Battery drain .24 amps from GEM

My 98 Explorer Limited battery dies if I don't drive it for 7 to 10 days--which is quite often. I've had the charging system and battery checked at a couple of auto parts stores and they said both are good. We did notice an amp draw of 2 amps with the vehicle off and a spikes up higher than that. But when I check the amp draw at home when it hasn't been running it's a constant .24 amps. So I'm thinking maybe the 2 amps at the store were due to something still running after driving it. I did start the engine and ran it for 30 seconds or so and shut it off and it was again at .24 amps.

On second thought we may have had the door open when checking it at the store and I've noticed when I open the door the amp draw goes up to 4.83 amps. I don't know what the dome lights should draw, but that seems like a lot me. Maybe not?? There are 4 interior lights plus one under each external mirror that light up when the door opens.

Anyway, isn't .24 amps still too high with all lights off? I've pulled fuses to find that removing fuse 25 (Generic Electronic Module, Instrument Cluster, Securi-Lock) drops the amp draw down to .01 amps. This vehicle has a Message Center computer which displays mileage, fuel range, distance traveled, System Check, etc. Don't know if that places much of a current drain while the engine is off.

Any ideas on what I should do now? Thanks for any help.

Steve

Reply to
Steve
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The first thing to do is to measure parasitic draw correctly... more on that in a bit. If this is the original battery, you are due for a replacement. The test equipment used by most auto parts stores is far from professional quality.

As for parasitic draw testing.... there are many modules on even a 98 and some of these modules require anywhere up to 45 minutes to "go to sleep". Something as innocent as opening a door or pulling and reinstalling a fuse can be enough to "wake a module up"...

Many batteries can pass a high rate discharge test yet fail a reserve capacity test miserably...

Reply to
Jim Warman

Reply to
Big Shoe

Check your alt, a bad diode will and can kill a good battery in 10 days or less. Pull the B+, large wire, off the back of your alt and check your system again.

Ron

Reply to
Ron Bozich

Jim, thanks for the response. I'm not entirely sure what you're suggesting though. Are you saying I should wait 45 minutes without doing anything and test again? If so, could you explain further?

And as for the battery, wouldn't the symptoms be different if the battery were bad? I never have a problem if I drive the vehicle every few days. It's only a problem if I park it for a week without driving it. Then if it is dead and I charge it, it works fine for another week of no driving. Thoughts?

Steve

Reply to
Steve

Yeh, I was thinking that might be true but I just never calculated it out. Thanks clarifying that.

Steve

Reply to
Steve

Ron, could you clarify this for me? The alternator has a black wire with an orange stripe that is attached with a nut as well as a plug-type connector with green and yellow wires on it. Are you saying to disconnect one of these connectors and then just test the amp draw again? Thanks.

Steve

Reply to
Steve

Prepare the car ahead of time... open the doors and trip the latches to the closed position (makes the car think the doors are closed.... This way, opening a door wont wake a module up.... I like to pre-install a tool similar to this

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to the positive post before I do anything else.... make sure your ammeter is connected across it before you open the switch. Allow at least 45 minutes for all the modules to hibernate and then begin testing. Once a fuse is pulled, do not re-install it until testing is complete - re-installing it *may* wake a module up.

A poor mans reserve capacity test..... turn on the interior light and operate the radio for about an hour and a half.... If the battery has sufficient reserve capacity, the car should start.... If not, it could be a very real indication that reserve capacity is down and the battery may need replacing. As I said, if this is the original battery, I wouldn't hesitate to replace it, anyway...

Reply to
Jim Warman

Remove the nut and leave the wire loose. A shorted diode will charge the battery with the engine running but drain it with the engine off. Like Jim said be sure you have a good battery and be sure your terminals are clean. Good luck.

R> >

Reply to
Ron Bozich

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