I really need electrical help

[guy48065]

The weather has finally improved so I can spend some time tracking down a parasitic drain on my battery. I have pulled each fuse in the under-hood power distribution box and have found that #15 (Memory, Courtesy Lamps...) has a constant current draw of ~230mA that starts when the door is opened but continues indefinitely after it's closed and all the lights go out.

I've gone on to pull every fuse in the inside driver-side panel and there's no change to the current drawn by #15 . I don't have an electrical manual to trace it any further.

I do have an aftermarket remote start + alarm (Clifford) but the load on #15 continues even if I pull the module in-line fuses and disconnect every module's connectors.

I consider myself a good technician but without specific experience or a diagram, I'm just groping in the dark. Help!

 

[Kiliona]

I believe the accepted parasitic draw is something like 200 mA isn't it? You actually don't have THAT high of a draw.

First I'd check all the small things that are often overlooked, make sure you don't have something simple like a phone charger with an LED light on it plugged in.

I'd also check and make sure your lights and lamps connections are all clean and there isn't dirt or grime on them (this can short causing a tiny draw like that through the dirt or grime). Specifically, check your battery cables of course, but also clean the top of the battery off these often get covered in dust and such.

Good luck, chasing down things like this can be a real pain!

 

[Number4]

Where'd you find the 200?
[MENTION=229411]makuloco2000[/MENTION] says that typical is 18-25 mA. 50 being max.

 

[EXPLORER04]

From the service manual:

Battery — Drain Test

NOTE: No production vehicle should have more than a 50 mA (0.050 amp) draw.

 

[guy48065]

Everything is clean and there are no forgotten accessories plugged in. .. especially to the "memory, courtesy lights" circuit

 

[guy48065]

From the service manual:

Battery — Drain Test

NOTE: No production vehicle should have more than a 50 mA (0.050 amp) draw.

Was this supposed to be a link?

 

[boominXplorer]

Is your courtesy lights and door ajar functions working properly? I have seen a stuck door ajar switch keep accessories running for an extra 15 min after you get out of the car.

 

[Number4]

This is the video where I got my information.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=399233

At some point in the video he talks about the amount of elapsed time prior to starting the test. That some items will draw power up to 45 minutes after shut off.

 

[guy48065]

45 minutes? That's about how long it took to pull & replace all the fuses so I haven't checked beyond that time. I'll watch the video & maybe try again.
[MENTION=27955]BooM[/MENTION]in: Yes all doors/lights work correctly. No chimes, no Door Ajar.

 

[guy48065]

I repeated the circuit #15 monitoring and it drops from 225mA to 0 after about 40 minutes.

So I'm going to say there's nothing wrong with the circuits and I've been chasing my tail for a few hours :-/
Maybe I simply have a bad new battery. It's fully charged to 12.8V when I park it and after 2 days it's down to 12.0. I don't think 20-50mA load (memory, alarm & etc) on a brand new battery should drain off that much voltage.
(yes the battery is perfectly clean with clean posts and new clamps)

I think I'll take it to Autozone and have them run their tests. At least they'll have an interest in finding a problem rather than handing over another battery.

 

[Number4]

What's the date code on the side of the battery? It'll tell you if its new or not.

Is it possible that a light had been left on?

 

[guy48065]

Date code is 12/14. As posted above there are no lights on, and no accessories other than the remote start/alarm (that I unplugged).

I'm going to write down the battery voltage for a few days to see how much it drops each day.