In cabin fuse number 9 (Door locks, door switch, ETACS)

[apeman69]

Hello old friends (and maybe some new ones). I'm still here... just about.

All this week I've been trying to trace an off-key drain from my battery.
If I leave the car unused for 1-2 days then the battery is flat. This has been on-going for a couple of months now and is starting to get on my nerves!
I've done the basics of checking battery voltage and that it doesn't drop when disconnected from the car; battery voltage when car is running etc. I'm sure the alternator and battery are good.

Next I moved on to checking for current drain. It's drawing 0.62A with the engine off (multimeter connected correctly, of course).


My starting point was possibly related faults I've known about which include:-

SORTED: Intermittent operation of the 'door open' light on the dash - all door switches removed, checked, WD40'd and now working peachy. Bonnet open switch fitted with the Toad AI606 removed, cleaned, rewired and working properly again. They mounted it in a lovely place that will always get drenched when it rains.

SORTED: Busted interior lights (dome lights) - this has been sorted by removing all of the crappy 'festoon' (probably original) bulbs in the driver's courtesy light, above rear doors, boot light. When I removed the first one the end fell off and what could only be described as brown dust flew out of it. This was the case with all the bulbs including the ones that were still, miraculously, working. Perhaps have a look at and change your own one day.
As I knew I already had a courtesy light out I started by checking all the door switches (the plunger switches that operate the interior lights when a door is open) by disconnecting each one in turn and checking the battery drain each time.
From this test I found the problem with the interior light bulbs degrading. When any door is open the drain raises about 0.1A. I assume this is because of the door switch operation.
When one particular door was open (interior lights would be on if battery was connected during the test) the battery drain went nuts: cycling up and down between 1A and 3-4A.
I just disconnected each element of this door's systems (door switch, Light switch unit, bulb) until I found that the bulb was at fault. It was still functioning and had a too-high resistance. Removal of the bulb brought the drain back to 0.62A with the door closed.

SORTED: Intermittent functioning of right indicator bulb in the dash (no fault with the actual indicators) - sorted by removing all the courtesy light bulbs. The one causing the fluctuating current draw was on the right hand side, same as the intermittently functioning indicator light in the dash.

SORTED: Incorrectly fitted headlight bulb/dodgy bent retaining clip (duh!)

SORTED, er... sort of: Rear passenger door has been locked shut for about 6 months. Got this thing open this afternoon after a bit of inspiration from an old thread by Wobble (many thanks Dave). My hands are now in 'just about usable' state. The central locking is working on this door, in that it clunks and clicks just like all the others. The lock mechanism itself seems goosed and, for now, the door card's off with the door locked until I can get a replacement lock unit. I had this a long time ago with the boot lock too! I disconnected the central locking power connector (and window switch) in this door and it had no effect on the current drain.


Concerning the battery drain, my initial thoughts were along the lines of "bleeping Toad AI606 alarm that Ebony & Ivory fitted" which has not yet been discounted for no other reason than E&I fitted it!

On removing the big 60A fuse which is bottom left in the engine bay fusebox the drain drops to 0.09A
Strangely, but not necessarily related, the two bolts holding this in place are 6mm & 8mm on mine and I think this is non-standard.
Clearly the problem is something on this circuit, which led me to the in-cabin fusebox.
My further investigations have found that when in-cabin fuse 9, listed in Kitty's fuse box thread as Door locks + door switch and ETACS, is removed then the drain drops to an acceptable 0.09A

So, in summary, I've got a 0.62A key-off drain which is pointing me to something connected to fuse 9 in the cabin.
Fuse 9 is listed on here as 'Door Locks + door switch and ETACS'.
Fuse 4 is listed as 'Radio/MMS + clock, remote locks'. Removing this fuse has no effect on the current drain.
Fuse 6 is listed as 'Wipers + ETACS, remote locks, washer motor'. Removing this fuse has no effect on the current drain.
What is the distinction between Door Locks on fuse 9 and remote locks on fuses 4 & 6 or am I being thick?

All the central locking is working as expected apart from the rear door with seems to have a busted lock so I'm on the verge of accepting it isn't the central locking per se.
All the 'door open' switches are functioning as expected (I'm assuming that the description of fuse 9 stating 'door switch' means the 'door open' switches that I have tested.
This leave me with only 'ETACS'. This has entries for fuse 9 and fuse 6 but removing fuse 6 doesn't make a difference to the current drain.

Is ETACS the white plastic box that appears to be clipped onto the back of the in-cabin fusebox and to remove it do you just unclip the top and bottom, pull or what?
Is there anything else connected to fuse 9 that I could look at?
Does anyone have any other ideas or suggestions because I've checked so many electrical items this week my head is spinning, my hair is sticking up and I can't get a good signal on my TV!

I'm glad that any fuse connected to the clock wiring did not show a fault as I have added so many gauges, etc over the years that I wouldn't be happy ripping them all out and testing one by one. The clock is not there anymore but it has been my preferred power source for muchos other stuff. I definitely used switched power wires for everything I've put in myself as I'm a bit paranoid about using anything electrical without the engine running.

As I've been looking at this all week perhaps I need a day off to forget about it all and regroup my thoughts.
Sorry it's a long one (mine always are) and thanks for reading and any help/advice given.

[Nick Mann]

How is the toad wired in?
Nice to see you are still around!

[apeman69]

I don't want to find out how the Toad's wired but I know that, at some point, I'll have to trace it back from the ignition barrel if only for long-term peace of mind.
I had a quick feel and look around the back of the in-cabin fusebox before darkness began to descend and there doesn't seem to be anything spliced in there or around there. When I do get around to removing the steering column shroud I expect to be greeted with Scotch blocks aplenty along with wires going here, there and everywhere courtesy of E&I.
Maybe I'm being stupid but, considering all the little electrical niggles I just sorted, I'm hoping it's something other than the alarm and would, ideally, prefer to leave this until later. I'm hoping that logically following what should be connected where via the fuses will lead me to finding the culprit.
All the elements of the alarm system appear to be working as they should. If I've got a short somewhere then I'd expect some function of the alarm to misbehave. This was my thinking in checking the known faulty bits first. It just so happens that the known faulty bits are all connected to the same main fuse in the engine bay (I think).
I know what you're getting at, Nick, and I am already contemplating the probability of working through the alarm wiring maybe at the weekend or next week.
I'm just hoping someone can clarify the situation with the 'overlapping' fuse descriptions just in case I've missed or misunderstood something or maybe someone can give me a spark of inspiration while I'm waiting to get at it again.

I've just remembered that the SRS light on the dash came on and stayed on about the same time I started to notice the battery problem: all above faults were present then.
I had the code cleared in time for MOT last month and it hasn't returned since. Hmmm.... don't want to go there yet! Think I'll check the alarm wiring first. grrrr!

[GalantOnly]

It might be something to do with Toad's wiring for lock/unlock, as Nick implies... Is there speed de-limiter / kmh-mph converter? If there is, it very likely sit on "fuse 9" too...

[apeman69]

Thanks Alex. Yes there is, so dash clocks out will be added to my dismantling list.

[WillVR4]

I have the exact same issue. If car sits for a few days battery is dead. I also have Toad Ai606 alarm wired in courtesy of E&I.

[apeman69]

Will, does your alarm work as expected? Do you have any other non-working electrical items. It may be worthwhile having a look at the interior lights that I mentiined initially as I still can't believe the state of the ones in mine. If I'd have left the rear door open then I reckon the battery would have been flat in half to an eighth of the time it takes now.

Would anyone with a Toad AI606 fitted be willing to test the current drain on their car with doors closed, bonnet open to compare with mine?
From my own testing I'd be expecting anything from 0.09A to 0.62A as the alarm must be drawing something.
Whatever this fault turns out to be and assuming I can get to the bottom of it then I'll post the result. If it is the alarm then I'll put as much detail of the wiring as I can in case it might help others with E&I fitted Toads.
I'll get a pen and paper ready... gulp!

[Humpty's Revenge]

Will, does your alarm work as expected? Do you have any other non-working electrical items. It may be worthwhile having a look at the interior lights that I mentiined initially as I still can't believe the state of the ones in mine. If I'd have left the rear door open then I reckon the battery would have been flat in half to an eighth of the time it takes now.

Would anyone with a Toad AI606 fitted be willing to test the current drain on their car with doors closed, bonnet open to compare with mine?
From my own testing I'd be expecting anything from 0.09A to 0.62A as the alarm must be drawing something.
Whatever this fault turns out to be and assuming I can get to the bottom of it then I'll post the result. If it is the alarm then I'll put as much detail of the wiring as I can in case it might help others with E&I fitted Toads.
I'll get a pen and paper ready... gulp!

Alan do you need a wiring diagram ?

[apeman69]

That would be most appreciated and no doubt very helpful to me. Thanks Steve. BTW the Skyline's still in the garage looking very nice until I decide what to do with it :(

[Humpty's Revenge]

That would be most appreciated and no doubt very helpful to me. Thanks Steve. BTW the Skyline's still in the garage looking very nice until I decide what to do with it :(

Hope this link works dude ? ignore the part in the link about Toyota as this pdf is the exact same as mine but I can't remember how to add it to the site as a pdf...

As for Skyline keep it mate as the ones with sun roofs are getting harder to find.

http://dub-se7en.toyotagtturbo.com/useful_info/OTHER_PDFS/Ai606_Install.pdf

[apeman69]

Cheers Steve. Got it.
Opened the file and imnediately this statement poked out at me: ' DO NOT USE SCOTCHLOCKS – ALL JOINTS SHOULD BE SOLDERED AND PROTECTED BY HEATSHRINK TUBING, SELF AMALGAMATING TAPE OR USE SPECIALIST CRIMPS AND TOOL'
We shall see....

[apeman69]

Thanks again Steve. Just read through it and it will be a valuable reference for what lies ahead. For once, a manual which does give some useful information :)

[Humpty's Revenge]

Thanks again Steve. Just read through it and it will be a valuable reference for what lies ahead. For once, a manual which does give some useful information :)

Your more than welcome dude....good luck

If you get stuck there is a little trick to finding out which wires are coloured coded before they were snipped of but I can't tell you over the forum.

[apeman69]

No worries. If it is something on the alarm I'm hoping it'll be something obvious like a dodgy connection.
If needs be I'll PM you in due course.
I'm still going to have a look at a few other bits before I take the plunge as you never know.

[WillVR4]

Will, does your alarm work as expected? Do you have any other non-working electrical items. It may be worthwhile having a look at the interior lights that I mentiined initially as I still can't believe the state of the ones in mine. If I'd have left the rear door open then I reckon the battery would have been flat in half to an eighth of the time it takes now.

Would anyone with a Toad AI606 fitted be willing to test the current drain on their car with doors closed, bonnet open to compare with mine?
From my own testing I'd be expecting anything from 0.09A to 0.62A as the alarm must be drawing something.
Whatever this fault turns out to be and assuming I can get to the bottom of it then I'll post the result. If it is the alarm then I'll put as much detail of the wiring as I can in case it might help others with E&I fitted Toads.
I'll get a pen and paper ready... gulp!


Funny you should say that. When I first got the car last summer I went camping and had the boot open for maybe 5-6 hours. I wasn't aware there was a light that was on at the back on the inside. Resulted in a flat battery.

Unfortunately I don't currently have a working Mutlimeter to test the current drain but will measure when I get it back.

W

[WillVR4]

Found one, Drawing about .62/.63A with doors closed and bonnet open. The Toad instructions that I have state...

Battery Drain
The alarm systems have been designed to draw as small an amount of current from your battery as possible. It should therefore not adversely affect most vehicle’s batteries, if left unattended for up to about two weeks.

W

[apeman69]

I think it's a good bet that whatever problem I have you have too. 0.62A same as me. :(
That's not good news for either of us I fear.
When did E&I fit the alarm? Mine was 2008 when I bought the car. I hope it's something simple like wiring and not a dodgy batch of alarms. Surely they should last 6 years+
Just thinking out loud here. It's always possible that connectors would corrode after such a time especially on aftermarket parts that are whacked in there in a rush, given our ever changing weather conditions.
I'll keep you posted.

[apeman69]

Will, check your interior light bulbs. Don't just look at them, check the resistance on your multimeter. If you find any dodgy ones then maybe bin the lot or try gently twisting the ends. They'll probably fall apart if they're old.

[Humpty's Revenge]

I personally think that it is the way the alarm is wired up IE the same way as the instructions say that you will get a drain.

I say this as I had one taken out of one legnum & professionally fitted in another

Both suffered from battery drain over a few days

I could be wrong but both never suffered from that before Toad Ai606 was fitted !

[apeman69]

So the question is why?
If it's wired as it's supposed to be then the current drain shouldn't be so high unless there is something different in our cars to all the others that have this alarm fitted.
It's an alarm designed for a multitude of applications.
There must be a lot of VR-4s supplied by E&I with this alarm fitted. Surely not all of these cars have a flat battery after 1-2 days of standing.

[Nick Mann]

How long did it last before? The figures add up, 0.62A over two days is a fair chunk of an average cars battery life. But if this is typical of the toad installation then why hasn't it been a problem for years?

[apeman69]

Nick, the Toad manual states a drain of 0.1A with internal sensors off and 0.18A with them on. This leaves 0.44A from a car without the alarm fitted. That seems a lot to me or am I wrong.
For the last 18 months I've been working continental shifts (4 days on, 4 days off) and I tend to just vegetate in the house or get a taxi to the pub on my days off. It has been usual for me to regularly not use the car for 3 or 4 days out of 8.
I know that the recent discharging and recharging (in the house a couple of times) will not have done the battery any good however, I can't believe that 0.62A with the key off is normal unless somebody else can confirm this from their own vehicle with or without the Toad fitted.
Before this I haven't had battery related problems that I can remember since I changed the original puny Jap one that it came with.
Yes, I know my battery is old and has taken a beating but unless someone can definitively tell me that 0.62A is normal and their battery lasts for more than 2 days when the car is unused then I'm reticent to change it and possibly be at the same point within a week or so.

[WillVR4]

If you do a google search for "Toad alarm battery drain" it appears to be a pretty common problem across different cars. It also seems to be primarily with the Ai606 model.

My car is pretty much always in daily use, although I only do a short mileage each day so I only notice it a few times a year when I am either on holiday or not using the car for good few days. I can confirm my battery, alternator and earthing are all ok.

[apeman69]

Just been checking stuff for a couple of hours.
The wiring from the siren goes through a hole in the firewall. Another hole is there and takes a power cable for the fuel pump. I began by pulling these wires through to the engine bay by about half a centimeter in order to check if the wiring insulation was damaged at all. Long shot or what?
They looked ok so I took a reference reading of current drain. It was cycling between 1.3 and 6A and the indicators were all flashing on and off. WTF?
I jiggled the same wires again. Same reading. I disconnected the fuel pump power cable. Same reading. Went in the car and jiggled as many wires under the dash as I could. Reading 0.60A now.
Began dismantling the lower part of the dash to get better access to all the wiring.
Checked the ETACS unit and it seems good.
Whilst trying to work out the alarm wiring route I checked a couple of connectors to some of the gauges I've put in myself. No change.
During the time I was messing with the wiring and testing the drain it once again began going nuts with the indicators flashing madly.
The alarm wiring which I've been able to access is soldered and taped and looks secure enough. It's all very tightly attached and strapped down so there would be little movement possible.
There's got to be a short circuit somewhere.
I couldn't see the Toad control unit or earthing points and it's going to be a PITA to get to the bottom of this.
Hopefully I can find the fuse to the permanent 12V supply for the alarm and pull that to determine if it is the alarm or something else.

For reference here's what I've checked so far:-
Headlights
Indicators
Dome lights
Door switches
Central locking
Alarm siren
Alarm bonnet switch
MAP2ECU
ETACS unit
Wideband gauge and sensor input
All items I've connected to clock wiring (lots)
Stereo
Car PC
Main engine earth strap
Rear fog light
Fuel pump

Not all of the above are even relevant but I've checked them anyway out of desperation and just for something to do whilst I'm having a think!

The fact that wire-jiggling resulted in the effects of a short circuit are promising but there's a ridiculous amount of wiring hidden by my dashboard :(

[WillVR4]

apeman69 Did you ever get to the bottom of this mate? I'm at the stage of about to remove the Toad...

[apeman69]

Not yet!
If you do remove it then please let me know if it made a difference.
I've tracked it down to being related to the central locking on mine which is, as you will know, wired into the Toad.
I can't locate the Toad control box and it looks like a lot of stuff will have to be removed on mine to get at it.
I've been getting a randomly occuring white noise from around the area that I believe the Toad is located so I'm thinking more and more that the unit's faulty.

[WillVR4]

My Toad alarm box is just stuffed loose behind the stereo/air conditioning unit, above the ECU area. I can reach it by dropping the glove box down and reaching into that area behind teh centre console.

[apeman69]

I still haven't got to the bottom of this.
I read somewhere that fuse 9 is connected to the left side light circuit so I started looking at lights.
It appears that there is electrical continuity on every light connector but one. I'm using the continuity setting on my multimeter and getting a beep when I stick the probes into the connector's + & - pins (into the vehicle's wiring).
Now, surely, this isn't right because this is telling me that earth is connected to positive for the whole light circuit (except the one dipped headlight bulb connector.)
How is it that all lights are working?
The one connector I'm not getting the beep from is giving a resistance reading on the meter.
So, this means I've got a power wire shorting to earth somewhere?
How can it be that one connector to one bulb is different and is this significant in finding the problem?
Any suggestions would be very welcomed as my head hurts again!

[Nick Mann]

Have you got all the bulbs removed? Otherwise the bulbs will connect positive to ground. Anything at all on the circuit will give a connection to ground.

[apeman69]

Thanks Nick. I won't argue with your electrical knowledge.
There has to be something wrong with the opposite dipped headlight bulb or wiring then as this one would cause the one without continuity to appear to be disconnected from the circuit if my visualisation of the circuit is now correct.
I'll have to get this headlight out again and thoroughly check everything on it. This is the one I've previously had problems with so it needs ruling out completely.

[Nick Mann]

I'm no expert on car wiring.
I also don't know if the left and right lighting circuits are similar.
Can you use your meter to take resistance readings rather than a continuity check? Maybe comparing left to right?

[Tony_T]

My 2 cents worth: 0.62 amps is a hell of a lot of standing draw and surely will flatten a battery very quickly. Car batteries are built for starting, with heaps of amps available for a few seconds, but the plates are not suitable for small steady current draws: that's the realm of 'deep cycle' batteries which in turn are not suitable for starting. Anyway that doesn't help with your problem. Be aware that the continuity test on a digital meter will give a beep for most any conduction there is, NOT just a short circuit. An analogue meter used on the x1 ohms range will give far more useful readings
To me it sounds like maybe one or more relay coil(s) is/are being energised by the alarm when in the 'off' state: check that the installer hasn't connected any immobiliser relays incorrectly. Some of those installers have no real technical skills and are just interested in getting in and back out in the minimum of time to move on to the next job.
Those interior lamps have just had the adhesive which held the end caps in place dry out and crumble, that can't cause an issue and a HIGH resistance on any circuit will cause LOWER current not higher so cannot be related to your problems. My money's on that alarm or more how it has been configured.
Hope this helps put another bit of the puzzle in place.

[apeman69]

Thanks for all your help.
Yesterday evening I put a new battery on the car, checked the voltage, left it for 2 hours, checked the voltage again and there was no change. I left it connected for 18 hours and no change in battery voltage :)
When I started the car today there's a noticable difference in starter speed.
The old battery must be goosed after only 3 years of quite light use I think. Should have checked the basics..... doh!
I can only guess that the drain I was seeing on the circuits on fuse 9 was the permanent feed to the light and door circuits (e.g. interior lights, ignition key light, door locks, alarm) and this is the only circuit that would have power with the key off. Presumably, if the battery was the 'short circuit' there'd be current going through other circuits when the key was on :(
It took a long time to go from OK to battery is flat every 12 hours: probably 3 months or so.
It's a big relief to find it was something simple but a shame it took me so long just because I disregarded the basics.

[Tony_T]

You still have a problem: 0.62 amps steady draw is NOT normal! Yes you've masked it for now with a shiny new battery but you haven't removed the cause so you should still follow it up before your new battery deteriorates.
It really sounds to me that a circuit is ON when the car is off i.e. it has been wired in the reverse sense. IIRC the Fusion alarms in my two Leggies are quoted as 0.04 amp standing draw: that's bad enough but way less than your 0.62! Look at the immobiliser (particularly) and central locking (maybe) control circuits from the alarm: one of the relays (at least) is probably activated.

[WillVR4]

@apeman How are you getting on with your new battery now? Are you still getting the current draw?

I've pretty much discounted everything apart from the alarm now. When I unplug the "Toad" brain and take reading from battery my ammeter goes crazy and doesnt really give me a reading. I now have the pin number so I am going to try and change about the settings on the alarm to see if it makes any difference.

[WillVR4]

@apeman OK think I've discovered the problem. There are two fuses in the loom for the Toad Ai606 brain(As pictured below) I have a current drain of 0.62-0.66A. When I remove the 15A fuse the current drain drops to .15A. The alarm, immobilizer and central locking all seem to work fine. As far as I can tell this something to do with the indicators linking to the system. I also have an HDI boost controller which has a memory function. When I unplug it my current drain now drops to 0.5A which I think is an acceptable amount. I am going to try and run without the 15A fuse in the Toad wiring loom and see how I go! :)

71333

[apeman69]

I don't have access to a working multimeter at the moment as I stupidly forgot to change the probes from Amps when testing the battery voltage and subsequently fried the multimeter's ability to test Amps.
I suspected there was a problem with one of my headlights because I've had problems with ia loose bulb in it before and a loosely fitting connector plug so I removed the unit and had a proper look at everything.
When I unplugged it one of the connector pins broke off so I had to rewire the connections to the headlight.
On inspection I found that the insulation on both the + and - wires to the headlight was broken all the way around each wire at the same stress point where the wires bend outwards and upwards from the factory loom insulation. Considering how tight and close together these bare wires were I cannot believe that they were not permanently or periodically touching each other.
I also had both side light bulbs blown.

Since putting the new battery on I haven't had a noticable problem. I've just left the car for nearly 2 days before driving it this morning. Everything seemed OK.
So, in terms of my initial problem: flat battery after 12-13 hours, the new battery seems to have solved this to a point where I can actually use the car again.
Once I can get hold of a multimeter I will check the draw and let you know.

If there is still something that is causing battery damage then I will have to wait and see what happens until I can get a multimeter to confirm.
Regarding your crazy readings, I was also getting intermittent wildly fluctuating readings, inbetween stable readings, whilst I had the old battery on the car. Much of the whole process that I have followed over the months has made little logical sense to me and has been pretty confusing overall.
Have you checked your battery or tried it with a known good one? It would be interesting for me to know if this makes a difference in your case as I would probably then get off my butt and buy a new multimeter.

[apeman69]

@apeman OK think I've discovered the problem. There are two fuses in the loom for the Toad Ai606 brain(As pictured below) I have a current drain of 0.62-0.66A. When I remove the 15A fuse the current drain drops to .15A. The alarm, immobilizer and central locking all seem to work fine. As far as I can tell this something to do with the indicators linking to the system. I also have an HDI boost controller which has a memory function. When I unplug it my current drain now drops to 0.5A which I think is an acceptable amount. I am going to try and run without the 15A fuse in the Toad wiring loom and see how I go! :)

71333

Is there any chance you could take a couple of pictures of where the brain is located on yours and where the fuse(s) are because I still can't seem to find the Toad control box on mine. Following the wiring from the fusebox/ETACS on mine is a real PITA because of the amount of stuff I've added behind the dash/stereo and this would give me a starting point to target.
Presumably, the indicators just don't flash when you arm/disarm with the 15A fuse out?

[WillVR4]

Hi mate, Afraid I've got the dash back together. If you remove the centre console the Toad brain is directly behind the air-con control and stereo at the back, directly above the ECU. Mine was just hanging lose there.

If you remove the trim around the gearstick (just pops out) and then drop the glovebox lid you can reach behind the air-con unit and push the centre console out (It's only clipped in) It should be somewhere at the back behind there. It is a black box with "Toad" in large silver writing on it about 12cm by 10 cm square. The Toad loom is all taped together; the two fuses are about 15cm down the loom and quite obvious once you find the brain.

With the 15A fuse removed everything works apart from the indicators flashing when alarm is armed/de-armed or alarm goes off. Think I will run like this until Springtime and investigate further. It's a little chilly in teh snow/hail for doing it at the moment! :)

W

[apeman69]

I still don't understand how the new battery hasn't gone flat unless a continuous high current drain eventually affects the battery in such a way as to stop it holding a charge when there's such a continuous drain but doesn't affect it holding charge when disconnected.
Simply changing the battery, for me, seems to have removed the problem. If the problem is still there then how can this be? How can the battery voltage not drop one hundredth of a volt over 19 hours if something is drawing 0.62A?
This stuff doesn't add up to me unless it is a cumulative damaging effect on the battery that will, presumably, manifest itself over time with the new battery.
I think I'm convincing myself to get a new multimeter.