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Battery Discharge Rate

Can you clarify? What size diodes? Where can I get them? How/where do you install them?
 



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when you have an alarm or remote start added you need to put diodes on the lock and unlock wires to allow the gem to "go to sleep" if you don't it will kill the battery very quickly.

I was told that my vehicle (2006 Explorer) does not have a GEM.

Battery is still going dead every few weeks on mine. I measured my drain with everything off at 0.077 amps.
 






I had the same problem ....problem solved (for me)

Hi,

I had the same problem:eek:

Today I measured my drainage which went between 0.030 amps and 6amps on and off..... can only be two things.....

took out the the fuse for the back window wiper .......cosistant 0.030 amps.

:D
now I just have to check out the wiper motor

Andrew
 






Frustrated!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My wife's explorer was find untill this morning. She went to start it this morning and it took a while but finally started. I triied it tonight and it was dead. Unsure No remote starter. I charged it. I had a reading of 13 volts and within an hour it was down to 10 volts. Volt meter shows 14 volts when running any ideas? Please and thank you from Mr. Frustated third thing to break in 2 weeks! lol
 






Have the battery load tested. How old is the battery? Connect an ammeter in series with the battery, and see if there is a constant drain with the engine off. There should be a small drain for the computer, and radio circuits (alarm too if equipped), but not a large drain.
 






i just went thru the dead battery bit, BUT it was 3 years old and almost 2 years of that in AZ which the heat KILLS batteries so I didn't think much more into it.
 






Anybody figure anything out on this? My battery still goes dead every 6 weeks or so. Can't figure it out. It is a brand new Optima battery also.
 






hmm

Didnt someone say earlier the rear windshield wiper was killing it a lot?
 






Overnight Battery drain

:uk::uk::uk::uk:Picking up in this older tread to see if anybody did a current measurment on their explorer when idle.

I've been tracking down a battery discharge issue on my 97 4.0l where if the car is not used every day, it will fail to crank.

As standard with the doors closed (either locked or unlocked) it draws 0.33 Amps. After I pulled each fuse in turn I found that fuse #25 (aux fuse box inside) was the culprit. After removing fuse #25 the current dropped to 0.04amp. Cool I thought!

Acording to the handbook fuse #25 is the engine immobiliser. Wrong. The immobiliser works as before. So I then had to try different switches.

I tracked it down to the only things not working where the front washer and wiper and the rear wiper (the washer works)

The Haynes manual does not have these circuits in the diagrams.

does anybody have a decent wiring diagram showing these washer and wiper connections and also if these is anything else of fuse #25

cheers from the UK
 






that's a good step in the right direction. Me neighbor across the street has an 03-04 explorer and has been experiencing the battery drain problem...had the battery tested, though I don't know what tests were done. Hopefully the info here will help us discover what is causing the trouble...they do not have a remote start in their vehicle...stock truck.
 






Can't believe this thread is still going. I just found the problem in the last few months. It was my Bulldog remote start (RC82).

I had a drain of around 32 miiliamps with the remote start connected. This dropped to around 17 miiliamps with it disconnected.

May not sound like much of a difference, but this was the difference between a dead battery every month and now a battery that is as reliable as ir should be.

Hope you guys figure it out on your end!
 






Update on Drain from fuse #25

I've moved forward with my battery drain, and tracked it down to the next stage (but not the end problem I guess!)

Fuse #25 feeds into the GEM (fancy calling a module the Generic Electronic Module!), of the three multiway plugs that connect to it by unplugging the bottom (and biggest plug) the current drops to 0.03 amp.

So now do I replace the GEM in the hope it is the problem or try and track a faulty circuit on the other side or the GEM.

The only circuit that is not working coming from the GEM is the Door unlock button (door lock button works) but I've not had time to get the door panel off yet.

Does the GEM go wrong often?

cheers

Jim
 






I have found the same problem with my 2001 Sport Exp. this very afternoon.
Battery's been getting slowly more sluggish to start each day for the last few weeks.
Found battery drain with Fuse #25 inserted the drain is ~370mA which to me seems way excessive. Remove #25 and with every other fuse put back drain is a steady 18mA.
After I find out where the GEM is and what it it I'll try figure out what to do next .....
 






I have factory keyless entry system. No aftermarket wiring additions as of yet...And (thanks ford) no under hood light was provided. Maybe they couldn't figure out a way to ground it to the plastic hood.

I have a metal hood on my 2006 XLT. Anyways..... I had to replace my battery, it was just worn out after 3 years and my new battery works great. Although its not a Motorcraft it is made by the same company, Johnson Controls, who also makes Die Hards as well as some "lesser" brands. May just be time for a new one.
 












I have the same problem. Were either of you able to find the problem?
 






mine was a bad GEM, causing a high current drain and not switching off at 40 mins , swapped out and re-tested ok
 






mine hasn't gone dead in a year, but i use it at least twice a week. Still I wonder if the drain of 0.17 amps is excessive...compared to my 1993 pontiac with very few features which is 0.02 amps. the pontiacs battery is from march of 2002 and I can leave it sitting on the side of the house for a month no problem starting.
 



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