Today I had to swap a spare battery to start my 300cd (for the first time in years; cranked right up).

Before attaching, I put a quality ammeter (fluke 87V) in series and got a parasitic draw of 20mA. Each second as the clock ticked it would bump to 23mA.

Ive always read that <50mA is acceptable in “modern cars”. That is, cars with electronics and modules that may be on or may be in a sleep mode.

My cd has a quartz clock and a digital Becker radio that has memory.

20mA therefore seems a bit high. Ive not messed with a w123 battery in over a decade, and have never put a meter on before because Ive never had an issue.

23mA seems high. Has anyone measured before?

I should check my 240d as the battery keeps VERY well.

But does anyone have a data point??

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Current Diesels:
1981 240D (73K)
1982 300CD (169k)
1985 190D (169k)
1991 350SD (116k)
1991 350SD (206k)
1991 300D (228k)
2008 ML320 CDI (199k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (267k)

Past Diesels:
1983 300D (228K), 1985 300D (233K), 1993 300D 2.5T (338k), 1993 300SD (291k)