Battery drain, power antenna??

[Marvial]

My ex has developed a problem, where in the morning on two times the battery was flat. Yesterday I charged the battery, and since I suspected something wierd, I measured current with the truck switched off. AHA, 2.5 to 5 amps are flowing, and connecting / disconnecting battery, I can hear a "whirr sound" . At first I thought it was the cruise control servo, but I unplugged it, and the sound was still there. In the instruction manual it says fuse 27 powers both power antenna and GEM module. So, to use the truck I need to disconnect the power antenna, but if I pull the fuse, what OTHER functions go away? Is the splice for the antenna motor inside the fender? How do I disable just the antenna until I can get this fixed properly.

Marvial

 

[Marvial]

Resolved!

The splice connector for the power antenna is under the passenger floor mat. This is not a good location, and disassembling it showed some corrosion. A toothbrush and some 5.56 took care of it. Now idle current is down to .290 mA, which I feel is a little high, I would have expected 10-50 mA keepalive current for various electronics, but it will not drain the battery overnight. So, maybe I have some more galvanic / moisture pbl. It must have been the "end" position switch or somesuch in the antenna that was the culprit.

:exp:
Marvial

 

[koda2000]

my only experience with the way power antennas work is that they have some sort of relay attached to their electric motor, which I assume must have a thermal component. in this way the motor runs until the antenna is full up or full down (or as far up or down as it will go due to an obstruction or lack of lubrication) then the motor turns off. perhaps your relay isn't turning off... ? I've never had much luck with power antennas working for very long. i'd just put it in the full up position and unplug it if I were you.

by the way, wasn't it you that discovered that fuse #27 was out when you bought the truck? it also controls the OD switch and backup lights I. not sure what else.