02 Windstar SEL batt Drain

[Madmatt76]

I have read through many threads on this. I am trying to troubleshoot a neighbors van for the issue. One question I had is following the TSB for the issue it said to leave the driver door open so you can access the fuses inside. However to get it into sleep mode it says everything off and doors closed.
So if I have the key off and out of the ignition and everything else off (cabin lights are selected off) and I leave the driver door open will it go into sleep mode in 30 minutes so I can start pulling interior fuses to find the excessive amp draw? I tried the other way, but of course when I open the door the van wakes up. I have found during the first 5 minutes it draws 658mA then drops down to around and then will drop and stay at around 550mA until it goes to sleep and will drop to around 68mA. Higher than the 25-30 it is supposed to be. I found by pulling the fuses in the engine compt that when I pull #115 (Fuse junction box bus #2) and #119 (Fuse junction box bus #1) the amps drop quickly to where they are supposed to be. So that leaves me with the inside box as I take it. Thanks for any info.

[mark_gober]

Are you having issues with dead batteries? The reason that I ask is that it's very possible you just have a marginal battery on it's last leg. Most automotive batteries are somewhere around 70amp hour batteries. Bigger ones are more, smaller ones are less. The Windstar has a fairly large battery, as batteries go. At 65ma, it would take over 1000 hours to drain this battery completely. While I do see that you have a drain that is more than the stated drain, it's still only 68 milliamps. Almost nothing.

A marginal battery would die much sooner with a small drain on it.

I just hate to see you spend hours troubleshooting a 68 milliamps draw when the battery is your problem.

Mark

[Madmatt76]

this battery is fairly new and holds up well so I don't "think" it's it. When I started this troubleshooting I did have a 1.5 to 2.0 amp draw during the first 5 to 15 minutes. The only thing that dropped that was if any door was opened. Also at the time the radio clock would stay on, until you opened a door and it would go out and the amp draw would also drop. I ended up pulling the relays on the panel in the cabin and putting them back in. Since then I did not have that draw, only the slight amount above normal as stated.

[olopezm]

The module will wake up whenever a door is opened so I would just leave a window open and then sneak in with the help of a small stair case or a chair.

I remember there was a TSB for windstar about some electronics remaining on, even after removing the keys and opening the doors. You might want to ask a dealer about it. Can't remember if it was a recall or a TSB; since it's not a life or death situation I guess it will be a TSB only.

Oscar.

BTW Welcome to the forum!

[olopezm]

Just found out that such recall applies only to 99 windstars, you might still call a dealer. In the meantime I've found this for you; I hope it helps and your neighbor's van gets fixed!

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=317456

Oscar.

[Searles Lewis]

Originally Posted by olopezm

The module will wake up whenever a door is opened so I would just leave a window open and then sneak in with the help of a small stair case or a chair.

I remember there was a TSB for windstar about some electronics remaining on, even after removing the keys and opening the doors. You might want to ask a dealer about it. Can't remember if it was a recall or a TSB; since it's not a life or death situation I guess it will be a TSB only.

Oscar.

BTW Welcome to the forum!

I can't remember which one of the blue fuses it is in the pack on the inside of the driver's door, but I checked mine once, and it was blown, and it had EXACTLY the same symptoms you have described. I disconnected the engine, replaced the battery, then checked the fuses, not relays, and found one blue one-it is the sensor that stays on for the theft or something, and if the car stays in one place, it will short out, turning white.

I replaced it with a fuses that claimed to be awesome and better, and it blew in one week. I replaced it with one that looked like the others, not a darker blue and electrified looking, and that one has worked to this day.

They blow on Fords w/o and with driving, it's a sensor that goes on at rest, it's blue, near the center bottom. It has a rep for killing the battery,too. We had it drain the battery several times before we found and replaced it.

[Madmatt76]

I have since returned the van to the owner. I left the door open and sure enough the van went to sleep. The two fuses that were at fault were # 6 and #119(?). The radio stack and one of the two cluster fuses.