I have a parasite.

1973 D-Jet.

Battery is Great.
Alternator is Great.
Car runs Awesome.
Daily driver.
If car sits for more than 2 days, battery turns very slow. Or Dead.

Here is what I have found so far.

Battery has 3 Leads to the positive terminal. I preformed my test by disconnecting the positive terminal and using my meter as a bridge. All ACC off and no key in the ignition.

WIRE 1 (Starter) = 0.00 amps

WIRE 2 (the 4 red wires to everything) = 0.32 amps

WIRE 3 (My Ridiculous Stereo) = .131 amps

All 3 WIRES draw .448 amps

So, the largest draw is WIRE 2. This wire consists of 4 red wires that seem to power everything from the D-jetronic all the way to the fuse panel in the front. I did notice during my test that the fuel injectors clicked each time I connected this wire to the battery. is this normal? I took the leads off each injector and then all four. with all 4 disconnected the click was gone but he draw was still there. Then I pulled the white plug on the rear of the relay board and the draw went from 0.32 amps down to 0.05 amps.

I am trying to solve this. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

What is the typical draw of a healthy 914 with keys off?

Why do my injectors click one time when I connect the battery?

What is my next step to tracing my parasite?

I almost forgot, I also pulled every fuse one at a time with no change. I also pulled each relay with no change.

Figure out which wire on the relay board is the drain. You might need to add a relay as a master cut off.

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

I wish I could loan you one of my current probes from work.

They clip on over a wire without breaking into the harness.
Tracing where the current is going would be a piece of cake.

They are similar to the AC current probes like electricians use, but are for DC and can measure down to ~10mA.

Can I make a suggestion? Cut the 4 wires which you call #2 and install a 4 terminal fuse block. 2 of these wires go thru the tunnel unfused. The other 2 go to the relay panel. The AAR is on an unfused circuit as it sits. A member (TOM) used to sell the kit. They are great insurance. Once you install the fuse block you can pull one fuse at a time to determine the culprit. Or you can jump the wires when you cut them with an amp meter.

You need to isolate the drain to one wire. The 4 red wires usually are two to each connector. Remove them and see which pair is causing the drain. Then divide them again and test until you have the one wire that draws the current. The two smaller red wires go to the relay board, the two larger ones go to the fuse panel (1) and the other to the ignition switch ( the other ). All circuits are not fused, so removing the fuses in this instance won't necessarily lead to the problem. Divide and conquer type of trouble shooting is what will work here. I don't remember if the two larger are in one connector, or if one large and one small is attached to each connector. And, yes, you should fuse them as per what 76-914 says. I use to sell kits, but the thought of litigation scared me. There is a thread here that explains all of the steps needed to fuse those wires. Not very expensive, and the thought of protection is well worth the costs. ( less than $50.00 )
Find out which red wire is the draw and report back, we will help you find the drain.
Tom

You found the main culprit, the Power Supply relay is not functioning properly. The ECU (and injectors) should be off with the key off.

Does the fuel pump run for 2 sec when you reconnect the wire?

Try pulling the Power Supply relay and see if the current goes down. The Power Supply relay (74) powers the white plug to the ECU.

Any update? Still driving the car or is it pushed in the barn for someone to find in 20 years?

Mr Salty? I doubt it. Probably driving it twice as much to keep the batt charged...

Any update on this?? I have a similar problem.

Paul

Spoke You are absolutely 100 percent correct. It was a bad relay on the relay board. Swapped it out with another relay and the drain is gone

Exactly.

But now I can turn the stereo up again.