Battery draw on a 2006 V8 Mountaineer.

Hi, I'm brand new to the forum and I'd like to solicit the advice of those in the know. I'm a sales consultant in upstate New York and I have a customer experiencing a battery draw on a 2006 V8 Mountaineer I sold her over a year ago. Up to this point, my dealership has been unable to find the source of the draw. They have replaced the sound system thinking that was part of the problem but the problem persists;they thought they found the draw but discovered that they had the polarity reversed when they conducted the test. She did have an aftermarket car starter installed but I've been told that that is not the source of the problem. Being in northern New York, we are subjected to quite cold temperatures and cold mornings are when my customer experiences problems with the car not starting due to the draw on the battery.

If anybody has had a similar experience with this type of vehicle, I would appreciate any feedback you could give me to correct the problem. I've been told by my service department that they would have to keep the vehicle for an extensive period of time and isolate every circuit to find the problem. Please let me know your thoughts.

Thanks...Walt Young

I had a battery draw I could not locate. After changing several components and several test. That showed a constant draw. Ended up being a penny had fallen into the cigarette lighter. You never know?

do some searching on parasitic draw and i'm sure you'll find some info. heres a way to test for current draw see if that works for you

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=2672992#post2672992

Ford has tsb for battery concerns.
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TSB
07-5-13 DISCHARGED BATTERIES - VEHICLES IN STORAGE/LIMITED USAGE

Publication Date: March 5, 2007

FORD: 2005-2008 Mustang
2005 Explorer Sport Trac
2005-2008 Expedition, Explorer
2007-2008 Explorer Sport Trac
LINCOLN: 2005-2008 Navigator
MERCURY: 2005-2008 Mountaineer


ISSUE:
Some 2005-2008 Mustang , Explorer 4dr, Mountaineer, Expedition, Navigator, 2005 Explorer Sport Trac and 2007-2008 Explorer Sport Trac vehicles may experience a no start and have a discharged battery. They are usually stored for prolonged periods of time or are driven infrequently for short distances. Batteries will discharge while the vehicle is in storage due to normal current draw loads. Over a period of time, 30 days or more, vehicles in storage will have shallow to deeply discharged batteries as a result of lack of use or normal current draw.

ACTION:
Follow the Service Tips steps to correct the condition.

SERVICE TIPS

Charging system diagnostics and battery draw test are located in Workshop Manual, Section 414-00.
Discharged batteries need to be properly recharged following the procedures in TSB 07-5-8.
All modern automobiles have several micro processors in their electrical system that will draw small amounts of electrical current when the vehicle key is off. Normal current draw is between 20-30 milliamps (workshop manual specification is up to 50 milliamps 0.050 amps).
The more discharged a battery becomes, the more susceptible it is to permanent damage. This is more likely in low temperatures (below 32 °F (0 °C).
Batteries will discharge while the vehicle is in storage due to normal current draw loads. Over a period of time (30 days or more), vehicles in storage will have shallow to deeply discharged batteries as a result of lack of use or normal current draw.

NOTE: ELECTRICAL OR ELECTRONIC ACCESSORIES OR COMPONENTS ADDED TO THE VEHICLE BY THE DEALER OR BY THE OWNER WILL INCREASE THE CURRENT DRAW LOADS AND ADVERSELY AFFECT BATTERY PERFORMANCE AND DURABILITY.



The vehicle's charging system is designed to supply the vehicle's electrical power needs and maintain the battery to near full charge during normal vehicle use. The charging system is not capable of bringing a deeply discharged battery back to near full charge in a short amount of time such as allowing the vehicle to idle for 15 minutes to "recharge the battery" or from short drive cycles.
Short drive cycles will only provide a small surface charge to the battery. To fully recharge a battery that is fully discharged requires operating the vehicle for approximately two (2) hours with engine speed above 1500 RPM.
Vehicles that are stored for extended periods or are driven infrequently for short distances may need to use an auxiliary battery maintainer/charger that is expressly designed to maintain the battery state of charge during storage. These maintainers/chargers are available in the automotive aftermarket and should be used according to their manufacturer's direction.

OTHER APPLICABLE ARTICLES:
07-05-8

WARRANTY STATUS:
Information Only - Not Warrantable


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: The information in Technical Service Bulletins is intended for use by trained, professional technicians with the knowledge, tools, and equipment to do the job properly and safely. It informs these technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or provides information that could assist in proper vehicle service. The procedures should not be performed by "do-it-yourselfers". Do not assume that a condition described affects your car or truck. Contact a Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury dealership to determine whether the Bulletin applies to your vehicle. Warranty Policy and Extended Service Plan documentation determine Warranty and/or Extended Service Plan coverage unless stated otherwise in the TSB article. The information in this Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) was current at the time of printing. Ford Motor Company reserves the right to supercede this information with updates. The most recent information is available through Ford Motor Company's on-line technical resources.

Copyright © 2007 Ford Motor Company

Welcome to this forum! I've moved your thread into the stock 2006-2010 section. Connect an ammeter between the battery, and the electrical system, then start pulling fuses until you find the circuit with the most current drain.

there is a known problem with the aftermarket remote start and the doorlock outputs from it in exploders (this was a problem with my old 06 ex). If keyless entry is hooked up on the aftermarket unit the wires that control the locks need to be diode isolated.

i would have her take it back to the shop that installed it, if it was installed before she bought the truck have her take it to a shop to have them fix it and you pay for it. 99% of mechanics at the dealers will not even know what a diode is or what it does.

my 2006 eddie bauer V6 has had a parasidic draw of 0.17 amps since new. Thats more than three times the max recomended of 0.05 amps. Dealer said could not find any problem, but changed the battery under warrantee. We bought it just as gas was hitting $4 per gallon in summer of 2006 and tried to use it only when needed since we also had Accord and Sunbird. It would go dead after about 8 - 10 days unused. I never got around (after 5 years) to pulling each fuse one at a time while monitoring change in amp reading to isolate drain. I've been using it at least once a week with no problem.

I asked years ago if anyone wanted to take readings and share their drain rate, but didnt get much response. Make sure any aftermarket stuff is disconected, and nothing plugged into cig lighters.