2001 Town & Country LXi - 3.8
Twice within last month, have gone to crank the van in the middle of the day, and the battery is completely dead. No interior lights, no dash, no speedometer, nothing. The battery was replaced a week before the first time this happened, so first thought was a faulty battery. After my wife tryed to crank it the first time this happened, I opened the hood and could hear a light clicking coming from the PCM. I tried pulling the relays and determined it was the ASD relay. It continued clicking after I reinstalled it. I hooked up the battery charger to jump-start the van, and as soon as I flipped the switch, the clicking stopped. I took the van to Advance Auto (2 mile trip) to have them check the battery (that's where I got it). They said the battery was good, but the charge needed to be topped off. Had them check the charging system. They said there was a flutter in the voltage and that I might have a regulator going bad.
Now, a month later, wife went to crank the van, and the same thing. This time, I tested the battery before doing anything else (3.8 volts). Again, the ASD relay was clicking. I hooked up the charger and as soon as I flipped the switch, the ASD relay stopped clicking and I heard a louder click come from the PCM. After starting the van, I checked battery at idle and under load (headlights, blower, etc) (9.9 volts - steady - no dropoff at load). That would indicate the regulator is doing it's job.
Got home from work tonight, van dead again. Battery tested at 5.5 volts. Haven't tried testing amp draw at rest yet.
It seems that if it was an amp draw issue, I should've had battery problems more often between now and the first time it happened. But it's been a month since the first time.
Anyone have ideas/opinions??
Oh yeah, what exactly is the function of the ASD relay?