Why does my fog light switch drain my battery?

I have the power supply for the actual PIAA on/off illuminated switch tied into my illuminator wire on my stock fogs. what can i do or change, so that it doesnt drain my battery?

 

It shouldn't drain your battery if you have it hooked up like you say. It should only be lit up when your lights are on. Besides, the light in that little switch would take weeks to drain your battery.

 

so out of my retro hid's, winch, and fogs... what the heck is draining my battery haha!?!?!?

 

That really depends on how you have things wired. Personally, I wire things up so they lose power when the ignition is turned off. I'm not sure how you've got things set up. Did you add all that at once or can you narrow it down to one of those based on when the problem started?

 

just installed the fogs and winch yesterday, it started yesterday haha hard to narrow it down

 

I would think that the lights would be easier to trouble shoot. I would unhook the power to the winch from the battery and see if the problem persists. That will tell you which accessory is the culprit. I have a feeling it is the winch.

 

INTERESTING... because the winch has the "power stopping relay thingy" (forget the actual name)

 

Up to you, but I'd disconnect one of the two to try to narrow it down. The only reason I wouldn't think it's the lights is because if they were staying on, you should see them. The winch, you wouldn't necessarily know if it was sucking power.

 

very true, i will be testing this tonight... if so guess i will be leaving it unplugged until i wheel...

 

If it's got that fancy relay, electricity stopper thingy (not familiar with winch wiring), it shouldn't have to remain unhooked. Maybe that fancy relay is malfunctioning and this could help you figure it out so you can get it warrantied or get another wiring solution in place. Personally, with a winch, I'd put a manual breaker of some sort in line so you know it's off until you need it.

 

yeah its a BRAND NEW WARN m8000s winch out the box installed and bought with my apex front bumper.... it has that fancy thing we cant seem to name supposedly...

 

Josh, you can isolate the source by pulling fuses. Do not overlook a leaking diode in your alternator. With a cold engine, the alternator will be warm. With your new after-market load, you might need to test or upgrade your charging system or replace your battery. For additional information on troubleshooting parasitic load and charging system sizing problems, please see Sections 10 and 5 in the Car and Deep Cycle Battery FAQ on www.batteryfaq.org. Thanks for your CG service to our country.

 

thanks for all the help guys/gals.... yfz450moe found the prob... my barttery was shorting out because of a loose bolt on my negative... wow im an idiot