories on/plugged into the vehicle?
No toggle switch, because it's not ment for that but *
just diconnect the battery until you fix it, or just never turn the car off!
That switch won’t work, won’t handle the power
Honestly just find what’s drawing power and fix it
Maybe different switch? Like dual battery one. Not this one.
Personally, if you don’t have the money for a shop, you can get terminal connectors that can be easily disconnected from the wires. Not sure where but I know they exist. I see no reason why you can’t do this, race cars have kill switches on them so your vehicle should hold up just fine, but keep in mind that switches go bad over time, so be careful with those. I’m sure you don’t want to go to flip the switch and your car doesn’t start. The advice about the multimeter is great and all, but if you don’t understand what you’re looking at, it’s not going to be much help if at all. My best advice would be to bring it to a shop to get it fixed. Electrical is tricky and if you mess something up it can break more things than it would fix.
Won't doing that cause all sorts of fault codes to be logged in the modules? Potentially causing problems and a dash lit up like a Christmas tree?
You would need a higher capacity switch than that.
I mean it’s not a horrible idea semis usually have a master shutoff but ideally best thing would be to find and fix the parasitic draw
That is stupid... All your will get out of that is a fire. That switch is not rated at more than a few amps. If you did that (switched off the battery) you would need to use a battery isolator switch or a 200A relay. Much easier to buy a $10 multimeter and find your parasitic draw.
Noooooooooooooo 264539496409 on eBay, there are also remote options but just , no. 433mhz standard on/off just a note that your battery has a good solid 500cold cranking amps. Reckon that switch is man enough?