04 Taurus battery dying when not in use

[serge_saati]

Oh.... analog. Yes analog usually have 0.5-1A fuse. If the draw is 600mA, the fuse blews.

Don't reconnect back the battery the night, you'll discharge it. You can also remove the 60 amp batt fuse of your car rather that disconnect the terminal each time.

About the warranty question, yes it's under waranty, since the shop can't know that you have a parasitic draw or it's the battery.

[consultIII]

Originally Posted by Opr2135

Okay this took way too long for me to figure out, but my multimeter is a cheap piece of junk and doesn't have a 10A fuse capacity (I didn't exactly understand step 3 of serge's neat instructions until now)... I went to test my battery and blew the multimeter fuse twice. Right now I'm working on borrowing a better multimeter from somebody but that could take a day or two to make happen.

At this point, the blown fuses tell us there is indeed a draw of some sort and just can't measure it, right? Should I reconnect the battery terminal just to see what happens (I don't have anywhere important to drive anytime soon, and the newest battery is still covered under warrantee)?

doesn't necessarily mean there is a bad draw. I've gone to an inductive amp clamp for just this reason. The trucks I test can have 28 modules; guess what happens when you reconnect the battery terminal....so many modules waking draws more than 10amps and pop goes the fuse. If you car had a 10amp draw that can blow the meter fuse the battery would go dead very fast.

[shorod]

Consult is exactly correct above, the inrush current will easily exceed half an amp. You need a meter with larger current capability or a clamp on DC current probe. Clamp on AC current probes are easy to find, clamp on DC current probes are less common and more expensive, but worth it if you do a lot of troubleshooting.

Inafogg, I'm not sure what you mean by "old school." You can connect a test light in series with the battery cable or a voltmeter, but to get a good reading you need to wait for all the modules to go in to standby/sleep mode. One of the problems with using a test light for this though is some test lights will limit the current so much that a module or two may go in to reset due to the current limit and never go to sleep, giving a constant or pulsing test light glow that will also give the indication of a parasitic draw when that may not be the case under normal operation. This is rare, but I have seen it.

-Rod

[serge_saati]

Originally Posted by consultIII

doesn't necessarily mean there is a bad draw. I've gone to an inductive amp clamp for just this reason. The trucks I test can have 28 modules; guess what happens when you reconnect the battery terminal....so many modules waking draws more than 10amps and pop goes the fuse. If you car had a 10amp draw that can blow the meter fuse the battery would go dead very fast.

Yes in sophisticated trucks... but not in a simple Taurus. The wake up current is about 3 amps, then it should stabilizes to 50-55 mA if everything is normal. 60-100 mA if it has aftermarket remote starter and alarms.

But you're right... not necessary a draw if the 0.5 amp fuse blow.

Originally Posted by shorod

Consult is exactly correct above, the inrush current will easily exceed half an amp. You need a meter with larger current capability or a clamp on DC current probe. Clamp on AC current probes are easy to find, clamp on DC current probes are less common and more expensive, but worth it if you do a lot of troubleshooting.

I measured parasitic draw many times with my 10A digital meter. The DC clamps is not necessary for this appication and costs too much.

[Opr2135]

Hey everyone, I was in the middle of moving and took my sweet time getting my hands on a decent multimeter, but I finally bought one that works for this job.

After leaving the positive terminal disconnected overnight, I tested it today and got a reading of 1.300 amps (yes full amps, not milliamps) for the first 10 or 15 seconds, and then it settled around 0.680 amps. I guess my question now becomes how do I track down the parasitic draw? Thanks again in advance

[shorod]

How long did you let it sit with the 680 mA draw? It might take 45 minutes for the modules to go in to standby mode (likely more like 20 minutes). Be careful not to open doors with the meter in series as it could blow the meter fuse if you get too many lights turning on, plus that would reset the standby mode timer. Once you are sure that the car is in standby mode and you still have a significant draw, pull fuses one at a time to see which one causes the draw to drop to 70mA or so (0.070 A). I suggest leaving the fuses out as you remove them (make sure you have a fuse map first so you can get the correct fuses back in the correct circuits). If you were to replace them after removal and before pulling the next fuse, you might grab a circuit that will wake everything back up and you'd need to start the waiting process over again.

-Rod

[Opr2135]

Ah ok, I'll do it again tomorrow and leave it hooked up for an hour and report back with those results.

[serge_saati]

Originally Posted by shorod

How long did you let it sit with the 680 mA draw? It might take 45 minutes for the modules to go in to standby mode (likely more like 20 minutes).

I don't agree with that. In my Windstar 98 all equipped, it takes like 5-10 sec to stabilize. Maybe 10 more seconds for this Taurus because of the longer dome light delay.


680 mA is an important draw. It might be an active module that power many relays like the interior light module. You can start by removing the interior light or accessory delay fuse.

If it's not that, remove only the fuse hot all the time (like power seat/mirror, horn, stop lamps...) as suggested.

[shorod]

It may only take 10 seconds, and yes, 680 mA is significant, but I'd hate to spend a bunch of time chasing a 680 mA draw that goes away after the battery saver relay times out and all modules are in standby mode. There are a lot of opportunities for electronics to change in the 6 years between your Windstar and the poster's 2004 Taurus. I had monitored the current draw in my 1998 Taurus SHO using a DC current probe and the draw changes after several minutes as all the modules go to "sleep." I understand you like to disagree, but what does it hurt to put the current meter on the car, then go in and eat dinner, to make sure that the current draw being measured is the current draw loading the system overnight?

-Rod

[shorod]

For what it's worth, pasted below is the Ford battery drain test procedure. Notice the amount of time that Ford suggests monitoring the current for. Also note that contrary to something I typed above, Ford does not recommend using a test light.

-Rod
----------------
BATTERY - DRAIN TEST

WARNING: Do not attempt this test on a lead-acid battery that has recently been recharged. Explosive gases may cause personal injury. Failure to follow these instructions may result in personal injury.

CAUTION: To prevent damage to the meter, do not crank the engine or operate accessories that draw more than 10A.

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

Check for current drains on the battery in excess of 50 milliamps (0.050 amp) with all the electrical accessories off and the vehicle at rest for at least 40 minutes . Current drains can be tested with the following procedure:

NOTE:

• Many electronic modules draw 10 mA (0.010 amp) or more continuously.
• Use an in-line ammeter between the negative battery post and its respective cable.
• Typically, a drain of approximately one amp can be attributed to an engine compartment lamp, glove compartment lamp, or interior lamp staying on continually. Other component failures or wiring shorts may be located by selectively pulling fuses to pinpoint the location of the current drain. When the current drain is found, the meter reading will fall to an acceptable level. If the drain is still not located after checking all the fuses, it may be due to the generator.
• To accurately test the drain on a battery, an in-line digital ammeter must be used. Use of a test lamp or voltmeter is not an accurate method due to the number of electronic modules.
• When the battery has been disconnected and reconnected, some abnormal drive symptoms may occur while the powertrain control module (PCM) relearns its fuel trim. The vehicle may need to be driven to relearn the strategy.

1. Make sure the junction box(es)/fuse panel(s) is accessible without turning on interior or underhood lights.
2. Drive the vehicle at least 5 minutes and over 48 km/h (30 mph) to turn on and activate the vehicle systems.
3. Allow the vehicle to sit with the key OFF for at least 40 minutes to allow modules to time out/power down.
4. Connect a fused jumper wire between the negative battery cable and the negative battery post to prevent modules from resetting and to catch capacitive drains.
5. Disconnect the negative battery cable from the negative battery post without breaking the connection of the jumper wire.
6. NOTE: It is very important that continuity is not broken between the negative battery post and the negative battery cable when connecting the meter. If this happens, the entire procedure must be repeated. Connect the tester between the negative battery cable and the post. The meter must be capable of reading milliamps and should have a 10 amp capability.
7. NOTE:

• • If the meter settings need to be switched or the test leads need to be moved to another jack, the jumper wire must be reinstalled to avoid breaking continuity.
  • Amperage draw will vary from vehicle to vehicle depending on the equipment package. Compare to a similar vehicle for reference.
  • No factory-equipped vehicle should have more than a 50 mA (0.050 amp) draw.

Remove the jumper wire.

1. If the draw is found to be excessive, remove fuses from the central junction box one at a time and note the current drop. Do not reinstall the fuses until you are finished testing. To properly isolate each of the circuits, all of the fuses may need to be removed and install one fuse, note the amperage draw, then remove the fuse and install the next fuse, etc.
2. If the current draw is still excessive, remove the fuses from the battery junction box (BJB) one at a time and note the current drop. Do not reinstall the fuses until you have finished testing. To properly isolate each of the circuits, all of the fuses may need to be removed. After removal of all of the fuses, install one fuse, note the amperage draw, then remove the fuse and install the next fuse until each circuit has been tested. When the current level drops to an acceptable level after removing a fuse, the circuit containing the excessive draw has been located.
3. Check the wiring schematic in the wiring diagram for any circuits that run from the battery without passing through the junction boxes. If the current draw is still excessive, disconnect these circuits until the draw is found. Also disconnect the generator electrical connections if the draw can not be located. The generator may be internally shorted, causing the current drain.

[serge_saati]

I have 2 suggestions to give to the OP about this test:

1) I suggest to do steps 4,5,6 before step 3. So that if you break the connection by mistake you don't need to wait another 40 minutes but only restart step 2.

Because it's very hard to disconnect a battery cable w/o breaking the connection w/ the jumper trick. A bad contact can occur or the jumper can slip of the post.

2) Turn off all the interior lights with the dashboard light dimmer. Cause it's impossible to access the fuse panel on a Taurus w/o opening a door.

[shorod]

I agree, I'm not sure why Ford suggests waiting first, then attempting to connect a series current meter.

The feed circuits will be available under the hood which can be used to start the circuit isolation, but once the feed circuit is identified it is likely that an interior fuse panel will be the next step. If taking the approach of turning off the interior lights (not sure if in the 2004 this is done at the dimmer switch or on the dome light itself) be sure to open the appropriate door and leave it open before waiting the 40 minutes. Opening the door will wake the GEM module even if the interior lights are switched off.

-Rod

[Opr2135]

Wow thanks for all this info, let me see if I have this straight before I go out and get flawed results.

Right now, I've disconnected the negative battery terminal and attached a jumper cable to recomplete that circuit. I drove around with that setup for like 8 minutes going over 35mph and I am starting my 40 minute wait now.

After my 40 mins, I should hook up my multimeter and detach the jumper cables without breaking the circuit, and that should give me the proper reading, correct?

Also in regard to serge's advice, there is no option to turn off all dash and interior lights. The dome light turns on when I open the door regardless of how my dimmer is set, and there is no switch on the dome light itself that lights up. Additionally, when the door is open, there is a dash light "Theft" that blinks at regular intervals that also does not respond to the dimmer switch.

Edit: If I do indeed have a draw after all of this, I will probably wait until tomorrow to get a hold of the proper fuse diagrams to start tinkering with them.

[Opr2135]

Update: I followed through with my above post and my multimeter is now giving me a reading of 0.015 to 0.017 amps, which you're telling me is acceptable (as far as I can tell).

I'll wait until one (or more) of you guys confirm this is an accurate reading before drawing conclusions alone, but either way I will have another question or two about why this may have happened.

[serge_saati]

15mA is very low. Are you sure you've plugged the multimeter in the 10A settings and not in the 200mA plug? Just to be sure.