I assume there are things on the XJs that are basically "on" all the time (alarm, key listening, etc.). I was using a test light to determine if I had a parasitic draw and when I disconnected my negative battery cable and then tested with my light between the disconnected cable and the battery negative terminal, I get a steady solid, bright light. I am getting 50 milliamps draw. Since the light was on, initially, I was thinking that I had a parasitic draw. However, I disconnected every single fuse in all 3 fuse blocks and nothing changed it. (This was before I tested the amps). Then, after researching, I used the ammeter on my multimeter and got the 50 milliamps. Research is kind of making me think this is "normal" in these cars. The way I'd know of a parasitic draw was if it was more than 50 milliamps asleep and that the test light would always be light unless the positive terminal was disconnected also. Can anyone confirm this for sure?

Mike

 

The answer to your headline question is YES and the Service Manual says parasitic draw should be less than 20mA. I don't know about the last question.

 

You can't expect a car full of electronics to have zero draw.

Many modules shut down over time so you should measure after say 30mins of no activity - don't open doors etc and you probably need to defeat any switches to do with door/trunk/hood/boot/whatever that you have open when measuring.

Read threads about quiescent current, for any/all models to get a feel for stuff.