Battery Draining Due to Radio?

[jmacattack]

Hello,

I've had an issue with my battery dying now for about a year. I drive a 2004 ford explorer. The battery died about once per week. Initially I tried to workup the problem. I replaced the alternator and battery, as well as the battery cables. I still could not find out what was causing the problem. I would fully charge the battery, but over the period of a week it would eventually die again. I resigned myself to living with it. When I get home, I now leave the explorer plugged into a battery charger. This has worked for the past year.

However, I was sitting in the car waiting for my wife the other day with everything off when I noticed the radio lights behind the buttons were on. Thinking this is odd, I stuck my finger in the tape deck, and it was warm/hot. I hadn't driven the car in 2 days, nor played the radio. Is it possible that the radio is slowly siphoning off power and killing my battery? If so, how can I figure it out and fix it?

 

[BigRondo]

I'm can't say for sure if the radio itself is draining the power or not. Often times the culprit can be damaged/broken wire(s) in the boot between the driver's door and the body. This is a great place to start. Having said that:


I had similar electrical issues with my '02 XLT. The dome lights would stay on until the battery saver feature turned them off, the accessory delay wasn't working, the driver side puddle light didn't work, the keypad on the door would set off the alarm when I pressed it, the door ajar light would flash and beep at highway speeds, the radio would shut off as soon as I turned the key off, the alarm would beep twice when I armed it. Recently all 4 windows stopped working. Most recently the driver door lock actuator stopped working.

A lot of electrical issues can be traced back to broken/damaged wire(s) in the boot between the body and the driver's door. I found 3 broken wires and repaired them. The thin black ground wire was broken and after repairing it all was back to normal. When the windows stopped working, I repaired the thick black ground wire and the windows now work like a champ. I had to repair the pink/black wire to fix the driver door lock actuator.

Here is the thread for removing the door panel: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=303524

Here is a great thread for checking for broken/damaged wires, thanks to synyster for this awesome write-up: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums//showthread.php?t=270081

Be sure to take your time when looking for broken/damaged wire(s). Check all the wires for breaks/damage. When you think you're done looking, look again, and again, and again. A bright flashlight can be very helpful.

You can also check the wiring for the radio. Here is a great thread for removing the radio: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=271666

Good luck getting it sorted. :biggthump

Please keep us posted as feedback helps others reading this post looking for a fix to the same or similar issue!

 

[MrBean]

http://www.aa1car.com/library/battery_runs_down.htm

Finding this problem is a headache. Do you have the original deck or its aftermarket?

 

[jmacattack]

Original deck. I'll get the voltmeter back out again.

 

[jmacattack]

Well I checked everything out with the volt-meter.

• Battery has been tested at the auto parts store. Checks out. I figure it really is good, otherwise they'd jump at the chance to sell me one.
• Alternator replaced already. (13.5-14 Volts on battery while running)
• No drain while engine is off.

Really have no idea whats going on. I can't explain why my radio is warm despite the care being off for 2 days.

 

[BigRondo]

I will check my shop manuals for troubleshooting info and forward any info to you.

 

[MrBean]

just wondering if you checked the amperage draw by hooking up your ammeter in series on negative side to battery? and did you get more or less than 0.050Amps?

 

[BigRondo]

Check your PM. :biggthump